Volunteer OHS Management

Policy

This policy outlines the occupational health and safety (OHS) requirements in schools for managing volunteers.

Summary

• The principal or their delegate must manage OHS risks associated with the tasks carried out by volunteers in schools.
• The principal or delegate must discuss the scope and boundaries of any volunteer work with volunteers prior to any work commencing.
• Volunteers must be inducted, trained and supervised in accordance with this and other related policies such as the Volunteers in Schools policy, and each school’s local volunteer policy – the level of which may differ depending on the type of tasks the volunteer is offering to complete.
• Schools are encouraged to engage contractors instead of volunteers to complete tasks that involve high-risk work, where possible.
• Any volunteers undertaking high-risk work on behalf of the school must also follow any other policy requirements for their volunteer work, including developing a Safe Work Method Statement in consultation with the principal or their delegate where required.
• Volunteers undertaking high-risk work must provide proof of relevant training and qualifications.
• Volunteers who identify a hazard, incident or near miss in the school must notify school staff, the principal or their delegate who will report it on the volunteer’s behalf in eduSafe Plus.

Details

Schools on occasion may engage volunteers from the school community to assist with tasks and work in or on behalf of the school. Principals or their delegates must manage the occupational health and safety (OHS) risks and hazards associated with the tasks and work that volunteers carry out.

Typical types of volunteer work can include but are not limited to working bees, classroom reading, helping at school camps or sports coaching.

This policy does not include contractors who are engaged on a paid basis, casual relief teachers or visitors. For guidance on managing contractors, please refer to the Contractor OHS Management policy. For guidance on managing casual relief teachers, refer to the OHS Induction and Training Policy and the Casual Relief Teacher policy. Visitors do not need to have an OHS induction, refer to the Visitors in Schools policy and procedure.

This policy does not contain all obligations for schools in relation to managing volunteers and should be read in conjunction with the Volunteers in Schools policy, the Working with Children Checks and other Suitability Checks for School Volunteers and Visitors policy and any other policy relevant to the tasks the volunteer has been engaged to perform.

Roles and responsibilities for managing volunteer OHS

Under the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act 2004 (Vic), managing the risks related to volunteers is a shared responsibility between the department, the principal or their delegate, school staff and volunteers.

Department roles and responsibilities

The department must maintain, so far as is reasonably practicable, a safe and healthy working environment for volunteers.

Principal or delegate roles and responsibilities

The principal or their delegate and the health and safety representative (HSR), where elected, must ensure that all volunteers are provided an induction into the workplace that is appropriate for the task/s they are volunteering for.

Volunteer roles and responsibilities

Volunteers must take reasonable care for their own health, safety and wellbeing and that of others who may be affected by their actions or omissions while volunteering. This includes participating in and completing all applicable induction activities, based on what task/s they are performing.

School staff roles and responsibilities

School staff must take reasonable care for their own health, safety and wellbeing and of others who may be affected by their actions or omissions. School staff are responsible for reporting hazards and undertaking actions if appropriate to mitigate the risks. School staff may be required to report incidents, hazards or risks on behalf of volunteers in eduSafe Plus. School staff may also be required to help supervise volunteers where appropriate.

Any school staff who identifies, observes, or is alerted by a volunteer to a hazard in the workplace must notify the principal or their delegate using the most appropriate method based on current risk and report it in eduSafe Plus. Where there is unreasonable risk identified, staff may need to direct volunteers to cease the associated activity and isolate the hazard (where possible and safe to do so).

Key requirements to enable a healthy and safe workplace for volunteers

When assigning work to volunteers, the principal or delegate must:

• establish the scope and boundaries of the task prior to work commencing
• ensure that the volunteer is competent, qualified, or experienced enough to undertake the task
• also follow the department’s Volunteers in Schools policy, and the specific processes identified in the school’s local volunteer policy, such as child safety induction and training
• consider the child safety risks relevant to the volunteer’s role and follow the Working with Children Checks and other Suitability Checks for School Volunteers and Visitors policy
• consider any other relevant policies and procedures and their required documentation when assigning high-risk work (see related definitions) to volunteers, including but not limited to Prevention of Falls when Working at Heights, Plant and Equipment Management, Hot Work, and so on. Refer to the full A to Z list of all OHS policies and procedures on PAL
• consider the level of school staff supervision required for volunteers depending on the type of work being performed, and with a focus on ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the volunteer and students.

