Church Risk Assessment
Risk assessment is a progressive stage in risk management procedure, which is used to regulate the unique quantifiable value of hazards concerning certain circumstances and identification of the danger. In this kind of presentation, I will base the health, and safety risk assessment I carried out in Jesus Celebration Centre (JCC) put in place for a better position of devotion as briefed by the supervisor during the day time log of my observations.
Structures Put In Place for A Safe Place of Worship
Church Building Security
Jesus Celebration Centre is a large building, which is used as a place of worship for both the abled and disabled, youths, adults, and children irrespective of their different age groups. JCC has a clearly defined boundary with concert walls accompanied by electric fencing. At the gate of JCC, there stands a security guard who safeguards the place and ensures no intruders can access the church without permission. The roofing of the church has an intruder alarm fixed facing all directions of the compound. It also came to my realization that, their musical instruments, laptops, and secret documents were highly protected from thieves. During Sundays, vehicles are parked within the church compound, and the church employs more security to hinder any theft from the mixture and the church in general during that busy day.
Theft and Damage
JCC has a room which has been secured for valuable things like audios, visuals, and musical instruments when they are not being used. JCC offices are always locked when the staff members are not in the office. Church offerings and other financial services are taken care of by the deacons in a secured room, and then the money is taken away from the church premises during the day and taken to the bank.
Management and Practice
Many churches have no specific monthly budget for crime and destruction prevention procedures from any general overhaul funds (Marotta, Sorrentino, Liberatore & Ingham, 2018). Even though the JCC staff members have suggested that people should report any act of vandalism with immediate effect, but most people do not say. However, when damages occur, they are quickly repaired to discourage such acts while criminal acts are reported to the nearest police station. When theft is detected, or any other kind of damage, the details are recorded in a certain logbook. JCC also has a specific method for recording and investigating fires. JCC involves the community, church guards, and the police in safeguarding the church building. There is also no method put in place for the police and fire amenities to come into contact with the church keys in the occurrence of incidents in the church.
Other Established Methods
JCC has a suitable method for handling church keys and a proper procedure for locking up the church. After locking the church building, the guards are authorized to inspect the kitchen, storehouse, and washrooms to make sure no one is hiding inside the church building. I also noticed that the church locks, are systematically checked to avoid key duplication. Visitors are always advised to use a particular door that has been signed, but there are no approved methods for monitoring the arrival and departure of visitors from the church premises. JCC has an external lightening system to help in lighting up the premises during the night. JCC also has a caretaker who lives inside the church premises. When there is an ongoing construction inside the church, additional security is provided, and fire safety measures are carried out by trusted Christians from the church. People working in the prayer Centre, are the only people who are allowed to work alone in the church premises because the place is always secure for personal safety.
In many churches, children’s events are organized in the church premises, the number of children inside the church compound is recorded in a register, and children protection policies are carried out to ensure maximum protection of the children (Betti, Borghini, Boschi, Ciavattone, Vignoli, 2018). JCC also carries the same procedures. Also during Sundays, children are protected against outsiders who come looking for people inside the church or want to join fellow worshipers. JCC has fire escaping routes which sometimes are obstructed by the church staff. The emergency doors are easily opened without the use of keys from inside the building.
My Observation
JCC gave me a warm welcome, as I was being introduced to the guards for safety briefings. I was accompanied by my supervisor to have a look at the fire exit which was next to the pulpit. On the way, I noticed parked chairs which were blocking the door, immediately she alarmed the caretaker to remove the chairs and clear the way. During Sunday service, the expected number of stewards is increased in any churches, they are expected to be in church early enough before worshipper’s starts coming to church (Palazzi, Rovero, Tonietti, Llera & Sandoval, 2019). In JCC the number of stewards during Sundays is raised to a total of 21 stewards, but by around 09:50 only 9 of them seemed dedicated with their work, most of them arrived amid worship. The biggest problem I noticed was that most of the stewards lacked specialized training, and they lacked team briefing.
I also paid a visit to the non-English speaking serving in the evening. I asked the supervisor how safe it was for those who did not understand English to escape when in case of emergency. The supervisor showed me written instruction on the walls which were helpful to people who did not understand English to follow in case of an emergency. I was supposed to be taken to taste the fire alarm, but that never happened to avoid church service interruption. After the service, I noticed a mentally challenged woman walking among children without supervision, and no steward seemed to control the children who were running around. I enquired from my supervisor if the stewards were obliged to monitor children in the church compound. The supervisor took me to the stewards briefing room and pointed a notice on the wall. The note explained all the duties of the stewards which one of them was to control children movements immediately after the service. I realized that church workers need to be aware of their skills, accountability, and knowledge of what they are supposed to do.
Conclusion
I have learned the importance of assessing risk management in the church premises. Irrespective of the protective measures the church has deployed, to provide safety and ample worship environment, differences among some staffs and other workers of different church departments, play significant roles in creating an unsafe environment for both the children and adults inside the church compound. I also learned the importance of teamwork in the church is vital in providing safety for the church members.
References
Betti, M., Borghini, A., Boschi, S., Ciavattone, A., & Vignoli, A. (2018). Comparative seismic risk assessment of basilica-type churches. Journal of Earthquake Engineering, 22(sup1), 62-95.
Marotta, A., Sorrentino, L., Liberatore, D., & Ingham, J. M. (2018). Seismic risk assessment of New Zealand unreinforced masonry churches using statistical procedures. International Journal of Architectural Heritage, 12(3), 448-464.
Palazzi, N. C., Rovero, L., Tonietti, U., de la Llera, J. C., & Sandoval, C. (2019). Seismic vulnerability assessment of unreinforced masonry churches in central Chile. In Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions (pp. 1172-1181). Springer, Cham.