How do you involve volunteers in the risk assessment and management process?

1 Why involve volunteers?

Involving volunteers in the risk assessment and management process has several benefits. First, it helps you identify the specific risks that volunteers may face, based on their roles, skills, and preferences. Second, it helps you communicate the risks and the measures to reduce them, and ensure that volunteers understand and agree to them. Third, it helps you create a culture of safety and responsibility, where volunteers feel valued and empowered to report any issues or concerns.

2 How to conduct a risk assessment

A risk assessment is a systematic process for identifying, analyzing, and evaluating the risks associated with a volunteering activity or project. It entails four steps: identifying hazards, assessing the risks, controlling the risks, and reviewing the risks. To identify hazards, you can use observation, consultation, research, or checklists. Assessing the risks involves rating their likelihood and severity with a matrix or scale (e.g., low, medium, high). Controlling the risks requires selecting the most effective and feasible options from the hierarchy of control (e.g., elimination, substitution, isolation, engineering). Lastly, reviewing the risks involves monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the risk controls and updating them as needed through feedback, audits, inspections, or incident reports.

3 How to involve volunteers in each step

Involving volunteers in the risk assessment process can be achieved with a few tips. Ask volunteers to share their experiences, opinions, and suggestions on hazards and what can be done to prevent them. Assess the risks by involving volunteers in rating them and explaining the criteria and rationale behind your ratings. Consult volunteers on possible risk controls and seek their feedback and agreement on the chosen ones. Finally, encourage volunteers to report any incidents, near misses, or changes that may affect the risk level, and involve them in reviewing and improving the risk controls.

4 How to train and support volunteers

Involving volunteers in the risk assessment process is not enough; you must also train and support them to ensure they have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to carry out their tasks. To do this, you can provide an induction and orientation session to introduce volunteers to the organization, project, team, and expectations. Additionally, you can equip volunteers with the necessary technical and soft skills through training sessions, workshops, or online courses. Finally, you can provide ongoing support with supervision, mentoring, coaching, or peer support to offer direction, encouragement, and problem-solving.

5 How to evaluate and improve the process

Involving volunteers in the risk assessment and management process is not a one-time event, but rather a continuous cycle of improvement that requires evaluation and feedback. To evaluate and improve the process, set goals and indicators using SMART criteria to ensure they are clear and realistic. Collect data and evidence from quantitative and qualitative sources such as surveys, interviews, observations, or testimonials. Analyze and report the data using graphs, charts, tables, or narratives to ensure accuracy and meaning. Lastly, implement and monitor the changes using action plans, timelines, or milestones to ensure feasibility and effectiveness.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?