THE CHAIRMAN of the Health and Safety Commission has described the risk associated with unstable headstones in Scotland’s cemeteries as “real” and one which cannot be ignored.

Bill Callaghan has written to every council in Scotland urging them to check they are following their industry guidance diligently so that the issue is handled with the utmost sensitivity.

Every local authority in Scotland is having to respond to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) which has asked them to conduct safety inspections of all cemeteries within their jurisdiction.

Several hundred unstable headstones in Dundee’s graveyards have been tipped over or covered with bright yellow bags to improve public safety and avoid accidents.

The issue of moving the gravestones is one which has sparked enormous controversy, provoking grief and fury from many bereaved families.

Mr Callaghan said the HSE recognises the social and emotional impact the laying down of headstones can have on the community.

Speaking of the risk posed to members of the public by unstable memorials, Mr Callaghan told councils, “Both HSE and the industry believe there to be significant under-reporting of accidents.

“The latest figures that HSE has shows that over the last five years there have been 21 serious accidents to members of the public, including three fatalities. These do not include any collated by local authorities themselves.

“There have been accidents to visitors of all ages. And we know of at least two ‘near miss’ incidents involving workers where a memorial has fallen into a grave as it was being dug.

“Most fatal accidents have involved young children. In 1998 the industry’s own research highlighted the problem.

“In 2000 the tragic death of a child in Yorkshire spurred burial authorities (BAs) into taking action.

“This was given further impetus in 2001 by a report by the select committee on environment, transport and regional affairs that concluded a new approach was needed to cemeteries as a whole.”

Mr Callaghan said the cause of the toppling of memorials has been linked to inadequate cemetery upkeep and maintenance regimes.

“But poor design and installation of relatively recent memorials are recognised as a factor,” he said.

“For this reason a new British standard, ‘specification for monuments within burial grounds,’ on the design and construction of memorials is shortly to be published.”

Mr Callaghan said responsibility rests with council’s to decide what criteria they use to test the safety of memorials.

Headstones in Dundee are given a “topple test” to determine if they are in danger of falling over.

Every headstone was carefully examined and marked to identify any that could present a danger to cemetery visitors.

Those judged to be unsafe have been laid down, fenced off or covered.

Local authorities in England and Wales are empowered under the provisions of the Local Authorities Cemeteries Order 1977 (LACO) to take immediate action to make safe dangerous memorials.

In Scotland, BAs operate under the Burial Grounds (Scotland) Act 1855 but have used the contents of the LACO as a benchmark.

A memorial inspection team has inspected the condition of around 18,000 headstones so far at the Howff, Western and Eastern cemeteries in Dundee.