Tower Tours
Tower tours can potentially be dangerous as people are being admitted to an area they would not normally visit and with which they are unfamiliar
Because of this, tower tours are not automatically covered by your policy and before you consider running them, you will need to contact us to obtain a quotation to cover them. One of our surveyors will need to inspect the tower at your church to ensure the tower is safe for tours and to decide if there are any requirements needed to improve safety.
While accidents are uncommon, we have seen a few causing serious injury. On this basis, it is important that tours are planned so that you can take adequate precautions and have effective emergency arrangements in place should the unthinkable happen.
Below are a number of things to consider if hosting tower tours at your church.
Preventing accidents during tower tours
Depending on your own particular circumstances, some of the things you may need to consider include:
- The adequacy of edge protection at high levels
- The suitability of the access route
- The condition of staircases, steps and handrails
- The adequacy of any lighting
- Any precautions where there are height restrictions or other projections
- The maximum number of persons permitted on the tour
- The number of stewards required
- Any emergency procedures that may be required, particularly how you would evacuate someone in the event of an accident or a medical emergency
- Any safety information required for visitors1
In some situations you may need to:
- Complete risk assessments to identify the precautions you need to take
- Provide information and training for any employees on what they need to do
- Make periodic checks and inspections to ensure that your precautions remain adequate and that equipment is safe
- Document your arrangements and responsibilities for managing safety during tower tours, perhaps as part of your Safety Statement
- Keep records of what you have done