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Health and safety says gravestones have to go
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor12 Sep 2008
London councils were accused of "municipal vandalism" today after it emerged they are spending millions to uproot gravestones which are seen as a threat to public health and safety.
The Tories hit out as new figures showed that 10,000 headstones have been knocked over or removed by town hall staff worried that they may fall onto grave-diggers or passers-by.
The figures show that thousands of council workers are being employed to carry out the inspections.
Hammersmith and Fulham's Conservative MP Greg Hands compiled the figures using new Freedom of Information rules and the results point to a London-wide problem stemming from Health and Safety Executive guidance.
The advice has been criticised by the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, which warns that it is costing millions in public money while causing distress to family members who find that graves have been deliberately toppled by councils "to make them safe".
Graves are expected to be subjected to "risk assessment" every five years and councils fear enforcement action and fines if they fail to comply with the rules.
Shadow communities secretary Eric Pickles said: "How we respect and remember the deceased is a wider expression of the state of our society.
"It is clear that over-zealous application of health and safety rules and a culture of litigation are distorting the work of public authorities - from banning community events to desecrating graveyards.
"The Government needs to act now to stop the flawed diktats handed out by Britain's health and safety jobsworths."
In London, some 350,000 headstones have already been inspected. Nationwide, the Tories calculate that £ 15million has been wasted and 75,000 headstones pulled down.
Wandsworth council has "made safe" nearly 4,000 graves, while Croydon has "removed" 400.
Mr Hands told the Evening Standard: "Ill-thought-out health and safety rules are leading to the municipal vandalism of our graveyards.
"While town halls have a role in promoting public safety, any action needs to be proportionate to the risk. People are 4,000 times more likely to be injured by a bendy-bus than by a headstone in a graveyard, yet millions of pounds of taxpayers' money are being blown on the easy target of ripping down headstones."
Reader views (22)
If most councils kept up the ground work then these unsafe graveyards would be a lot safer. Most graveyards have uneven terrain caused by coffins caving in and trees and bush roots pushing up disturbing memorials. For goodness sake this is all pathetic. This is madness by the health and safety powers in charge. Get rid of the morons if they are not going to be realistic and get level headed officers in who know how to stick to a restricted but effective safety budget. Leave the dead to rest in peace. Spend these millions on needed safe equipment for our troops. Some are blown to bits and do not have a headstone to remember them by.
- Rita Ward, hornchurch essex, 12/11/2008 19:49
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I am a fully indentured stone mason, with City & Guilds advanced craft awards,I am accredited as a Banker Mason, and Stone Fixer through the CSCS accreditation scheme.Letter cutter and carver.
I have worked fixing on sites such as Tower Bridge, Chichester Cathedral,and carved memorials and lettering for The War Graves commision, I have over thirty years exsperiance in all aspects of the trade. But councils that have signed up to the BRAMM registration scheme will not let me work in a cemetery unless I join BRAMM. THE VERY ORGANISATION THAT STARTED THE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUE CONCERNING UNSAFE MEMORIALS IN THE FIRST PLACE, The irony is, anyone can get a BRAMM fixer licence in less that half a day and be allowed to work in a cemetery, wheras masons like myself are not allowed to work indipendently at our qaulified trade. And councils that have signed up to the BRAMM initiative are refusing to accept proper trade qaulifications such as those issued by CITB, or City & Guids and the accreditation of the CSCS card, but will accept anyone with a Bramm fixer licence attained in half a day.A qaullified tradesman should be able to work freely at his trade, the public should not be told by councils who they can or cannot buy a memorial from.
Whats the point of Government supporting and encouraging proper trade skills and qaulifications if councils can choose to disregard them.
- Peter Hayman, Taunton Somerset, 29/09/2008 15:41
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Nigel - why would you let your child pkay in a cemetery, not really teaching your child properly are you?
Martha - My father's grave is very well tended, as are quite a few in the cemetary where he is buried, yes there are some which are left, but you must also bear in mind this could be because the relatives of the person are no longer alive.
- E Sullivan, London, 15/09/2008 10:42
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A grave stone fell on my uncle. (Or was it pushed)? Anyway he is unlikely to complain: the stone stood over him for over twenty years.
It is just crazy to have "thousands" of people monitoring these stones. Hardly cost effective. Has ANYONE been killed by a falling gravestone? I doubt it.
- Naomi Sajeri, Manchester, 15/09/2008 10:15
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Why isn’t more interest paid to the THIRTY THOUSAND people who die due to “accidents” whilst in hospital instead of a few possible minor injuries in graveyards.
- Richard, Thame, 15/09/2008 09:47
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The elitist Marxist bully boys go rampaging through society again. These self-opinionated pseudo-intellectual fascists need a good slapping.
