Sector Expertise

Health and Safety for Churches and Places of Worship

Name: Integral Safety Ltd
Address: 53 John Cooper Way, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 4AP, GB
Telephone: 01530 382 150
Price range: ££

Historic buildings, volunteer workforces and public access, with the same legal duties as any other organisation. We help PCCs and trustees meet them proportionately.

Get a Free Quote 01530 382 150

Health and safety consultant talking with a churchwarden inside a historic church

Chartered (CMIOSH) Advice led by a Chartered Member of IOSH
20+ years Protecting Midlands workplaces
Local to you Based in Coalville and Melton Mowbray
Free quote Clear, fixed prices with no obligation

Why it is different

Churches & Places of Worship: What Makes This Sector Different

Places of worship sit in much the same position as almshouse charities. The building is often listed and hundreds of years old, the people running it are usually volunteers, and the duties under fire safety and health and safety law apply regardless. Add public access, occasional large gatherings, community hall lettings and volunteer maintenance work, and the risk picture is broader than most people expect.

We work with parish churches, chapels and other places of worship across Leicestershire and the East Midlands. Our aim is proportionality: identifying what genuinely matters in your building and leaving you with something a PCC or trustee body can act on, not a document that alarms everyone and changes nothing.

Know your risks

The Risks That Matter Here

The hazards we see most often in churches & places of worship, and the ones a regulator or client will ask about.

Fire risk assessment in a historic building with limited alteration options
Escape routes, lighting and signage that respect the building's character
Candles, heaters and other open ignition sources
Electrical installations in older fabric
Volunteers working at height, on ladders and in towers
Bell ringing chambers and access routes
Churchyard maintenance, grounds work and unstable memorials
Lone working for clergy, wardens and volunteers
Hall lettings and the responsibilities that come with third-party use

The law

Your Legal Duties

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to places of worship, and the responsible person is normally the PCC or trustee body. Volunteers are not employees, but the duty under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to people affected by the undertaking covers them, along with congregations and visitors. Where a hall is let to third parties, responsibilities are shared and should be set out clearly in the hire agreement rather than assumed.

How we help

What We Do for Churches & Places of Worship Clients

Fire risk assessments sympathetic to listed and historic fabric
Practical, prioritised action plans a PCC can work through
Health and safety policy proportionate to a volunteer organisation
Advice on hall lettings and third-party hire arrangements

Guidance on volunteer safety and working at height
Support with insurer and diocesan requirements
Annual review so the assessment stays current

Relevant services and training

“Integral Safety provides the authoritative support and assurance our charity needs to keep residents, staff, and visitors safe. Their expert guidance ensures we remain fully compliant with all health and safety legislation and regulatory requirements. With tailored in-house training and excellent value for money, we highly recommend them to any organisation seeking comprehensive safety support.”

Chris Jones Wyggestons and Trinity Almshouse

Questions

Churches & Places of Worship: Common Questions

Does fire safety law really apply to a church?

Yes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to virtually all non-domestic premises including places of worship, and the responsible person, usually the PCC or trustees, must ensure a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is carried out and kept up to date.

Our church is listed and we cannot alter it. What can we do?

A great deal, because most of what improves fire safety in a historic building is management rather than construction: how candles and heaters are used, how the building is checked after events, where combustibles are stored, keeping escape routes clear, and detection chosen and sited sympathetically. Where physical work is needed we work with what the faculty process and your conservation officer will permit.

Do we have duties towards volunteers?

Volunteers are not employees, so the employer duties do not apply in the same way, but section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act requires you to conduct your undertaking so people who are not your employees are not exposed to risk. In practice you should treat volunteer safety with the same seriousness, particularly for higher-risk tasks like working at height or grounds maintenance.

Who is responsible when we let the hall out?

Responsibility is shared and should be written down. You remain responsible for the safety of the building itself, its escape routes and its fire precautions. The hirer is normally responsible for their own activity, their equipment and supervising their attendees. Ambiguity here causes real problems after an incident, so a clear hire agreement is worth having.

Local to you