11th September 2024

Charitable Trust Fined After Death of Volunteer

What’s Happened?

A charitable trust has recently been fined after a volunteer tragically lost his life during restoration works on the Wilts and Berks Canal. What were the circumstances of this accident, and what should you be doing to protect volunteers so may be working for you?

Restoration Works

An ongoing project to restore part of the Wilts and Berks Canal was being undertaken to conserve, preserve and improve the route. A volunteer was tragically crushed when a section of wall collapsed onto him in an excavation at Pewsham Locks, It is understood the volunteer had been inside the excavation at the time of the accident removing sections of the temporary propping that were supporting the wall – when a section of it collapsed.

HSE Investigation

A Joint investigation was undertaken between the Health and Safety Executive and Wilshire Police which found that the trust had failed to ensure the safety of volunteers who were working within the excavation. Inspections discovered that the temporary propping used was inadequate and that there were so safe systems of work in place to remove the props during the works.

In Court

The trust pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 of The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 where they were subsequently fined £30,000 and ordered to pay £10,822 in costs.

Managing Volunteers

Many businesses use volunteers to provide assistance and support on a part-time basis. Where you do utilise volunteers a suitable policy must be developed and implemented. Volunteers should be managed in the same way as paid employees in terms of providing suitable equipment, training and supervision. It’s also important to seek advice from your insurance broker to ensure your liability insurance policy provides appropriate cover for volunteers.

Health and safety shouldn’t be seen as a prohibitive barrier to using volunteers, but it is important to ensure that volunteering roles are suitably risk-assessed and appropriate control measures are implemented in all situations where they are used.