Health and safety in community buildings
Occupational health and safely in the UKisgoverned by the health and safety at work etc Act 1974. The law applies to voluntary and community sector organisations in the same way as it applies to commercial organisations. Voluntary and community organisations and their committee owe a duty of care to employees and people who use the organisations’buildings.
Under the health and safety at work etc Act 1974, voluntary and community sector organisations must ensure as far as is reasonably practicable, the health and welfare at work of all their workers and provide:
a safe place of work and working environmental
a safe system of work, e.g. safe handling and storage
adequate supervision, information, training and instruction
For more information call the health and safety executive information line on:
0845 345 0055 or visit:
Health and safety law and obligations
The health and safety legal responsibility applies to all people who enter the premises not just employees.It is because of this that voluntary and community organisations take out public liability and employer’s liability insurance.This means that if an organisation fails to act reasonably in a circumstance where a duty of care is owed to another person it would have breached that duty. If the other person suffers injury or damage as a result, then he or she has a right to sue the organisation and recover compensation.
The health and safety offences Act 2008 also came into force in January 2009, and this new Act has increasedthe penalties and provides courts with greater sentencing powers for those who breach the health and safety at work etc Act 1974. For more information call the health and safety executive information line on:
0845 345 0055 or visit:
How can voluntary and community sector organisations be expected to comply with health and safety law?
Writing out a health and safety policy and carrying out risk assessment will help organisations to determine and prioritise areas of greatest need and enable the committee to plan for the future. Voluntary and community sector organisations should develop full health and safety policies and procedures and ensure that they are regularly reviewed and updated. Risk assessment of community facility should be conducted at least once a year and also whenever a new activity, space, or equipment is introduced and all health and safety activities should be recorded. Organisations should also display the health and safety law poster in a prominent position in each workplace or provide each worker with a copy of the equivalent leaflet.
In April 2009, the health and safely executive published new version of the health and safety poster and leaflet. The new poster is a more friendly use and the leaflet is in a form of a pocket card. As from April 2009, it is only possible to buy the new health and safety law poster and obtain the new pocket cards. However, if they wish, organisations can continue to use their existing version of poster and leaflets until 5 April 2014, provided that they are readable and detail of the enforcing authority and employment medical advisory service is up to date. Funders and local authorities are also demanding that health and safety requirements be adhered to in the same way with equal opportunity policies.
We also encourage organisations to participate in health and safety related training sessions and learning programmes. On the 15 July 2009, CAS delivered a successful one day health & safety training course in which 19 representatives of voluntary and community groups each with a responsibility for a community building attended. This training was designed to increase knowledge as well as providing a real practical experience in risk assessment which participants could then employ as part of their own premises management procedures. The training covered developing health and safety policy, what managers, employeesand trustees of community premises need to consider and managing health & safety. The feedback we received indicated that this course enhanced all participants’ knowledge, skills and experience. CAS will also deliver another health and safety training in January 2009. More information about this would be available on the next issue of CASCADE.
For further information on any health and safety related issues and advice on models of best practice, contact Teklu Haile, Property Development Officer, CAS on
020 7358 4831 or email: