It is important to be aware that your Association or Club should carry the same duty of care towards a volunteer as it would towards an employee.

It is great and very acceptable when a volunteer carries out work on behalf of the Association/Club. For example, volunteers helping at an orienteering event or helping-out with practice sessions on club nights. However, it must be understood that the club has the same duty of care for all their volunteers as it does for paid employees. 

Every now and then volunteers can be at risk of personal injury and if they suffer an injury that results from the work they are carrying out on the Association/Club's behalf and under the committee’s instruction this could manifest itself as an Employers’ Liability claim against the Association/Club. 

In such circumstances, the club would be indemnified by its Employers’ Liability insurance.

It is important that this is clearly understood by Associations/Clubs. 

Here are a set of Frequently Asked Questions with the aim of providing more detailed information.