Information for using our facilities

Welcome

Welcome to our premises at Muswell Hill Methodist Church and North Bank. These videos have been made to help you to enjoy using the building safely. If you are hiring the building, please note that you are accepting responsibility for the care of the building and the safety of the people in it. We’ll be as brief as we can, but please watch the all the sections relating to the facilities you will be using.

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Fire Evacuation

In the unlikely event that there should be a fire, please leave the premises as quickly as possible in an orderly manner. Do not use the lift for this purpose. If you leave by the front doors, please don’t wait in the church car park where you could be in the way of emergency vehicles. Instead, leave the car park by the main gate and turn right along Pages Lane to the assembly point, which is the car park of Chester House next door. If you leave by the back doors, go round the building to the car park, if it is safe to do so, and then along Pages Lane to Chester House. The side gate to the car park might be locked by a combination lock. Regular users should have been told the combination number, and it is displayed in the vestry. In emergency, break the glass in the box on the wall by the gate to find the combination.

If you find a fire, activate the fire alarms by pressing one of the red buttons. This will sound the alarm and all internal doors and kitchen hatches will close. Please note that sounding the alarm does not call the fire brigade automatically. Please ensure that someone phones 999 (or 112) and calls the fire brigade and any other emergency services that may be needed.

If for any reason exit from the building is not possible, stay in a room where there is no fire with the door closed. Make sure others know you are there. If there is any sign of smoke entering the room around the door, block it with clothing or other materials.

Anyone in charge of the building or of a meeting room should familiarise themselves with the available fire extinguishers. These should only be used if it is safe to do so. Do not take risks.

Accessible Toilet Alarm

Please watch this short video regarding how to activate and cancel the ground floor accessible toilet alarm, particularly if your activity involves young children who may be tempted to pull the alarm cord whilst in the toilet!

 

Unlocking and locking the side gate

 

Fire Extinguishers

Use a fire extinguisher when:

  • The fire is contained and not spreading
  • The extinguisher is readily available
  • You know how to use it properly
  • Personal Safety is not compromised
  • There is a clear path for escape

Our regular users are encouraged to watch the short video on how to operate a fire extinguisher.

Alarm signals and any emergency

Please be aware of these four sounds:

  • The fire alarm.
  • The lift alarm. This will stop automatically after 30 seconds.
  • The disabled toilet alarm operated by the red cord. To reset this alarm, press the button in the corridor.
  • The door bell. Intercoms can be used to speak to someone at either of the doors from the car park.
  • The kitchen alarms.

In case of any emergency, please phone one of the church stewards or a member of the property group. Some emergency numbers are displayed the lift, and for lettings contact numbers are usually provided on the white board opposite the serving hatch of the main kitchen.

The Lift

The lift is usually available for use, though it can be switched off if required, by arrangement.

If the yellow button is pressed, the alarm sounds like this. Usually, this occurs because someone has pressed the button by mistake. However, in the unlikely event that someone gets stuck in the lift they should follow the instructions on the wall inside the lift. A duplicate copy of these instructions is available on the noticeboard in the narthex.

The lift should not be used if there is a fire in the building. If you are the only person in the building, please do not travel in the lift. You could send heavy goods in the lift, then use the stars to go and meet it.

The video lift escape video indicates how to help someone escape from the lift in an emergency.

Securing the building

“Single locking” and the magnetic locks

If you have agreed to lock the building:

  • Please close any windows that your group has opened.
  • Please check that the Yale type locks on the front and back doors of North Bank House are engaged.
  • Please engage magnetic locks on the main entrance doors, by pressing the buttons nearest the window in the entrance lobby. There are separate buttons for the front doors and the back doors to the patio.
  • Once the magnetic locks are engaged, the doors can be opened from the inside by pressing the door release buttons adjacent to the doors.
  • Please ensure that all internal lights and porch lights are switched off. For the main porch and the North Bank porch, there are external switches as well as the internal ones.
  • Preferably all internal doors should be left closed when the building is vacated. This is done by pressing the black door release buttons, or, if these are not accessible, simply pulling the doors off the magnetic catches.
“Double locking” the building

If you have agreed to ‘double-lock’ the building, please follow the steps above and then use the keys provided to secure the mortice locks on the doors at both ends of the North Bank corridor.

