Setting ground rules

Your organisation probably already thinks about health and safety in their public areas, but may not have considered the hazards in some of the areas you will be accessing, like the boiler room. In addition, the culture of volunteering means it is easy for people to attempt to do things that are beyond their physical capabilities. We have some basic rules that all groups must follow.

• Don’t go alone. If someone else goes with you, they can get help if anything goes wrong.

• No ladders. Yes, we know many of you go up ladders all the time, but many of the ladders in community buildings aren’t well maintained. Also, it’s very easy to break light fittings and windows with them. Ladders aren’t necessary for this programme and would slow you down. When groups are tempted to go up ladders, it’s usually to read the ratings on over-door heaters or see how many watts the lightbulbs are, check whether vents are blocked, or measure the height of the space. There are almost always much safer ways to do these things. Think how else you can get the information - through user manuals maintenance and finance records, and meeting minutes, for instance.

• No unsafe steps. Church buildings especially are notorious for steps that are dangerous by modern standards or so worn that they are unsafe. This rule will usually mean not checking the ventilation arrangements through towers, for instance.

Photo: (c) Neil Owen, CC BY-SA 2.0

You should obey the rules even if you have a more modern building. You may need additional rules, depending on the state of the building and possibly also on who is in your group. You will decide the rules in the first session.