Volunteer Agreement
1. You are a volunteer
The position of volunteer at Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc is an unpaid volunteer position. This means that, if you accept the role, you perform all duties on a voluntary basis and you will not receive remuneration or payment for your work, other than reasonable reimbursement of expenses (see below at paragraph 9).
Neither Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc or yourself intend any employment or contractual relationship to be created (ie. you are not an employee, independent contractor or consultant at Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc). If this changes at any time, and there is a possibility that you might undertake paid work for the organisation or be involved in vocational training, we will discuss this and document the arrangement in a formal employment contract, contract for services or other arrangement.
2. What you can expect when volunteering at Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc
Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc values its volunteers and we will endeavour to provide you with:
• a written position description so you understand your role and the tasks you are authorised to perform
• a full induction, orientation and any training necessary for the volunteer role
• a safe environment in which to perform your role
• respect for your privacy, including keeping your private information confidential
• a supervisor, so that you have the opportunity to ask questions and get feedback (see para. 4 below)
• reimbursement for your reasonable expenses so you are not out-of-pocket as a result of volunteering for us (for further information see para. 9 below), and
• insurance to cover you for the volunteer duties you are authorised to perform (see para. 10 below). 1
3. What Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc asks of its volunteers?
We ask that you to:
• Support Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc aims and objectives
• participate in all relevant induction and training programs
•only undertake duties you are authorised to perform and always operate under the direction and supervision of nominated staff and obey reasonable directions and instructions
• understand and comply with the organisation’s policies and procedures.
• notify your supervisor or another member of staff of any health and safety issues or potentially hazardous situations that may pose a risk to you or others and report any accidents or incidents relating to staff, volunteers, or the workplace
• behave appropriately and courteously to all staff, clients and the public in the course of your role
• use any property or equipment given to you in your role safely and only for purpose of the role and return it to the organisation when you finish your volunteer role
• let us know if you wish to change the nature of your contribution (e.g. hours, role) to Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc at any time
• comply with the law at all times, and
• be open and honest in your dealings with us and let us know if we can improve our volunteer program and the support that you receive.
4. Contact person
Your contact person at Bayside Community Emergency Relief will be is Deb Brook at
contact@baysidecommunityemergencyrelief.com.au. If you have any questions or concerns about your role, your health and safety, or if there is any assistance you need to help you undertake your role, please contact Deb as soon as possible.
5. Role description and details
The role varies depending on the initiative or emergency relief being undertaken. You will be briefed at the commencement of any involvement.
It is important that you only perform the tasks in this role description and that you follow the instructions of Deb and Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc main team members.
In Victoria there are laws that protect volunteers in community organisations from civil liability (i.e. legal action like a negligence claim) in specific circumstances. We will explain more about these laws in your induction. However, one of the key factors in ensuring you are protected is that you are performing voluntary community work that is directed or supervised by an incorporated community organisation. It is therefore important that you only perform the tasks in the role description and as instructed by the organisation. To be covered by these laws it is also important that you are not affected by drugs or alcohol when you are volunteering.
If you are unsure whether a particular task or work is authorised, please do not hesitate to talk to your contact person.
6. The health and safety of you and others
At Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc volunteer safety, and the safety of everyone who is involved in our
organisation, is a priority.
In Victoria, the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (OHS Act) applies to many volunteers because all organisations that engage workers on a paid basis or manage or control a workplace can owe OHS duties to everyone in the organisation (including volunteers). Also, there may be other legal actions (such as negligence claims) that mean we always need to consider work health and safety issues.
Under the OHS Act and other laws, Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc has a duty of care to minimise risks to everyone affected by its conduct (including paid employees and volunteers).
It also means that as a volunteer, you may have OHS duties too. These include:
• • to take reasonable care for your own health and safety
• • to take reasonable care for the health and safety of others
• to comply with any reasonable instruction by Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc
• to let Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc know of any concerns you may have about safety and/or fitness in undertaking our role, and
• to cooperate with any reasonable policies and procedures of Bayside Community Emergency Relief.
We will provide you with a full induction, safety equipment and role training when you commence as a volunteer with our organisation. However, please do not hesitate to talk to your contact officer at any time if you have any health and safety concerns.
