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YJHR  
#1 Posted : 12 April 2018 10:03:18(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
YJHR

Hi all,

Hope you're well.

Quick question surrounding RIDDOR regs. If a volunteer in an organisation has an accident (laceration to leg) and goes straight to hospital for treatment, are they considered a member of the public (this falling under the non fatal accident to non-workers section of the regs) or are they considered a staff member and in such case need to be incapacitated for over 7 days before reported under RIDDOR?

Thanks for any help you can give.

Tomkins26432  
#2 Posted : 12 April 2018 10:29:57(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Tomkins26432

We always treat our volunteers as 'at work' for the purpose of H&S. Including RIDDOR. while there can still be a bit of debate around this we feel that the best option is not to let anybody feel we would value volunteers less than paid staff.

thanks 1 user thanked Tomkins26432 for this useful post.
lorna on 12/04/2018(UTC)
Hsquared14  
#3 Posted : 12 April 2018 11:36:05(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Hsquared14

I understand Tomkins approach but would take the view that they are a member of the public (mainly because although at work they are not an employee on your payroll) in this case because they went to hospital and received treatment it would be immediately RIDDOR reportable as soon as you knew that they had received hospital treatment. 

HSSnail  
#4 Posted : 12 April 2018 13:13:10(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
HSSnail

Found this link http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/charities.htm which would suggest the current HSE stance is they are not employees and therefore treat them like any other member of the public.

sdkirby  
#5 Posted : 19 April 2018 16:26:36(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
sdkirby

Please can the OP tell us more about the accident circumstances that resulted in the leg laceration. Also, was the injured person taken to hospital by ambulance direct from scene or made their own way there later?

I also agree with Tomkins26432:

Originally Posted by: Tomkins26432 Go to Quoted Post

We always treat our volunteers as 'at work' for the purpose of H&S. Including RIDDOR. while there can still be a bit of debate around this we feel that the best option is not to let anybody feel we would value volunteers less than paid staff.

Why wouldn't an organistion want their volunteers to receive the same H&S treatment & protection as "paid" workers would. Best to try to avoid "double standards" wherever possible.

Ian A-H  
#6 Posted : 22 April 2018 09:48:53(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Ian  A-H

Originally Posted by: Brian Hagyard Go to Quoted Post

Found this link http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/charities.htm which would suggest the current HSE stance is they are not employees and therefore treat them like any other member of the public.

Brian has found the correct answer.

I work for a national charity which has thousands of volunteers "working" for us. We have a partnership agreement with the HSE and they have confirmed that FOR REPORTING PURPOSES ONLY volunteers are treated as members of the public. So, a volunteer suffering an injury whilst carrying out a task (ie in relation to work) resulting in a trip to hospital direct from the scene would be reportable. It doesn't matter whether the trip was in an ambulance or not, provided the journey was direct and was for treatment of the injury (not as a precaution).

However, if the injury was not work-related ie cut leg caused by falling over walking from the car park and there was no defect of the surface, design of path etc then it is not work-related and so not reportable. 

Taking a wider view, H&S regulations require employers to protect volunteers to the same standard as workers - provision of PPE; lone working; exposure to hazardous substances etc.

Do not confuse the requirements of RIDDOR which is solely about reporting with other regs where s2 duties apply.

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