COVID-19 Risk Assessment for St Michael's

Risk Assessment for Opening Church Buildings to the Public

Version Control

Issue Date	Version Number	Issued by
22^nd May 2020	1	The House of Bishops COVID-19 Recovery Group
8^th June 2020	2	The House of Bishops COVID-19 Recovery Group
12^th June 2020	3	The House of Bishops COVID-19 Recovery Group
1st July 2020	4	The House of Bishops COVID-19 Recovery Group

Churches and cathedrals have been legally permitted to open for purposes of individual private prayer from 13^th June. House of Bishops guidance provided for churches to open for funerals from 15th June. Public worship, with measures in place for social distancing, are allowed from 4^th July. Other activities, except for a few still prohibited by law, may also take place in churches, subject to the government guidance in place for the relevant sector.

The government guidance for the safe use of places of worship during the pandemic requires a COVID-19 risk assessment to be carried out for every building and site open to the public. This document provides a template risk assessment, with links to the relevant advice notes. It relates to opening up church and cathedral buildings to clergy and members of the public entering for any permitted purposes. As well as offering guidance on best-practice, it is also intended to help parishes make a decision on whether to open for any or all of these purposes or not, based on their local circumstances, resources and context. You should read the advice on re-opening buildings and the guidance on public worship before completing this assessment. Both are available on the Church of England Coronavirus pages.

Future versions of this document will be produced when there is any substantive change to the guidance on the safe use of places of worship.

Church:

Assessor’s name:

Date completed:

Review date:

