Make a success of a Friends of Greenspace group

Check for any potential dangers during your activities. Think about things like safety at the venue, use of equipment and how to keep everyone safe.

To comply with Health and Safety laws, your group should carry out risk assessments, put measures in place to help prevent accidents and then record any accidents as they occur. Risk assessments should be carried out prior to an event, including practical tasks and activities. This involves looking for the hazards such as tools, deciding who might be harmed and how, and recording the findings of your assessment, for example, the main risks and the measures you have taken to deal with them.  

Your Parks and Greenspace Officer, Natural Heritage or Cemeteries Officer will be able to offer appropriate guidance and support on risk management and health and safety to ensure that all volunteers have a safe and enjoyable experience. 

Contact your Council Officer

• the Volunteer Centre Edinburgh provides excellent advice on health and safety and risk assessments complete with examples of policies that other organisations use.  
• TCV Scotland offer risk assessment and health and safety courses.  

To conduct a risk assessment and understand what to include in the form, follow these key steps:

• clearly identify the task or activity being assessed
• specify the site location of where the activity will take place
• list the person or team responsible for preparing the risk assessment
• include the date the risk assessment is being completed.

For each identified hazard during the activity, include the following details:

• describe a possible outcome, what could go wrong if the hazard occurs, for example, injury or illness
• specify which group of people could be affected, for example, participants or volunteers
• assess the risk level as low, medium, or high
• list the control measures, the actions and precautions that will be taken to reduce the risk, for example, safety equipment or training
• identify the person or team responsible for managing the risk and ensuring control measures are in place.

Always reassess the hazards and control measures just before the activity takes place to ensure safety remains a priority.

Before proceeding, always send the completed form and discuss it with your Parks and Greenspace, Natural Heritage, or Cemeteries Officer to ensure all safety requirements are met.

First Aid

It is good practice to have a First Aider to manage any medical emergencies and make sure that everyone is aware of safety protocols.