Headstone safety testing
Responsibility for the safety and any subsequent repairs to memorials rests with the registered owner.
We are obliged however under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1984 and the Public Liability Act 1951 to ensure memorial safety within the cemetery and take appropriate action.
We also have a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to protect the health and safety of all visitors, staff, funeral directors, monumental masons, clergy and contractors using the cemetery.
We have undertaken an initial visual check within the cemetery and checked memorials for stability by gentle hand force applied according to the mass of each memorial.
Where memorials were found dangerous or failed the test, memorials were supported by wooden posts and rubber ties to prevent collapse and potential injury. Letters were then written to all recorded registered owners.
Our success rate in contacting registered owners was quite good, but we do stress the importance of keeping us up to date with any changes of name or address.
We are currently drafting a policy with regards to a regular headstone safety audit, the use of appropriate testing methods and to determine what action we will take with temporarily supported headstones after a given time and failing to contact the registered owner.
In many instances where a memorial was found unsafe, this was due to inadequate foundations or fixing methods.
In the light of all memorials and memorial repairs now being carried out to the required The National Association of Memorial Masons
(NAMM) standard,
suitable foundations and ground fixing methods should help prevent these issues with new memorials.
Responsibility for the safety and any subsequent repairs to memorials rests with the registered owner.
We are obliged however under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1984 and the Public Liability Act 1951 to ensure memorial safety within the cemetery and take appropriate action.
We also have a duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to protect the health and safety of all visitors, staff, funeral directors, monumental masons, clergy and contractors using the cemetery.
We have undertaken an initial visual check within the cemetery and checked memorials for stability by gentle hand force applied according to the mass of each memorial.
Where memorials were found dangerous or failed the test, memorials were supported by wooden posts and rubber ties to prevent collapse and potential injury. Letters were then written to all recorded registered owners.
Our success rate in contacting registered owners was quite good, but we do stress the importance of keeping us up to date with any changes of name or address.
We are currently drafting a policy with regards to a regular headstone safety audit, the use of appropriate testing methods and to determine what action we will take with temporarily supported headstones after a given time and failing to contact the registered owner.
In many instances where a memorial was found unsafe, this was due to inadequate foundations or fixing methods.
In the light of all memorials and memorial repairs now being carried out to the required The National Association of Memorial Masons
(NAMM) standard,
suitable foundations and ground fixing methods should help prevent these issues with new memorials.
