CORPUS OF ROMANESQUE SCULPTURE IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND
HEALTH AND SAFETY - GUIDANCE TO FIELDWORKERS
1. Introduction
1.1 The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland (CRSBI) is a
volunteer-based project. Volunteers are asked to carry out campaigns of fieldwork at
historic buildings where there may be degrees of risk. Volunteers are likely to travel
from home to sites by driving a motorcar, or being driven by a third party. Some
CRSBI roles are carried out on a self-employed basis.
1.2 The Chair and Executive Board of CRSBI has adopted a Health and Safety Policy
(copy attached) which it expects to see adopted by the CRSBI team at all levels. The
objective of the Policy is to ensure that those working in the field have as safe an
experience as possible by being able to identify and manage risks on site.
1.3 This Guidance Note is a key element of the Policy and requires those working on
site to take and manage risks seriously, usually mentally where the risks are low, but
through documentation where the risks are greater.
2. The risks of visiting historic properties
2.1 Fieldworkers and others carrying out survey work on site are likely to be
experienced in visiting and recording investigating historic buildings and structures,
but organisations who own and manage historic properties, such as church authorities,
English Heritage and the National Trust, can testify that visitors do sometimes
experience accidents at sites, as will insurance companies.
2.2 The majority of accidents are caused by tripping over surfaces such as uneven
floors and steps, carpets and rugs. Risks are inherent in stairs and/or ladders to towers,
rood lofts and galleries, and in accessing internal roof spaces and exterior walkways.
The areas around historic properties may have risks arising from uneven ground, for
example banks and ditches in the case of castles, or burial grounds in the case of
churches, where tombs and headstones may be unstable.
2.3 Underground vaults may have high humidity and poor ventilation, which
encourages the growth of moulds, with risks of toxicity, especially in confined spaces.
2.4 Animals may create risks in certain circumstances, for example droppings from
rodents, bats and birds.
2.5 There may be temporary risks arising from parts of a building or monument,
which are dangerous because of structural failure or are undergoing conservation
work. Hazards to look out for include scaffolding and chemicals used for conservation
purposes.
2.6 Fieldworkers need to be aware of the potential risks of lone working, especially in
remote locations. They should ensure that someone is aware of where they are
working. Mobile phones can help to maintain contact in case of illness or accident,
although at some sites phone signals may not be available. It is highly desirable that
someone locally is aware of their presence in the building. Church authorities are
aware of cases where someone has been accidentally locked in overnight and in one
case there was a serious episode of hypothermia.
2.7 Fieldworkers who have borrowed a key must ensure that the building is locked up
properly after the fieldwork. An individual might be personally liable for leaving a
building unlocked if there was a subsequent theft or damage.
3. Primary responsibilities for Health and Safety on site
3.1 Fieldworkers will almost always be working in environments owned or managed
by others and where the primary responsibility for Health and Safety lies elsewhere.
These will include buildings open to the public, such as churches and castles operated
by church authorities or conservation authorities responsible for the Health and Safety
of visitors. The same will apply to buildings not open to the public, where CRSBI
fieldworkers have obtained permission to visit and where the owner or occupier
should carry appropriate insurance.
3.2 In addition to Health and Safety responsibilities, owners and managers have a
duty of care to the public to maintain a site so that it does not become a hazard or
danger. Authorised visitors should be warned about risks such as structural defects,
contamination, fragile roofs or floors, or razor wire, and sites should be provided with
adequate lighting and barriers around unsafe areas.
3.3The primary responsibility for Health and Safety will also lie with third parties
when CRSBI team workers attend meetings/training in buildings maintained by
others.
4. Risks to Fieldworkers
4.1 While the primary responsibility for the Health and Safety of visitors lies with the
owners and managers of sites, there is an expectation that visitors will also take
reasonable precautions to ensure their own Health and Safety, and more so in a
historic property.
