One of the requirements of the Diocesan Trustees is for each parish in the Diocese to have its own Health and Safety Policy. This is available on our web site ( click here ), for all members of the Parish to read. It was produced in conjunction with the nicola worley consultancy following the 2011H&S audit of the parish.

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

"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 and maintenance that we have been undertaking 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 Young, 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.

As part of our management of Risk, we have prepared below:

• 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 ( click here) and evacuating the Hall ( click here )
• a form for reporting risks as they are identified and tracking remedial action ( click here)

All these documents are available below. Please feel free to read them and spread the message about the importance of including Health and Safety considerations in all we do in the parish