First Aid boxes, accident books and other “incidents”

In case of minor accidents, first aid boxes are located in the main kitchen and the first floor kitchen. There is an Accident Book alongside each first aid box. If you have cause to use any item from a first aid box, please record the incident in the relevant Accident Book.

It is important that the person in charge of the building, group or meeting nominates somebody to be responsible for first aid, who must at least know where to find the first aid boxes and should decide whether it is necessary to seek further help.

In the front of the accident books there is a separate sheet for recording other “incidents”. Please use these to draw to our attention near misses for accidents, anything considered potentially dangerous, breakages, anything not working properly, etc. Of course, if it is serious, please also inform the lettings manager or other appropriate person.

COSHH (‘Control of Substances Hazardous to Health’)

Any substances hazardous to health, such as cleaning materials or glues, should be locked away when not in use. In the event that any of these are swallowed, medical assistance should be called and the relevant COSHH sheet should be obtained from the folder kept in the vestry (the office in the entrance lobby). These sheets give the chemical constituents of hazardous substances we have in the building, and the appropriate sheet should be given to medical professionals so that they know what they are dealing with. A contents list as of March 2018 is available here.

All regular building users who use anything that could be hazardous are asked to provide the relevant COSHH sheets to add to this folder. It is a legal requirement that this folder is maintained, and building users are recommended to maintain their own COSHH information.

Kitchens

Use of kitchens

The main kitchen and the servery are available for use by prior arrangement. This usage may be shared with other lettings. If sole use is required, this must be specifically booked in advance. The kitchens are equipped with a range of crockery and cutlery. Specific instruments for food preparation, including any sharp knives, must be supplied by users.

Water heaters

Both the main kitchen and the servery on the ground floor have water heaters. After switching on, these take 15 to 20 minutes to heat up from cold, and thereafter give a constant stream of water almost at boiling point, so generally hot enough for coffee and tea.

Oven and microwaves

The oven should only be used by arrangement. The main switch for the oven is located in the cupboard on its right. After use, please leave the oven spotlessly clean. Microwaves are available in the main kitchen and the servery. Again, please leave them spotlessly clean after use.

Dishwasher

The dishwasher can only be used by prior arrangement after training. It is not normally available for occasional lettings.

Shutters

Use the Up and Down controls beside the shutters to raise and lower them.

Cleaning and removal of rubbish

Please leave the building ready for the next users

All users of the building are responsible for leaving it in a clean and tidy state. Please imagine that the next users might be a yoga class lying on the floor.

Rubbish

We do not have facilities for disposal of rubbish from lettings. Please take away all rubbish when you leave. This may mean that you need to bring some rubbish bags.

Brushes and vacuums

Dustpans and brushes are kept in the cupboard to the right of the sinks in the kitchen. Sweeping brushes are kept on top of the metal cupboard near the North Bank front door. A vacuum cleaner is kept in the metal cupboard; the key to the cupboard is on a string, usually found on top of the cupboard.

Cleaner’s cupboard

The cleaners cupboard is kept locked and is not usually available to lettings.

Use of the Gardens

Please read this leaflet for information about access and use of the gardens, particularly if your activity uses the grounds.

Stair lift to the Oak Room

A stair lift is available for the five stairs to the Oak Room, suitable to carry a wheelchair or a standing passenger. Use of this requires advance booking and a brief demonstration. The key is kept on the in the vestry. To operate the stair lift…

Fire Alarm Control Panel

This video provides guidance on how to manage alerts that appear on the fire-alarm control panel.

Manual Handling guidance

When it’s necessary to lift furniture or other objects, knowing the right way to do it can protect your back against damage, keeping yourself and others safe. This Youtube video gives some basic tips for manual handling that we recommend to all users of the premises.