4.2 A fieldworker is more than just an ordinary visitor, however, and there are
particular risks arising from the activity of fieldwork, principally a lack of attention to
the immediate environment due to concentration on the fieldwork itself. Photography
can be risky, especially stepping back from a camera and tripping backwards, both
within and outside buildings and monuments, as can falling over while holding and/or
carrying equipment.
4.3 Fieldworkers will also be responsible for ensuring that other visitors are not
exposed to risk through fieldwork activity, for example by leaving equipment in place
where it may cause an accident through tripping.
5. Assessing the Risk
5.1 Fieldworkers have advantages over many visitors to a historic property, both
through their previous experience of visiting and recording buildings and their task of
analysing its components, spaces and phases. In most cases it will be possible to
identify if the property is well maintained and managed and in most cases the risk is
likely to be low and manageable.
5.2 Increased risks can occur in two main circumstances:
- Where a team or individuals take judgements about accessing parts of buildings
and structures where there is no usual public access, perhaps to gain a better vantage
point for photography or simply a desire to carry out a more thorough exploration.
This may increase the risk and the owner/occupiers responsibility may be eroded by
such actions. Consultation on the likely level of risk should be held with the owner
owner/occupier or a representative.
- Where a team seeks to investigate a derelict building or ruined structure, possibly
in an isolated location and clearly not intended to be open to the public, perhaps
because the site is at risk of damage or loss. There may appear to be an intellectual
case for creating what may be the only record of the features at such a site. In theory,
owners' liability should apply here, but it may be eroded by the individual’s actions
and the owner/occupier may not be traceable.
5.3 In both the above cases, if the risk is higher than a low risk, fieldwork should not
proceed immediately and the case should be referred back to CRSBI to complete a
formal and documented risk assessment and to determine if there are ways of
mitigating the risk
6. Travelling to sites by car or cycle
6.1 Driving/cycling on public roads is perhaps one of the most hazardous activities
likely to be undertaken by fieldworkers. Accidents can also occur by travelling on
private roads or private land, for example to reach a building from a private road.
6.2. Fieldworkers driving from home to sites should have comprehensive car
insurance. Driving directly between home and a volunteer project or site is normally
covered as most insurance companies will count volunteering within the 'Domestic,
social and pleasure' category, although some may regard it as 'Business’ use.
Volunteers should check this with their insurance company, including covering
situations where a third-party is driving the volunteer or where project materials are
being transported.
6.2 Self-employed persons working for CRSBI should ensure that they are covered
for ‘Business’ use.
7. Use of Visual Display Units/Computer screens
7.1 Everyone who regularly spends extended periods of time (of one hour or more)
working on a visual display unit (VDU), also known as Display Screen Equipment
(DSE) faces risks such as fatigue, including visual fatigue, and stresses to muscles and
limbs brought about by poor posture.
7.2. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has a guide on its website to working
with display screen equipment and also risk assessments; all working on CRSBI
should undertake a risk assessment in accordance with HSE guidelines.
8. First aid provision
8.1 Fieldworkers who are working on their own should take first aid kits with them.
Those who have known health risks should assess the risks of fieldwork and take and
document mitigating actions, including carrying appropriate medication and
equipment.
9 Questions arising from the guidance
9.1 General questions about this guidance may be referred to me, but questions about
managing and mitigating risk at a particular site should be referred to Jill Franklin.
NIGEL CLUBB
March 2015
ANNEX
SUMMARY CHECKLIST FOR CONSIDERING RISKS OF FIELDWORK
The following aims to be a useful list for considering the risks of fieldwork, but every
site is different and needs to be judged on its own characteristics:
-
Safeguarding the security of a building, for example by locking buildings and
returning keys
Avoiding being locked in
Travelling by car, cycle or walking on public roads and private land
Lone fieldwork, especially on remote sites
Uneven floors/ground surfaces
Fieldwork on the upper levels of buildings and structures
Manual handling of survey equipment
Risks to others on site
Chemical hazards, for example from conservation treatments
Biological hazards from animals and mould
First aid provision, proportionate to the risk
Use of Visual Display Units/Computer screens.