Recurring concern

Inadequate safety management of volunteer activities

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First reported 5 Dec 2013•Latest report 25 Mar 2025

Definition

What this concern includes

Includes failures in arrangements specifically intended to manage the safety of volunteer activities or volunteer-reliant organisations, including managerial supervision, activity oversight and guidance to obtain appropriate professional advice where needed.

Not included

Excludes generic supervision or management deficiencies involving employees, social workers, probation staff, clinicians or other non-volunteer activities.
Excludes hazards arising during a particular volunteer task when no deficiency in volunteer-activity safety management is identified.
Excludes generic organisational health-and-safety failures without a material volunteer-activity context.
Excludes ordinary volunteer coordination or administration where no public-safety or activity-safety deficiency is asserted.

Reports: 2
Individual concerns: 4
Date range: 2013–2025
Stated actions: 1

Reports over time

Reports about this concern issued each year.

* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.

Most frequent recipients

Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.

Health and Safety Executive2

Beamish Museum1

Concerns and responses across reports

Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

25 Mar2025
Wiltshire and Swindon
Concerns raised2
1. Failure to guide volunteer-reliant organisations on obtaining professional advice and assistance when appropriate
2. Inadequate standalone guidance on the obligations of charitable trusts and voluntary organisations
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response 1
1. Action
  Consider the coroner’s recommendations when next reviewing the volunteering guidance pages.
  Stated by Health and Safety ExecutiveStated planned
AI-generated summary

Peter David Konitzer · Prevention of Future Deaths report

This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

Report summary

Peter David Konitzer, a volunteer working on the rehabilitation of a canal lock, died when a recently excavated retaining wall collapsed onto him while he was removing props. The inquest concluded that he died from compression of the chest and that he was unlawfully killed. The principal concerns related to inadequate management of construction work involving volunteers, including failures concerning temporary works designs, risk assessments, method statements and other required safety documentation, and to the adequacy of HSE guidance for voluntary organisations.

Read the report on judiciary.uk
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Failure to guide volunteer-reliant organisations on obtaining professional advice and assistance when appropriate
Wider context from the report
“3. Will thought be given to revising the Volunteering section of the website to provide a more comprehensive and standalone guide to the obligations of charitable trusts and voluntary organisations? Might such revision profitably include a section reminding organisations that rely on volunteers that enthusiasm should be tempered by being mindful of the need to obtain proper professional advice and assistance in appropriate circumstances? ”
Source location
Peter David Konitzer · Prevention of Future Deaths report
Page 2 · concerns
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Inadequate standalone guidance on the obligations of charitable trusts and voluntary organisations
Wider context from the report
“3. Will thought be given to revising the Volunteering section of the website to provide a more comprehensive and standalone guide to the obligations of charitable trusts and voluntary organisations? Might such revision profitably include a section reminding organisations that rely on volunteers that enthusiasm should be tempered by being mindful of the need to obtain proper professional advice and assistance in appropriate circumstances? ”
Source location
Peter David Konitzer · Prevention of Future Deaths report
Page 2 · concerns
Open source report
Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation
Consider the coroner’s recommendations when next reviewing the volunteering guidance pages.

Verbatim wording from the response
“Q3, Will thought be given to revising the volunteering section of the website to prove a more comprehensive and standalone guide to the obligations of charitable trusts and voluntary organisations? Might such revision probably include a section reminding organisations that rely on volunteers that enthusiasm should be tempered by being mindful of the need to obtain proper professional advice and assistance in appropriate circumstances?”

Source location
Response from HSE
Page 2 · response
Published 27 March 2025
Open published response
5 Dec2013
County Durham and Darlington
Concerns raised2
1. Absence of direct or indirect managerial supervision of volunteer activities
2. Lack of appropriate risk assessments for volunteer activities around the museum site
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.

No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
AI-generated summary

Karl Doran · Prevention of Future Deaths report

This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

Report summary

Karl Doran, a seven-year-old boy volunteering with his father at Beamish Museum, fell from or near a steam roller and was almost immediately crushed by a heavy steel-wheeled trailer. The concern was that Beamish had not carried out appropriate risk assessments or provided direct or indirect managerial supervision for the volunteers’ activities.

Read the report on judiciary.uk
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Absence of direct or indirect managerial supervision of volunteer activities
Wider context from the report
“(1) Beamish had not carried out a appropriate risk assessments to ensure the safety of volunteers such as Karl and his father when engaging in activities around the museum site. There was no direct or indirect managerial supervision of these volunteers activities. ”
Source location
Karl Doran · Prevention of Future Deaths report
Page 1 · concerns
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Lack of appropriate risk assessments for volunteer activities around the museum site
Wider context from the report
“(1) Beamish had not carried out a appropriate risk assessments to ensure the safety of volunteers such as Karl and his father when engaging in activities around the museum site. There was no direct or indirect managerial supervision of these volunteers activities. ”
Source location
Karl Doran · Prevention of Future Deaths report
Page 1 · concerns
Open source report

Data last updated 7 September 2026

What this concern includes

Not included

Reports over time

Concerns raised2

Failure to guide volunteer-reliant organisations on obtaining professional advice and assistance when appropriate

Inadequate standalone guidance on the obligations of charitable trusts and voluntary organisations

Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1

Concerns raised2

Absence of direct or indirect managerial supervision of volunteer activities

Lack of appropriate risk assessments for volunteer activities around the museum site

Actions described in response 1