Be safe:

You have the right to be safe. Although your project has responsibility to ensure your health and safety whilst volunteering, you also have responsibility to not to endanger yourself or others around you.

The organisation you’re volunteering for should tell you about health and safety risks that are related to your volunteering and they should tell you what to do to remain safe. This may mean training you, or providing protective equipment.

Working with other people:

• Don’t give clients your address and phone number.

• Avoid situations that put you at increased risk, for example, being left alone with a client.

• If you’re working with young people, your placement should tell you what is and isn’t suitable behaviour.

• Your placement should inform you if you require a CRB check.

• If someone’s behaviour feels inappropriate, don’t allow it. Talk to your volunteer co-ordinator or you’re named Youth Advisor at BHV.

Home visits:

Some voluntary work can involve visiting people in their own homes. On your first visit, don’t go alone, and then only go alone if you feel happy to do so and the organisation you volunteer with agree with lone visits. Take care of yourselves and clients by;

• Making sure you have been given all the information about the client and their home that you require.

• Tell someone from your placement where you are going and when you expect to be back. Make sure they have contact details for you and take your mobile phone.

• Stay aware of where people are in the house.

• Know where the exits are

• Trust your instincts, if you feel unsafe. Leave.

• Don’t lift or move any heavy objects without having been trained.

Working for the environment:

Any protective clothing or equipment should be provided by your placement.

Ensure that you are shown how to use tools and never use worn or broken equipment.

• Wear safety goggles around dust and flying particles

• Wear gloves and protect yourself from cuts and blisters.

• A hard hat must be warn for any construction work

• Sturdy foot wear should be worn, preferably with steel toe caps.

• Be careful when lifting

• Be careful with your hygiene, especially around water which may carry diseases from rats.

• Make sue you have had an up to date tetanus injection.

Working in an office:

Using a computer screen:

• Get advice on the safest way to use equipment

• Adjust your chair to suit your height

• Use a footrest or a document holder if you need them

• Don’t spend hours in front of a screen, take breaks or work on something else away from the computer.

Working out and about:

• • Know where you’re going and walk confidently

  • Use well lit streets

  • Stay aware of your surroundings

  • Let someone know where your going and how you can be contacte

Staying happy:

Its not only physical things that can cause harm. Pressure from yourself or from others can be damaging too. If your feeling stressed:

• Learn to say no, voluntary work should be enjoyable. Don’t take on more than you can handle.

• Tell your supervisor or youth advisor how you’re feeling and why

First aid:

• • Find out what the first aid arrangements are at your placement.

  • Make sure you know the names of the first aiders and where to find them.

  • Find out where the first aid box is kept and the accident report book.

  • Report any injury, no matter how small to your supervisor.

Lifting and carrying:

• • Ask to be shown how to carry and lift items correctly.

  • Never lift people without training.

  • Only lift or carry things that you can easily manage

Fire: Do you know

• What to do if there is a fire?

• How to raise the alarm?

• What the alarm sounds like?

• Where the fire exits are?

• Where the assembly point is?

And always,

• Keep fire exits free from obstruction

• Know and understand the organisations fire instructions

Risk assessments and health and safety policy:

If the organisation you volunteer for has more than 5 employees, it must have a written safety policy and written assessments of workplace risks for you to read. It is also good practice for organisations with fewer paid staff to do this too.

A safety policy sets out an organisations commitment to health and safety. It explains who is responsible for making sure that you are volunteering in a safe place.

Health and safety isn’t just the responsibility of the organisation, you should:

• Learn how to work safely and observe safety rules

• Use equipment or clothing provided to protect you

• Report anything that seems faulty, damaged or dangerous

• Only use machinery or tools with permission and after training.

Confidentiality:

Volunteers have a responsibility to safeguard any information held by them whether on paper or electronic form.

Personal information should not be passed on without the individual’s prior permission.  Any limitations on this should be made absolutely clear at the earliest possible stage.

The only exceptions to this are where:

• There is clear evidence of a risk of danger or serious harm to the service user, the member of staff or other person in the community.

If you are unsure of anything relating to confidentiality, please speak to your supervisor within your project.

Equal Opportunities:

BHV is committed to achieving equal opportunities in the services it provides. No user of BHV’s services, employee, volunteer or job applicant should receive less favourable treatment because of: – sex, colour, ethnic origin, age, race, disability, religion, sexual orientation.

We aim to:

• Eliminate unlawful discrimination;
• Promote equality of opportunity;
• Promote equality of access; and
• Promote good relations between diverse communities

We ask that all volunteers work within and equal opportunities framework whilst volunteering. Your placement should have its own Equal Opportunities policy that you should read and work within.