Area of Focus	Controls required	Additional information	Action by whom?	Completed – date and name
Access to church buildings for clergy for purposes of private prayer and/or livestreaming General advice on accessing church buildings can be found here.	One point of entry to the church building clearly identified and separate from public entry if possible			MS- 19/06/2020
	A suitable lone working policy has been consulted if relevant.	An example can be found here.		MS checked Ecclesiastical Insurance guidance 19/06/2020
	Buildings have been aired before use.			MS-03/07/2020
	Check for animal waste and general cleanliness.			MS- 19/06/2020
	Ensure water systems are flushed through before use.	See Government Guidance for organisations on supplying safe water supplies		MS- 19/06/2020
	Switch on and check electrical and heating systems if needed. Commission system checks as necessary.			MS- 19/06/2020
	Holy water stoups and the font are empty.			MS- 19/06/2020
	Ensure safe use of equipment needed for livestreaming: avoid exceeding safe load on sockets, cables/tripod causing trip hazard			N/A
Deciding whether to open to the public	Discuss with nearby venues and businesses to ensure that the timing and practical arrangements for using the church are compatible.			N/A
	Update your website, A Church Near You, and any relevant social media.			MS- on-going
	Consider if a booking system is needed, whether for general access or for specific events/services		Churchwardens	MS- 09/07/2020
	If opening to tourists consider applying for the Visit Britain ‘Good to Go’ standard mark	Apply here.		N/A
Preparation of the Church for access by members of the public for any permitted purposes, including worship and tourism	Confirm that all steps (above) for access by clergy have been carried out before anyone else accesses the building.			MS- 03/07/2020
	Review CofE guide on cleaning church buildings. Complete the ‘cleaning’ section of this risk assessment (below).	Advice on cleaning church buildings can be found here.	Wardens and clergy	Wardens and clergy- 03/07/2020
	Choose one point of entry into the church to manage flow of people and indicate this with notices, keeping emergency exits available at all times. Where possible use a different exit.		Wardens	MS- 03/07/2020
	Make any temporary arrangements for people to wait or queue outside the building (taking into account any consequential risks arising from people gathering outside).	Signage to be provided	Wardens	MS- 09/07/2020
	Where possible, doors and windows should be opened temporarily to improve ventilation.		Wardens	MS- 03/07/2020
	Remove Bibles/literature/hymn books/leaflets	Bookcases and displays to be covered	Wardens	MS- 09/07/2020
	Cordon off or remove from public access any devotional objects or items (if they are liable to be touched or closely breathed on)		Wardens	MS- 03/07/2020
	Consider if pew cushions/kneelers need to be removed as per government guidance		Wardens and clergy	MS- 03/07/2020
	Remove or isolate children’s resources and play areas		Wardens	MS- 03/07/2020
	Walk through the church to plan for physical distancing in seats, aisles, at the altar rail, including safe flow of visitors. Remember 2m in all directions from each person (or 1m with risk mitigation if absolutely necessary).		Wardens and clergy	MS- 03/07/2020
	Clearly mark out seating areas including exclusion zones to maintain distancing.		Wardens	MS- 03/07/2020
	Clearly mark out flow of movement for people entering and leaving the building to maintain physical distancing requirements.		Wardens	MS- 03/07/2020
	Limit access to places were the public does not need go, maybe with a temporary cordon in needed.		Wardens	MS- 03/07/2020
	Determine placement of hand sanitisers available for visitors to use.	Register with Parish Buying for procurement options.	Wardens	MS- 03/07/2020
	Determine if temporary changes are needed to the building to facilitate social distancing	Consult advice on gaining temporary permissions.	Wardens and clergy	MS- 03/07/2020
	Put up notices to remind visitors about important safe practices e.g. no physical contact, practice hand washing etc.		Wardens	MS-09/07/2020
	Ensure high-risk surfaces and touch points have been wiped with appropriate sanitiser spray or disposable wipes	Advice on cleaning church buildings can be found here.	Wardens/Cleaning Team	MS- 09/07/2020
	Check that handwashing facilities have adequate soap provision and paper towels, and a bin for the paper towels.	Register with Parish Buying for procurement options.	Clergy for Sacristy	MS- 09/07/2020
	Where there are toilet facilities, ensure an adequate supply of soap and disposable hand towels, and a bin for towels, are available.	Register with Parish Buying for procurement options.	N/A
	Ensure all waste receptacles have disposable liners (e.g. polythene bin bags) to reduce the risk to those responsible for removing them.		N/A
	If possible, provide safe means for worshippers and visitors to record their name and contact details; retain each day’s record for 21 days		Wardens	MS- 09/07/2020
	Give due notice of the resumption of use of the building to neighbours, congregation and wider community, ensuring that visitors and worshippers will know what to expect when they come.		Wardens and clergy	MS- 09/07/2020
Cleaning the church before and after general use (no known exposure to anyone with Coronavirus symptoms) Advice on cleaning church buildings can be found here.	If the church building has been closed for 72 hours between periods of being open then there is no need for extra cleaning to remove the virus from surfaces.		Cleaning Team	MS- 09/07/2020
	If 72-hour closure is not possible then check all cleaners are not in a vulnerable group or self-isolating.		Cleaning Team	MS- 09/07/2020
	Set up a cleaning rota to cover your opening arrangements.		Cleaning Team	MS- 09/07/2020
	All cleaners provided with gloves (ideally disposable).	Register with Parish Buying for procurement options.	Cleaning Team	MS- 09/07/2020
	Suitable cleaning materials provided, depending on materials and if historic surfaces are to be cleaned.	Register with Parish Buying for procurement options.	Cleaning Team	MS- 09/07/2020
	Confirm person responsible for removing potentially contaminated waste (e.g. hand towels) from the site.		Wardens	MS- 03/07/2020
	Confirm the frequency for removing potentially contaminated waste (e.g. hand towels) from the site – suggested daily removal.	After services	Wardens	MS- 03/07/2020
Cleaning the church after known exposure to someone with Coronavirus symptoms	If possible close the church building for 72 hours with no access permitted.		Wardens and clergy	MS- 09/07/2020
	If 72-hour closure is not possible then follow Public Health England guidance on cleaning in non-healthcare settings.	Public Health England guidance available here.	Cleaning Team	MS- 09/07/2020
	If the building has been quarantined for 72 hours, then carry out cleaning as per the normal advice on cleaning.	Advice on cleaning church buildings can be found here.	Cleaning Team	MS- 09/07/2020