Principals or the delegate must ensure that all volunteers:

• are inducted using the Volunteer OHS induction checklist (refer to the Resources tab) or equivalent template, in conjunction with any other inductions as required by relevant policies (such as the school’s local volunteer policy)
• are informed, prior to the commencement of any works or services, to report to the general office upon arrival or an agreed-upon alternative process
• know to report all hazards, incidents and injuries to school staff to ensure they are reported on their behalf in eduSafe Plus as per the Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies) policy.

The Volunteer OHS Management procedure in the Procedure tab contains detailed step-by-step information about how schools can meet these key requirements.

Department supports for schools

Central and regional offices provide a range of supports and services to assist principals and employees to be safe and well. This includes access to the OHS Advisory Service and the statewide OHS services team who provide free advice in relation to volunteer OHS management including but not limited to guidance on completing Safe Work Method Statements for volunteer tasks.

Using eduSafe Plus (staff login required) to report and manage hazards identified allows the statewide OHS services team to provide assistance and advice. Guidance for reporting and managing hazards on eduSafe Plus is located in the How to report a workplace hazard guide (PDF) (staff login required) on the knowledge base in eduSafe Plus.

Definitions

eduSafe Plus
The department’s online hazard and incident reporting and management platform, accessible on the intranet. Staff log on to eduSafe Plus using their employee number and password.

Note: Volunteers do not have access to eduSafe Plus, however, can report issues to school staff for entry into eduSafe Plus on their behalf (for example, via an email or discussion).

Hazardous chemicals
Chemicals that have the potential to cause harm to human health, both in the immediate and long-term. A chemical is classified as hazardous if it:

• is listed on the Hazardous Chemical Information System (HCIS) and the concentration of the chemical or its ingredients equals or exceeds the concentration cut-off levels listed on the HCIS that relate to health effects or
• meets the criteria for a hazardous chemicals set out in the Approved Criteria for Classifying Hazardous Substances or
• meets the criteria for the hazard classification set out in Part 3 Health Hazards of the globally harmonised system (GHS).

High risk work
Otherwise known as ‘high-risk construction work’, the following is mandated as high-risk work by the department:

• where there is a risk of a person falling more than 2 metres
• on or next to roadways or railways used by road or rail traffic
• in, over or next to water or liquids where there is a risk of drowning
• at workplaces where there is any movement of powered mobile plant
• where there are structural alterations that require temporary support to prevent collapse
• in an area where there are artificial extremes of temperature
• on or near energised electrical installations or services
• involving a trench or shaft more than 1.5 m deep
• on or near pressurised gas distribution mains or piping
• involving demolition
• involving a confined space
• on or near chemical, fuel or refrigerant lines
• involving tilt-up or precast concrete
• on telecommunications towers
• involving diving
• involving removal or disturbance of asbestos
• in an area that may have a contaminated or flammable atmosphere
• involving the use of explosives
• involving a tunnel.

If a task isn’t listed and schools are unsure if it is high-risk, the OHS Advisory Service can provide further advice. Please note that this does not include work that could be considered ‘high-risk’ from a Child Safe Standards perspective.

Volunteer
A volunteer school worker is a person who voluntarily engages in school work, without payment or reward. School work means:

• carrying out the functions of a school council (whether or not as a member of a school council)
• any activity carried out for the welfare of a school, by the school council – any parents’ club or association or any other body organised to promote the welfare of the school
• any activity carried out for the welfare of the school at the request of the principal or school council
• providing any assistance in the work of any school or kindergarten
• attending meetings in relation to government schools convened by any organisation which receives government financial support (note: a volunteer can receive payment for out-of-pocket expenses, such as travel costs, and can still be classed as a volunteer).

For further information, refer to the Volunteers in Schools policy on PAL.

Related policies

• Chemical Management
• Child Safe Standards
• Contractor OHS Management
• Environmental Hygiene
• Excursions
• Mosquito Risk Management
• Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Management in Schools
• OHS Risk Planning and Management
• Personal Liability of School Employees and Volunteers
• Plant and Equipment Management
• Testing and Tagging of Electrical Equipment
• Volunteers in Schools
• Working with Children Checks and other Suitability Checks for School Volunteers and Visitors

Relevant legislation

• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)
• Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic)
• Worker Screening Act 2020 (Vic)