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Pack 5: Working Safely

A two hour session, essential training for volunteers safety and to demonstrate to volunteers that you are committed to their safety. This pack not only deals with personal safety issues such as the risk of personal attack or aggression – but other aspects such as emotional safety and maintaining ones reputation – an often overlooked aspect of personal safety.
Author

Kay Curtis

Resources

Handouts, Activity Sheets & Case Studies

Experience Level Needed

Beginner

Access

Download and Online Access

Duration

2 hours

Price

£
50

What's included?

  • Session Timetable
  • Timed Activities
  • Trainer notes
  • Training material in PPT files 
  • Pre Course questionnaire
  • Training Evaluation form
  • Session extension ideas
  • Activity sheets
  • Case Studies
  • Achievement cards and certificates

Overview

A two hour session, essential training for volunteers safety and to demonstrate to volunteers that you are committed to their safety. This pack not only deals with personal safety issues such as the risk of personal attack or aggression – but other aspects such as emotional safety and maintaining ones reputation – an often overlooked aspect of personal safety.

An introduction to get volunteers to think ‘safe’ .

This can be run in conjunction with An Introduction or as a separate workshop

Objective

By the end of this session participants will:

- have identified situations in their role that  may put them at risk
- have discussed what the ‘risk’ might be and the consequences
- have explored ways to reduce the risk
- have information about the organisations’ responsibility towards their personal safety
- know who within the organisation will deal with their safety concerns
- have a checklist for personal safety
- have discussed the risk to service users
WHY IT MATTERS

Why working safely training matters for every UK charity volunteer in 2026.

📅 Pack content last reviewed: April 2026
✍️ Authored by Kay Curtis · 30+ years' UK voluntary-sector specialism

Pack 5: Working Safely is a complete full-day trainer-led session for UK charity volunteers and coordinators — covering risk assessment frameworks, lone working, RIDDOR reporting, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and the practical safe-working knowledge every volunteer needs regardless of role.

Volunteer health and safety is a legal duty, not an optional extra. NCVO is explicit: organisations have a common-law duty of care to their volunteers, and could be liable if a volunteer is injured because that duty was not met. The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 covers volunteers under Section 3. The HSE publishes specific guidance for volunteer-involving organisations.

Working safely in 2026 means more than just risk assessments. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require organisations to assess risks and put control measures in place. RIDDOR reporting applies to volunteer incidents that meet the threshold. The Worker Protection Act 2023, in force from October 2024, places a proactive duty to prevent harassment in volunteer settings — sitting alongside physical safety duties.

This training pack gives your charity a working-safely session that supports HSE expectations for volunteer-involving organisations — pairs naturally with Workbook 2 (Keeping Safe) for self-study and Pack 24 (Assessing Risk) for deeper risk-management training.
HSWA s.3
Applies to volunteers
The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 places duties on employers towards anyone affected by their work — including volunteers.
HSE GUIDANCE
Specific to volunteer-involving orgs
The HSE publishes specific guidance — managing risks and guidance for employers — that volunteer-involving organisations must follow.
DUTY OF CARE
Common-law obligation to volunteers
Even charities without employees owe a duty of care under common law — injured volunteers can sue for damages if the duty has been breached.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Quick answers from buyers like you.

QDoes this pack cover risk assessment?
Yes — at awareness level. For full risk management training (RIDDOR, control measures, complex hazards), Pack 24 (Assessing & Dealing with Risk) provides the deeper coverage. The two packs work together: Pack 5 for general working-safely awareness, Pack 24 for the coordinator-level risk management framework.
QDoes it cover lone working?
Yes. The pack covers lone working principles, risk reduction measures, and the additional duties that apply when volunteers work alone — particularly relevant for befriending volunteers, outreach workers, and charity retail volunteers.
QDoes it cover RIDDOR for volunteers?
Yes — at awareness level. The pack covers what RIDDOR is, when volunteer incidents must be reported, who reports them, and the practical steps an organisation needs to have in place. The Managing Volunteers Toolkit contains the full RIDDOR reference for coordinators.
QWhat if my charity has no employees — does H&S still apply?
Yes. Even charities without employees owe volunteers a common-law duty of care, and the HSE strongly recommends volunteers receive the same protection as employees. The pack covers this distinction in detail.
QIs it better to buy this pack or the full library?
Working Safely complements safeguarding, confidentiality, and induction training. If health and safety is your only training need, the single pack works. For a complete compliance-aware training programme, the £295 library licence pays for itself after six packs.
RELATED TRAINING PACKS

Health and safety sits alongside the other compliance essentials.

Coordinators typically pair this pack with:

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