The Diocese has created a comprehensive Health and Safety policy with the Nicola Worley Consultancy. This is available for reading and downloading here

Health and Safety is managed at Parish level by the Parish Priest and the Finance Committee on behalf of the Bishop and Diocesan Trustees. Whilst the H&S Policy is long and complex, the guiding principles are well summarised in the following paragraphs:

"Effective health and safety management reduces the risks associated with our activities and helps to prevent accidents, injury and ill health. We shouldn’t look on it as preventing us from doing things so much as asking ourselves if what we are doing is safe and whether we could improve safety by doing things differently.

What we are aiming for in the Diocese, is to provide and maintain an environment which allows people to be involved in God’s work and celebrate their beliefs without being harmed."

Much of the building improvement work that we are now planning is aimed at improving safety by eliminating risks and hazards which have been identified during our Risk Assessments. However, we all have a responsibility to each other to try to avoid accidents.

If you spot a potential risk or hazard, please let one of the following people know:

• In the Church: Sacristan or Mass Co-ordinator
• In the Hall: Helen Naughton, the Hall Administrator
• In the Presbytery: Julie Watkins, the Parish Secretary
• Or, for all our properties and grounds, the Parish Secretary or Parish Priest
Once reported, the risk will be assessed and appropriate remedial action planned and implemented.

• a policy for the guidance of those using ladders in or around parish properties
• guidance on planning H&S into the Liturgy
• guidance for Hall Users
• guidance on evacuating the Church and Hall (link x 2)
• a form for reporting risks as they are identified and tracking remedial action (link)