Memorial safety and maintenance
It is important to remember that whilst we undertake memorial safety checks on a regular basis, by placing a memorial in the cemetery you are accepting a number of responsibilities.
- The memorial remains the property of its owner and does not become the property of the Authority at any time.
- You are required to maintain your memorial to a safe condition. Regular maintenance by an approved mason is recommended – they will inspect it and professionally carry out any repairs needed. You may wish to discuss and purchase insurance cover for your memorial.
- As the landowner, the City of Cardiff Council is obliged to ensure its grounds remain safe places for the public. All memorials over 500mm high are tested and if a memorial fails the test, it will require a memorial mason to reinstate it to the industry agreed standard of the day at the expense of the grave owner.
- A ground anchor system has been used in the majority of memorial fixings since 2000 on memorials over 500mm in height and any older memorial that fails the safety test will be required to be refixed with the ground anchor system used.
- All work carried out comes with a Certificate of Conformity from the memorial mason. This should ensure that the memorial will not fail the safety test in the future.
Safety in cemeteries
Unfortunately, accidents do occasionally occur in cemeteries. One example is where a person uses a nearby memorial as a hand support when tending a grave. Please be aware of this and do not use the memorial in this way.
Some sections allow for the placing of kerbs or edgings around the grave. Sometimes these can be difficult to see and cause a trip hazard.
Please do not allow children to play in the cemetery or visit without an adult.