Volunteers In The Workplace

Overview Of Management & Colleague Responsibilities

Manager Responsibilities

A Below is an overview of the responsibilities which is intended to support managers in identifying their key duties that need to be taken to comply with the requirements of this document and the safety management systems of the National Ice Centre.

  • Manager to ensure a volunteer placement checklist and agreement are in place and signed;
  • Manager must ensure someone has been appointed to be in overall charge of volunteers;
  • Manager must ensure that work activities that volunteers are to undertake have been specified, assessed and ensure that control measures are clearly and formally identified and implemented;
  • Manager to formally identify any work activities which volunteers are prohibited from undertaking and ensure that this is effectively communicated to volunteers;
  • Manager to ensure that there are arrangements in place for effective supervision and monitoring of volunteers;
  • Manager must identify training requirements of volunteers and where appropriate, the colleagues working with or those who have supervisory responsibility for volunteers;
  • Manager must ensure any necessary steps are in place to identify, isolate or make safe dangerous tools, plant, equipment or substances;

Employee Responsibilities

The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 section 7 requires all employees to consider their own health & safety and the safety of others. 

As an employee of the National Ice Centre, if you have concerns in relation to health & safety that is likely to cause you or someone else, injury or ill health then you must ensure that the concern is communicated to your manager immediately.

You are also required to co-operate with the management of the National Ice Centre to ensure compliance with the health & safety arrangements, policies and procedures and work to the requirements identified within this document.

Introduction

Date:               October 2023

Issue:              No. 2

Subject:         Volunteers in the Workplace

This document forms part of the National Ice Centre’s organisational written safety policy arrangements.

Departments, services or teams may consider it appropriate to develop additional guidance and systems of work on specific work related activities.

Where proposals, additional guidance or changes to systems of work will have an impact on health, safety and welfare, this will be discussed and agreed at the Health & Safety Committee.

If you have any questions or require further information or support on the contents of this document, please contact the NIC Health & Safety Advisor or Corporate Safety Advice.

Legal Status Of A Volunteer

The Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places duties on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of employees at work and protect anyone else from risks to their health and safety arising out of, or in connection with, their work activities.

This duty extends to volunteers and places a requirement to provide adequate information, instruction, supervision and training for volunteers undertaking work activities on behalf of NIC.

Where existing policies / procedures or safe systems of work exist, these standards must be maintained where tasks are undertaken by volunteers.

This includes ensuring core competencies are maintained.

In the event that a volunteer falls into category of ‘young persons’ the legal requirements for young persons must be adhered to.

Refer to Safety Manual SPA ‘Young Persons at Work’

Risk Assessments For Volunteers

As part of the risk assessment process, consider before work starts:

  • Existing risk assessments for colleagues undertaking the same work activities which could be reviewed in light of volunteer involvement;
  • Control measure for existing colleagues need to be extended to volunteers, e.g. personal protective equipment, training, accident/near miss reporting;
  • Volunteers may not have access to NIC on-line documentation/systems/emails so you will need to ensure information is disseminated in alternative format;
  • Means of supervising / monitoring volunteers and two-way mechanisms for raising concerns/issues;
  • If volunteers are working off-site, consideration should be given to means of communication, first aid provision, lone working and welfare facilities;
  • Information relating to the individuals’ medical conditions or disabilities;
  • Insurance implications – seek advice.
Information, Training & Supervision For Volunteers

The health safety & welfare aspects of the induction checklist given to colleagues must also be used for all volunteers on their first day of work, regardless of the length of volunteering placement. 

In addition, where training has been identified as a ‘competency’ requirement for undertaking work activities or use of specific equipment, this must be provided, or evidence supplied by the volunteer that they have met this requirement.  

All training will need to be formally recorded.

Regardless of the length of volunteering placement, it is good practise to have in place a ‘volunteer placement checklist/procedure’ outlining the arrangements to be implemented by the manager e.g. induction, training, supervision, PPE, raising concerns etc and also a ‘volunteer placement agreement’ outlining the work they will be undertaking. 

These documents should be signed by the manager and volunteer as part of the induction.  

In the absence of a service specific checklist and agreement, the suggested CSA document templates can be used.

Incident Reporting

Any accidents or violent incidents to volunteers working for NIC must be reported in accordance with existing NIC reporting procedures.