Why carry out a risk assessment?
In the first instance, carrying out a risk assessment at your Methodist church will help you to identify risks that may cause harm.
Once you are aware of the risks and hazards at the premises, you can ensure that reasonable precautions are in place to manage those risks and keep people safe. Where precautions are already in place, these should be reviewed to ensure they are still effective.
It is best to conduct risk assessments formally, keeping a record of the considerations you have made. If an accident does occur, these records can be used to show your church has been diligent in their duty of care.
Who is responsible for risk assessments?
Employers must complete these and they will need to meet specific requirements. In particular, they must identify the steps you need to take to comply with relevant health and safety regulations.
It is worth remembering that even if you are not an employer but own or control premises, you may still have to complete detailed risk assessments for certain hazards, for example fire and asbestos. These will have to meet specific requirements and in some cases you may need specialist assistance with this.
How to complete a risk assessment
Completing risk assessments is not about creating huge amounts of paperwork - it is about identifying sensible precautions for your church. The level of detail in your risk assessment needs to be proportionate to the risk. Most small churches, for example, present few hazards so the risk assessment can be quite simple on that basis.
We have created two risk assessment templates which should cover most considerations.
Small churches
Small Methodist churches may be described as:
- Having a small building
- Being engaged in normal church activities such as weekend services
- Attracting a small congregation
- Hosting few – if any – community of fundraising events.
Large churches
Large Methodist churches may be described as:
- Having a large building
- Being very active
- Having a significant number of employees, volunteers and visitors
- Running diverse and varied activities.