Memorial Mason Registration Scheme

4.0 Administration of the Scheme

4.1 The scheme will be administered by the Council or its appointee, thereafter known as the Supervising Officer.

5.0 Requirements of the Scheme

5.1 All registered participants to the scheme will be expected and obliged to adhere to the requirements of this scheme. These are the minimum acceptable requirements of the Council and may be up-dated from time to time. Memorial masons are welcome to exceed these requirements and will be encouraged to propose suggestions or ideas that they believe will improve or enhance the scheme. Any suggestions or ideas adopted by the Council will be applied equally to all registered participants.

5.2 Eligibility

5.2.1 Memorial masons who have been barred from performing work in any cemetery, whether in the Council’s area or elsewhere, within the previous Two Years (2 years) may be ineligible to join the scheme. In these instances each case will be considered individually and membership offered, or withheld, at the discretion of the Supervising Officer. Memorial masons must submit details of such disciplinary actions with their application to join the scheme. Failure to disclose details of disciplinary actions, which subsequently come to the attention of the Supervising Officer, may result in the immediate expulsion from the Registration Scheme and the imposition of an immediate ban on working within the Council’s cemeteries for a period of Two Years (2 years).

5.3 Insurance requirements

5.3 General Risk - Every participant on the Registration Scheme shall be insured for Public Liability to the value of Five Million Pounds (£5,000,000) for any one incident.

5.4 Workmanship, materials and construction

5.4.1 Every participant shall guarantee each individual memorial in respect of safety and stability for a period of no less than 5 years.

5.4.2 All memorial masons registering on the scheme, and any subcontractors they employ, must be able to demonstrate an acceptable standard of workmanship, to the approval of the Supervising Officer. Memorial masons and their staff or sub-contractors shall be suitably qualified, experienced and competent to perform all works necessary when erecting, dismantling and repairing memorials to meet current industry standards and statutory Health and Safety requirements and guidelines.

5.4.3 The standard of workmanship will be evidenced by qualifications obtained from an accreditation scheme operated by a recognised industry body, for example the National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM), although in-house company schemes will be recognised if meeting the required standards. A letter detailing the qualification and experience of each member of staff or contractor and, where available, trade references should accompany the application for registration.

5.5 Registration Scheme compliance

5.5.1 Compliance with current Health and Safety legislation is imperative and memorial mason’s will be expected to provide a Health and Safety Policy (where required by law) and a suitable set of risk assessments and safe methods of working covering the full range of work they may expect to carry out in the cemeteries.

5.5.2 Each memorial mason signing the ‘Memorial Mason Registration Scheme Application Form’ included in these documents will be deemed to have agreed to comply with the following:

• Local Authority Cemetery Order 1977
• Cemetery Rules and Regulations
• NAMM Code of Working Practice (Latest Relevant Edition)
• Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
• The Council’s Safety Policy
• Memorial Masons Registration Scheme
• All other relevant statutory requirements

5.5.3 All Memorial Masons are required to indemnify the Council in respect of their work.