East Lothian Council has commenced a county-wide inspection of cemetery headstones to identify unsafe memorials and help prevent accidents.
The Scottish Government has introduced new national rules which require burial authorities to carry out these regular scheduled inspections for the safety of cemetery visitors as well as staff and contractors.
To comply with the Government legislation, the headstones in council cemeteries will be assessed by a fully trained staff member.
This includes a visual examination of the memorial and its foundation, along with a controlled pressure test carried out in line with current health and safety standards.
Any headstones found to be unstable will have a sign fixed to the stone by plastic banding or zip ties advising the lair owner the headstone is unsafe.
While the council has a duty of care to ensure safety within our cemeteries, each headstone remains the responsibility of the lair holder. If issues are identified, it will be the lair holder's responsibility to arrange repairs with a qualified memorial mason.
Following this current inspection programme, the council intends to inspect all headstones on a five-yearly basis and in line with Scottish Government guidelines and best practices issued by the ICCM (Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management) followed by local authorities across Scotland.
Public safety
An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: “We understand that some families may arrive at a cemetery without prior knowledge of these inspections. We sincerely apologise for any distress this may cause, but public safety remains our priority.
“For your safety and that of others, please do not attempt to repair, adjust or move any memorial yourself. Memorials can be extremely heavy and unstable when compromised and untrained handling may result in serious injury as well as damage to the memorial. Only qualified memorial masons should carry out such work.
“A visible lean does not always mean a memorial is unsafe. Leaning headstones are monitored regularly and will be reassessed where required. Where a memorial is identified as posing a potential risk, action must be taken to ensure public safety. In cases where there is an immediate concern and no repair has been arranged, temporary measures - such as carefully laying the memorial flat, supporting the headstone with posts and bands, or socketing the memorial into the ground - may be taken as a precaution.”
For more information on the council’s headstone inspections and the measures which may be taken on unsafe memorials please visit https://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/memorial-safety