Health and safety

Partnership

The Charities Safety Group and Westminster City Council sign up to work together to help secure the health, safety and welfare of voluntary workers.

On 22nd October 2008 the Charities Safety Group and Westminster City Council signed a Lead Authority Partnership Scheme agreement committing them both to working together to deliver expert advice on health and safety to numerous British Charities. The partnership also seeks to promote best practice in the management of voluntary workers who play such an important role in our society.

The Lead Authority Partnership Scheme was established by the Health and Safety Executive to enable a single local authority to take the lead in providing health and safety advice to a multi-outlet organisation who might traditionally deal with many authorities. The scheme was developed to provide a single point of contact for technical advice and therefore a more consistent approach to enforcement.

The Charities Safety Group was founded in 1997 to support charities and voluntary organisations and help them meet their legal duties for health and safety. The group is made up of members who work in the sector and who are very familiar with the challenge that this represents.

The Charities Safety Group membership comprises 156 charities and voluntary bodies covering a very broad spectrum of activity many of whom have national status. The group is open to all Charities and voluntary sector organisations, and have quarterly meetings with specific health and safety speakers and discussion topics to provide regular support and updates on legal issues.

The Group also represents the charity and voluntary sector in health and safety matters with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and other health and safety bodies. As a result of partnership work with HSE and the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health the Charities Safety Group has produced detailed national guidance for charity and voluntary workers entitled ‘a guide to health and safety at work’ also known as HSG 192. The CSG are working to provide HSG 192 on-line via their website.

For further information on the Charities Safety Group see: www.csg.org.uk