Gympie Cemetery Trust new monument safety rules "over the top", say locals.
Friday, 18 June 2010 06:30 | Last Updated on Friday, 18 June 2010 06:54 | 
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The Gympie Times reports workplace health and safety guidelines led the Gympie Cemetery Trust to notify families about its intentions to lower headstones. The Cemetery Trust in the past allowed the use of a 50mm granite base for some grave markers in the cemetery lawn sections, but in October 2008 new guidelines were introduced to reduce the approved base size to 10mm. Locals are not convinced. They reckon it's all a bit over the top.
Gympie Cemetery supervisor Lee Selby, according to the article, said it was the trust’s duty of care to make sure the cemetery was safe for everyone. He said one of the worst case scenarios could see a pall bearer carrying a coffin over an existing headstone slip off the edge of one of the bases and drop a coffin.
Mr Selby said the same rule didn’t apply in the monumental sections of the cemetery because there were not many spaces left, but there were hazards in those sections also.
The ruling to not allow 50mm bases was introduced after Mr Selby started at the cemetery in 2008.
He thought the 50mm bases were a danger and took the issue to the trust.
Member for Gympie David Gibson yesterdayhas been asked to assist locals in getting the Trust's decision overturned. He is quoted as saying “I think we need to be sensitive to the relatives of people buried in the cemetery and clearly greater discussion is required with these relatives. If workplace health and safety is the reason then I will raise the matter in the Parliament to get the laws changed."
Read the full article here...
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 Gympie Cemetery | [From this angle looks like there's many years of activity left - provided its well planned.] | 350 Kb |
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