7. A brief induction is undertaken at the beginning of our sessions . For large scale emergencies this will differ.
Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc is committed to providing suitable training in support of our health and safety, discrimination and privacy policies.
8. Information we require before you can start in the volunteer role
Before you can commence the volunteer role, we need the following information if applicable to the aid relief/ initiative: Working with Children check, police checks, license
All background check information will be conducted in accordance with our ‘Background Check’ policy and our privacy policy.
9. Volunteer expenses and other benefits
As a volunteer, Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc will provide you with reimbursement for any reasonable
out-of-pocket expenses that you incur when performing authorised tasks associated with your role.
We do this to ensure that you are not financially disadvantaged as a result of your volunteer position with us. These payments are not remuneration or wages. You will need prior approval and will always need to produce receipts.
We may sometimes provide you with other benefits as part of your volunteering role (examples include training, free food, event entry, clothing or equipment). Where this occurs, it is on a gratuitous basis at the discretion of Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc and is not payment in lieu of salary.
10. Insurance
We are committed to providing adequate insurance cover for volunteers whilst carrying out their volunteering roles that have been approved and authorised by us.
Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc has the following insurances: Directors & Officers, General & Events insurance policies with Lloyd's of London. Full policy wording can be supplied on request.
• To ensure this insurance covers you for any incidents that occur while you are volunteering with us, you need to: Report incidents within 4 days of their occurrence in order for Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc to report to the insurance company within their 1 week period
We want to let you know that the following events are unlikely to be covered by our insurance:
• actions that are beyond the scope of your volunteer role, or that occur without appropriate authority or permission from us
• criminal activity (including criminal charges arising out of driving incidents)
• dishonest or reckless activities
• Alcohol Exclusion:
Insurance does not apply to bodily injury or property damage for which any insured may be held liable by reason of; 1) Causing or contributing to the intoxication of any person; 2) The furnishing of alcoholic beverages to a person or; 3) Any statute, ordinance or regulation relating to the sale. Distribution or use of alcoholic beverages.
• Sexual Harassment
Any claim, loss, costs and expenses arising directly or indirectly out of any alleged sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual molestation, racial discrimination, rape or the consequences thereof.
• Communicable Disease Exclusion
• Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary withing the policy, thour policy does not cover all actual or alleged loss, liability, damage compensation, injury, sickness, disease, death, medical payment, defense cost, cost, expense or any other amount , directly or indirectly and regardless of any other cause contributing concurrently or in any sequence, originating from, caused by, arising out of, contributed to by, resulting from , or otherwise in connection with a communicable disease or the fear of threat ( whether actual or perceived) of a communicable disease.
For the purposes of this endorsement, loss, liability, damage, compensation, injury, sickness, disease, death, medical payment, defence cost, cost, expense, or any other amount, includes, but is not limited to, any cost to clean up, detoxify, remove, monitor or or test for a communicable disease.
As used herein, a communicable disease means any disease which can be transmitted by means of any substance or agent from any organism to another organism where:
• 1) The substance or agent includes, but is not limited to, a virus, bacterium, parasite or other organism or any variation thereof, whether deemed living or not, and
• 2) The method of transmission, whether direct or indirect, includes but is not limited to, airborne transmission, bodily fluid transmission, transmission for or to any surface or object, solid, liquid or gas or between organisms, and
• 3) The disease, substance or agent can cause or threaten bodily injury, illness, emotional distress, damage to human health, human welfare or property damage.
11. Intellectual Property
All volunteers at Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc agree to transfer all intellectual property rights and interests (including copyright) in any ideas or materials they create relating to their provision of voluntary services at Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc to Bayside Community Emergency Relief Inc
Volunteers are taken to consent to Bayside Community Emergency Relief’s use of such creations in a manner reasonably contemplated by the voluntary services provided under this document. As a volunteer you also agree not to bring any claim for infringement of your moral rights in respect of that use.
By ticking the agree box you acknowledge that you have read and agreed to this Volunteer Agreement and have had an opportunity to ask questions. (physical signature required for printed version only)
Volunteer full name___________________________ Volunteer signature_____________________________ Date_____________________________
