Volunteer Timesheet
As a Volunteer you have a responsibility to help us to promote recognition of the amazing contribution you make to Warwickshire Wildlife Trust by completing a timesheet. Please print and complete your volunteer timesheet here.
Volunteer Handbook
For everything you need to know as an existing volunteer see the Volunteer Handbook; includes information on roles and responsibilities, organisational structure, policies and procedures and much more. You can e-mail us, give your contact details or call us on 024 7630 2912, if you would like a hard copy.
Hands On: The Volunteers E-Newsletter
Hands On contains the latest information for volunteers on Trust projects, reserve updates, staff changes, volunteering events, supporter group news, latest vacancies and volunteer stories.
If you volunteer for us and would like to receive the Volunteer E-Newsletter, please make sure you have ticked the Opt In box on your volunteer enquiry and induction form and supplied us with an email address and you will receive it quarterly.
Resources for work party leaders
The sites we work on and the activities we undertake potentially pose health and safety risks to our staff, volunteers and visitors.
The Trust has a responsibility to ensure volunteers understand and have access to our Health and Safety Policy and guidance, including how we manage risk. We are responsible for ensuring people are trained for the roles they are asked to perform. Importantly our policy outlines the responsibilities and expectations of volunteers and how they should follow guidance, attend training and take care of themselves and others. The Trust’s Health and Safety Policy can be downloaded here.
Risk Assessments
The Trust has a clear procedure of risk assessing – a way to evaluate risks associated with activities we undertake. These risk assessments highlight controls needed to reduce risks and reduce the harm that significant hazards may cause to staff, volunteers and visitors. The Trust’s procedure on risk assessing can be found here and the matrix used can be found here.
The WWT risk assessing process can be summarised below:
- Firstly, we assess the activity or equipment being used, ensuring it is correctly used/undertaken and maintained. We also ensure through the risk assessment that the user is competent and has the relevant training and PPE required. If the risk assessment and the safe system of work cannot be met, the activity must not occur or the equipment must not be used. Those risk assessments that may apply to your group can be found below.
- Secondly, this assessment is used alongside a site risk assessment – identifying significant hazards and information about the work site. This must be available at all times and reviewed and updated regularly if a new hazard is identified.
- Thirdly, we assess the people working and the conditions locally on the day, ensuring volunteer leaders know how to operate safely and have the necessary resources and information to hand. This important document must be completed before every session begins - People and Site Risk Assessment. This is a checklist of sorts that is a useful and essential record that the risk assessment is completed and in place. It also now doubles up as a participant register, where a record of those attending a session must be completed. These forms must be returned, fully completed, to the Trust on a monthly basis.
See the risk assessment documents below, needed for work parties to ensure compliance:
1. The essential activity and equipment risk assessments that all volunteers should read and understand before undertaking an activity or using a piece of equipment can be found below. These risk assessments importantly identifies the controls to make the work safer and determine a safe system of work which should be followed. If it cannot follow the safe system of work, you need to ensure further controls are implemented and recorded or do not undertake the activity. Those risk assessment that may apply to your group can be found below:
C01 - Practical Conservation Using Hand Tools
C02 - Fires 2018
C03 - Green wood working and coppice crafts
C04 - Reserves Construction Tasks
C05 - Working in or near water
C06 - Carpentry Work
C07 - Surveying
C12 - Volunteer Site visits and surveys alone or in small groups
C13 - Litter Picking
E01 - Vehicle Use
E02 - Working at height ladders and steps
E03 - Brushcutters and strimmers
E04 - Tractors
E05 - Winches
E06 - Workshop and portable power tools
E07 - Chainsaws including mechanical polesaws
E12 - Boats and watercraft
E14 - Mobile Circular Saw Bench
If you would like to discuss anything further please contact us on 024 7630 2912.
Volunteer hours
Please use this form to record your local reserves group’s volunteer hours.
Accident Incident report form
This form must be completed in any event of an accident or incident occurring to anyone involved in our work or arising from our work. It must be completed fully and legibly and must be returned immediately to the Trust as soon as possible after the event.
F912a - Accident Incident Report
Please note: The risk assessments available here have been written and produced for the sole use of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers on Trust activities only. No responsibly or liability will be accepted for any accidents or claims resulting from individuals or organisations external to the Trust copying these documents.