Resources
Health & Safety
All those who go to work should return home healthy and safe
Key Resources
Below are templates you can use to set up your health and Safety Folder (Word versions of these in Drop box folder below)
Diocesan Health and Safety Cover Page and Index
Section 1: Health and Safety Act
Section 2: Diocesan Health and Safety Policy
Section 3: Health and Safety Checklist
Section 4b: Notifiable Illnesses, Injuries, Incidents
Section 5: Contactors and Subcontractors
Section 5a: Contractors Guideline
Section 5c: Contractors Agreement
Section 6: Electrical Testing and Tagging
Section 7b: Evacuation Test Record
Section 10: Hire of Facilities
Section 11: Lock Up and Key Holders
Section 12a: Hazard Management Overview
Section 12b: Risk Management Assessment Chart
Section 12c: Hazard Identification Form
Section 12d: Slips. Trips, Falls
Section 12e: Slips, Trips, Falls Checklist
Section 12g: General Safety Notice
Section 12h: Low Level Hot Device Safety Notice
Section 12i Vicarage or Church House Checklist
Section 14: Training and Induction
Section 14a: Training Register
Section 15a: Risk Assessment for Lone Working
Section 15b: Risk Assessment for Community Contact
Below are links to a drop box with all of the health and safety resources and templates, including a folder of shared resources from parishes that you may find useful in developing your own. If you have something that you think works well, contact Andrew Metcalfe registrar@calledsouth.org.nz and we will put it in this area.
Health and Safety Articles (from Ko Te Tonga kei te Karaka – The South Calling)
Notifiable Events
See Section 2 of the Templates above
Notifiable events can be distressing for all involved. After an incident or accident you should contact the Registrar on 03 488-0821 as soon as possible. All notifications to WorkSafe will be made by the Registrar unless they are unavailable, in which case you should contact the archdeacon for your parish or the Bishop’s Office. The Registrar can also provide other aid and advice as appropriate.
The health and safety regulator must be notified when certain work-related events (notifiable events) occur. Only serious events are intended to be notified and these trigger requirements to preserve the site, notify the regulator and keep records.
A notifiable event is any of the following events that arise from work:
- a death
- a notifiable illness or injury or
- a notifiable incident.
See Section 2: Notifiable Events for more infomration and links
If a Serious Incident Occurs
Following any serious incident that involves injury to lay workers, clergy, volunteers and visitors, or others who access and use our premises, including contractors, or any other dangerous occurrence:
- arrange for first aid assistance, or the emergency services if necessary
- immediately notify the Registrar or, if unavailable, the Archdeacon (see note above)
- do not disturb the scene of the incident except to deal with continuing risk to people or property in case of investigation by WorkSafe
- as soon as possible, complete an Accident/Incident Report
Video Resources
A video produced by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust in the UK focusing on Safety when working in isolated settings e.g. by yourself at work, travelling from A to B and so on. It is a longer watch (and apologies for the picture quality), but the content is very helpful for any who are in lone working situations or have concerns about your safety in the community.
First 7 minutes: working from office-home… making things secure
7-9 minutes: working out of hours (alone)
9-13 minutes: visiting someone in their home
13 minutes into video: advice for using personal alarms
16 minutes: advice for when out and about
34:30 minutes: advice for when driving
Anyone who serves the church in paid or unpaid ministry has a privilege of being with others at key moments of their lives. At times, we can encounter people under a great deal of stress… and it can put ourselves and possibly even them at risk.
Here is a video of a Zoom training session carried out on 27 June 2023. This is just over 42 minutes long. For more infomration and resources, visit here.
A video with useful tips on how to prevent arson, part of our Health and Safety video series
A video from the UK with a helpful overview on H&S
A longer (23 minute) video on the Health and Safety at Work Act in NZ.
Why Do This?
The safety of all members of the Church community is of paramount importance. The Diocese of Dunedin believes that effective Health and Safety management is essential to a successful church; ethically, morally, spiritually, legally and financially.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSW Act) came into force in April 2016. A guiding principle of HSW Act is that workers and other persons should be given the highest level of protection against harm to their health, safety, and welfare from work risks as is reasonably practicable. The main purpose of HSW Act is to provide for a balanced framework to secure the health and safety of workers and workplaces.
An introduction to HSW Act produced by WorkSafe can be found here.
While the HSW Act is clear that health and safety is everyone’s responsibility, it is also clear that key organisations and the officers of those organisations owe a duty of care not to expose people to risks. Ministry units are responsible to do whatever is reasonably practicable to ensure the health and safety of all people who come into contact with the Church.
In 2022 Safeguarding policies and procedures were implemented to ensure that all vulnerable people (children and adults) are safe in our faith communities. 1
Detailed guidelines for understanding the HSW Act, procedures and templates have now been developed and are available for you to downloaded, as well as a copy of the Safeguarding Policy.
If you need any assistance please contact the Registrar registrar@calledsouth.org.nz including support with how to make a Worksafe notification should you need to.