- Tangomike, Kensington, London, 14/09/2008 20:22
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No Nigel, your thinking is exactly what is wrong with the current health and safety madness. First, it's a grave yard, it's not a place for kids to run around in, it's a place to contemplate their lives and contributions of those who have passed away.
Lets be honest, grave stones don't leap out at you from behind a corner, it's obvious when one might be dangerous, take some damn responsibility for your own life for once instead of abdicating it to the nearest health and safety idiot. As a final thought, it clearly didn't occur to these fools that the money could have been spent reseating the stones instead of ripping them out of the ground. Is that not the most damning indictment of our current administration ever?
- Ian, London, 14/09/2008 13:50
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If only our cemetery's had been looked after all along, there shouldn't be these problems. It's amazing how some countries and I state Germany in particular, where the cemetery's are so immaculate that they are almost regarded as parks. People visit their loved one's and feel they are still respected even in death. Unlike our great British Nation who has no regard for anyone alive or dead. It's typical of the lack of concern for anything that should be our responsibility until it's too late.
- Martha, London, 13/09/2008 16:18
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Am I alone in suspecting behind-the scenes lobbying by the National Association of Memorial Masons, a greedy cartel which seeks to frighten individuals and authorities into giving its members a monopoly of work in cemeteries?
Fixing most headstones is common-sense DIY work, albeit on the heavy side: NAMM increasingly tries to exclude from the trade those who do not use its own approved fixing method, or enrol on its memorialist 'training courses', which no fool could fail,for several hundred pounds. The resulting expense makes more people opt for 'green' burials or cremation, so this looks like an attempt to move into the lucrative refixing of existing memorials by whipping up scare stories, the kind that local authority jobsworths are easily 'persuaded' to take seriously.
- Mdj, Leyton, e10 london, 13/09/2008 00:51
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I'd love to know just how many people have, over the years, been injured by "dangerous" headstones. Bet the number is minute. I suppose the elf & safetly lot have to justify their jobs somehow - ridiculous bunch of idiots.
- Shirley, London, 12/09/2008 22:33
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Is nothing sacred anymore?
These are peoples graves, and the poor relatives and friends have been given no thought whatsoever, shame on these people.
Do these people sleep at night?
- P I Staker, London, 12/09/2008 19:26
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Actually, having half a ton of stone topple onto one or one's child IS a major health and safety issue (to say nothing of possible cause for another funeral). If a tombstone is leaning and no relative is willing to pay to have it re-errected safely vertical, then it should be laid horizontally before it kills someone.
Is that how you'd want to be remembered after you were gone? For once I agree with the health and safety people.
- Nigel, London, 12/09/2008 16:32
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Life is dangerous. It is soon to be officially banned.
- R M, London, UK, 12/09/2008 15:04
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When advised by the local Council that my late Father's Headstone had failed the 'whatever' test and I must therefore pay for it's reinstatement, I complained that I had neither been advised of the impending test or witnessed the test,furthermore, my Father's headstone had been in place for less than three years. The Council said that they had placed a Notice in the Local paper and I should get the people who placed the Headstone to reinstate it. This I did, but I couldn't help thinking that this was yet another example of 'elf & safety' gone mad, not to mention another little job 'the testing' for an approved Council contractor. Not surprisingly, the Headstone people didn't complain since the Council have to approve them for work in the Cemetary in the first place.
- Richard Hartfield, Epsom, United Kingdom, 12/09/2008 14:01
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Can we transfer that point of being DANGEROUS and LIFE THREATENING to politicians and bury them even alive with their heads sticking out, just for the children to watch feeding time?
- Winsor, Southampton England, 12/09/2008 13:56
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Next month in: Inspectors of Health and Safety Inspectors. Next month out: health and safety inspectors. Next month in: government has not decided yet how to spend £???????????
- Maria, London, 12/09/2008 13:34
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This is a step too far. When are they going to be stopped!
- Charlie, London, 12/09/2008 13:18
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Sorry - is today April 1st!
- Jc, SE1, 12/09/2008 13:16
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Ridiculous, no sacreligious! This is desecrating graves. How frequently are people hurt by falling headstones? We have had them in graveyards for thousands of years and managed to survive as a race.
- Mark, London, 12/09/2008 13:09
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This is the most stupped thing i have ever encounted
What planet do these people live on next we will all have to have hard hats and boots just to go out
- Terry, surrey, 12/09/2008 12:45
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I do not why we have grave stones, surely they are offensive to "other" faiths?
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 12/09/2008 11:56
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Yet again we are blaming the wrong people. Let us have the names of the elected councillors who have authorised this action, and get them to explain their actions.
- Patrick Griffin, Dalston, London, 12/09/2008 11:54
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