Insurance for Riverfly information
Riverfly volunteers taking part in monthly surveying get to enjoy the great outdoors (more enjoyable when it’s not raining!), relishing the sound of the babbling brook, the birds singing, the laughter and camaraderie with fellow monitors, but the very act of getting in the river and kick sampling carries a risk. That is why we go over those risks in the training session and issue each of you with a generic risk assessment and a dynamic risk assessment card to bring to your site each time you sample. Even the most careful monitors can experience unforeseen accidents and incidents, which is why you must be adequately insured. We want to make sure that all volunteers are suitably covered when they are out surveying so we have put together this information for you. Should you have any questions please do contact us info@riverflies.org.
The Riverfly Partnership’s insurance covers tutors and volunteers during an accredited training event, but outside of this you must be covered by your group/hub. If you are a volunteer with an organisation such as a Rivers Trust, Wildlife Trust, Angling group or a university, they should have insurance in place that will cover the activities that volunteer Riverfly monitors carry out. Organisations like these often have conservation days/working parties where volunteers work with tools, around water, potentially encountering harmful invasive species that could irritate skin etc., so they will be aware of the need to have adequate insurance for their volunteers, in case an accident happens.
If you are part of an independent group, potentially a ‘Friends of’ group or Community Interest Group that is not under the umbrella of a hub such as a Rivers Trust or Wildlife Trust, then you will need to have your own insurance in place. This insurance is important not just to cover your volunteers during working parties or carrying out Riverfly sampling — there are several risks that you are open to if you carry out fundraising events or education events, and there are also risks of a less practical nature such as funds being wrongfully spent or allegations of wrongdoing.
When you go to the river to carry out your monthly sampling, please make sure that you are satisfied you are doing so as safely as possible and with adequate insurance as a safety net.
There are several providers of charity/community group insurance, and we will link some below. this is by no means an exhaustive list and we are not affiliated with any of these companies. A quick search of the internet will show you several companies offering volunteer insurance and you can look them up on review sites such as Trustpilot, Which? or on Google reviews.
Community group insurance | PolicyBee