Willis: Risk Management Protocols… How to stay out of jail!

With the introduction of 'Health and Safety Sentencing Guidelines' in 2016 and the recent UK prosecutions of charities for health and safety breaches, charities must be aware of the risks to avoid when trying to be 'health and safety compliant' to avoid significant fines or possible imprisonment.

The Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 (HSWO) imposes a number of obligations on organisations and "duty holders" (who are usually employers or owners of an organisation or those in control of premises) and sets out the general duties owed to all employees and non-employees, including members of the public, volunteers and visitors. HSWO imposes the same duties on a charity as any other employer both towards employees (if they have them) and non-employees. It is not uncommon for charitable organisations to be operated entirely by unpaid volunteers, but that does not mean they should ignore health and safety. Relevant guidance suggests that it is good practice to give volunteers the same level of protection as employees, just in the same way a duty of care is owed to volunteers as well as employees under the civil law.

The role of a trustee of a charity is to ultimately direct and manage the charity as a whole. They are responsible for the operation of the charity and must show they understand their legal obligations. Due to the nature of their role, they are considered duty holders under the HSWO.

This workshop explores the things you can do to protect yourself and the charity from criminal liability by being compliant with health and safety regulations.

You will be sent a separate link to the workshop prior to the day.

If you still need to register for a workshop please contact Nichola - nichola@co3.bz

Workshops are only available to those who have booked a place at the Conference.