Church Wardens Could Fall Foul Of Poor Maintenance

Church wardens should be taking more care of their footpaths, steps and courtyards if they are to avoid enormous insurance premiums following compensation claims.

Church wardens should be taking more care of their footpaths, steps and courtyards if they are to avoid enormous insurance premiums following compensation claims, according to Ray Wescott, special projects manager of civil engineering and highway infrastructure maintenance company, Crowley.

"Poorly maintained churchyards are hazardous places for worshippers and church visitors, especially given that a good percentage of these visitors could be elderly people," explains Wescott.

"Cracked paving, moss covered stone surfaces, worn out pavements and loose stones can lead to costly accident claims from trips, falls and slips.

The most common hazard areas include: * Asphalt surfaces, which break up over time, with the subsequent loose stones presenting slipping and tripping hazards.

* Stone floors and steps are prone to slippery moss growth, especially when overshadowed by trees or the building itself, preventing surfaces from drying out after rainfall.

* Concrete edging on blacktop surfacing deteriorates over time, altering the height between the edging and the actual paving, causing yet another tripping hazard.

* Pavement surfaces wear with age and become brittle, causing cracks to appear, which then become full breaks when water penetrates and the winter freeze/thaw takes effect.

"Like local authorities, Wescott warns that Church Wardens should take a proactive approach to seeking out these potentially dangerous areas, by performing regular maintenance checks to deal with any groundwork problems in their infancy.

He continues: "Local authorities are responsible for the upkeep of tens of miles of highways, footpaths and large public recreation areas.

To do this and minimise the impact of personal injury claims against the authority, they employ a continuous checking and maintenance procedure.

By thoroughly checking surfaces for cracks, disintegration and general surface wear once every year, church wardens will virtually eradicate any risk of accidents.

By doing this and contracting specialists to repair and restore any damaged areas, they will be ensuring that they are not allowing nature alone to destroy a good groundwork base that could last for years.

This will also keep their patrons safer and ensure that the heritage site and place of worship is there to be enjoyed by people for many more years to come.

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