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Bell Ringing Risk Assessment — Generated Instantly for £29
Describe your tower, number of bells and ringing activity. We generate a fully written, UK-compliant bell ringing and belfry safety risk assessment covering rope handling, tower stair access and working at height in minutes.
Used by parochial church councils, ringing masters, diocesan bell advisers and tower captains across the UK
🔔 Teaching novice ringers or running visitor tower tours? Mention it — we'll include supervision ratios, rope-handling training controls and belfry access precautions specific to your tower.
Legal requirements for bell towers
Under Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, any parochial church council, cathedral chapter or other body organising an activity involving volunteers or employees — including bell ringing practice — must carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the risks to those involved. This applies whether ringers are paid or purely voluntary, because the duty under Regulation 3(1) covers activities under the organisation's control, not just paid employment.
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places the general duty of care on the PCC or tower authority to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of ringers, learners and visitors. This includes managing hazards from the moving rope, the bell wheel and stay, and access to and within the tower itself.
Where inspection, maintenance or bell hanging work requires access to the belfry or clock chamber above the ringing floor, the Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply. Ladders, trapdoors and fixed access equipment must be suitable, maintained and used with appropriate precautions against falls. The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers' Towers and Belfries guidance is the recognised industry reference for identifying these hazards in practice, and Anyrisks assessments are structured around it alongside the relevant statutory regulations.
How it works
1. Describe your tower
Tell us the number of bells, tower stair condition, ringing chamber layout and whether you're running regular practice, teaching learners, or opening the tower to visitors.
2. Let the app take the strain
Anyrisks produces a fully written, UK-compliant bell ringing risk assessment referencing the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and Central Council of Church Bell Ringers guidance.
3. Instant download and use
Download as PDF and Word. Share it with your PCC, diocesan bell adviser or insurer, and keep it on file at the tower. £29, no subscription.
What it covers
Every bell ringing risk assessment is written in full — covering the specific hazards of ringing, tower access and belfry maintenance.
Rope and sally strike or entanglement injury
Bell wheel, stay and slider mechanism hazards
Tower stair falls — worn treads, poor lighting, narrow spiral stairs
Working at height in the belfry and clock chamber
Falling objects from the belfry or bell chamber
Novice ringer training and supervision ratios
Visitor tower tour access and control
Manual handling of bell ropes, coils and equipment
Confined space risks in stair turrets and access hatches
Noise exposure from bell ringing and chiming
Fire and emergency evacuation from the tower
Trapdoor and fixed ladder safety between floors
Lone working during out-of-hours maintenance visits
Safeguarding considerations for under-18 ringers
Works for
From weekly practice nights to major restoration projects, Anyrisks covers every type of tower and ringing activity.
What customers say
"Our diocesan bell adviser asked for a proper written risk assessment before he'd sign off our tower for public visits. Anyrisks gave us exactly what he needed in minutes."
Margaret Ellison
Tower captain, Norfolk
"We teach several novice ringers every year and the stairs to our ringing chamber are steep and narrow. This covered the rope handling and stair hazards better than anything I'd written myself."
David Pemberton
Ringing master, Yorkshire
"We run tower tours during our village fete and needed something showing we'd properly considered belfry access for visitors. Insurer accepted it without any follow-up questions."
Susan Fairweather
PCC secretary, Somerset
Anyrisks vs DIY templates
| Anyrisks | DIY / templates | |
|---|---|---|
| Written in full — not a blank form | ✓ | ✗ |
| References Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 | ✓ | ✗ |
| Structured around CCCBR Towers and Belfries guidance | ✓ | ✗ |
| Covers rope, wheel and stay mechanical hazards | ✓ | ✗ |
| Covers tower stair and belfry access risks | ✓ | ✗ |
| Handles novice ringer supervision and visitor tours separately | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ready in under 2 minutes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Instant PDF and Word download | ✓ | Sometimes |
Frequently asked questions
Do bell towers legally need a written risk assessment?
Yes. Under Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, any organisation with employees or volunteers carrying out an activity — including a parochial church council running a bell tower — must carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment. Insurers and diocesan safeguarding officers also increasingly ask to see one before covering tower access.
Does this follow the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers guidance?
Yes. The assessment is structured around the hazards identified in the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers' Towers and Belfries guidance, covering rope handling, bell control, tower stair access and belfry safety, alongside the relevant UK health and safety regulations.
What are the main hazards in bell ringing risk assessments?
The most common hazards are being struck by a moving rope or sally, entanglement in the rope, falls on worn or steep tower stairs, falls from height in the belfry during inspection or maintenance, and finger or hand injuries from the bell wheel and stay mechanism.
Can this cover visitor tower tours as well as ringing practice?
Yes. Describe whether the assessment is for regular ringing practice, teaching learners, occasional visitor tower tours, or belfry maintenance access, and the assessment will address the specific hazards and control measures for that activity.
Do young or novice ringers need extra controls?
Yes. Where under-18s or novice ringers are present, the assessment includes supervision ratios, safeguarding considerations and specific training controls for rope handling, in line with the tower's safeguarding policy and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Is working at height in the belfry covered?
Yes. Belfry inspection, bell maintenance and access to the clock chamber are assessed against the Work at Height Regulations 2005, including ladder condition, fixed access equipment and fall prevention measures.
How is this different from a generic church risk assessment?
A generic church risk assessment rarely covers rope-pulling hazards, bell wheel mechanics, or belfry access specifically. This assessment is written for the tower and ringing activity itself, referencing the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers' safety guidance directly.
How long does it take to generate?
Under two minutes. Describe your tower, the number of bells, stair and belfry access arrangements and who rings, and Anyrisks produces a complete, regulation-referenced bell ringing risk assessment instantly.
Also see: The ultimate guide to risk assessment · Do I need a risk assessment · Risk assessment legal requirements · AI risk assessment generator