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Health and Safety, Volunteers and Charities:
Where any organisation has at least one paid employee, it is considered to be an 'employer' for the purposes of the HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK Act and the regulations made under it.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 place a duty on both employers and the self-employed to assess the risks to employees and anyone else (e.g. voluntary workers, clients and customers) who may be affected by the work activities being undertaken. As a result of this assessment, appropriate preventive and protective measures have to be taken to reduce the risks identified if they are not being adequately controlled at present.
In general, the same health and safety standards should be applied to voluntary workers as they would to employees exposed to the same risks. However, if the risk assessment shows that the risks to voluntary workers are different, the preventive and protective measures taken should reflect the different risks.
The Health and Safety Executive considers it good practice for a volunteer user to provide the same level of health and safety protection as they would in an employer/employee relationship, irrespective of whether there are strict legal duties.
If your organisation has volunteers only, as a member of the governing body or the person in charge you still have a legal responsibility to your volunteers and members of the general public. This responsibility is called a duty of care, and under law you have a duty to protect volunteers and members of the general public from hazards resulting from your organisation’s activities.
As a registered charity Community Action Wyre Forest fully understands the legal implications of the Health and Safety at Work Act, we will be happy to discuss any concerns you may have and indeed offer any training at a greatly reduced cost. From a general health and safety policy document, risk assessments, lone working, DSE Assessments, Fire Assessments, Manual Handling and health and safety in charity shops. Community Action has training packages that will cover every single aspect that ensures your organisation stays within the letter of the law.
Contact Irene Walker on 01562 67008 for a free consultation and to discuss any training requirements you may require
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