Dog Bites, Trip Hazards, and Other Surprises: Preparing Volunteers for the Unexpected
Volunteer risk doesn’t always look dramatic. It looks like a loose step on a client’s porch, an unfamiliar dog behind a screen door, or a walkway still slick from last night’s rain. These are the moments that catch volunteer coordinators off guard, not because they’re rare, but because they don’t fit the image most people have of “risky” volunteer work. That gap is exactly why volunteer accident insurance belongs in every organization’s planning, not as an afterthought but as baseline protection for incidents that no amount of preparation can fully eliminate.
What Everyday Hazards Do Volunteers Encounter in the Field?
Slips, falls, and encounters with unfamiliar dogs are hazards worth a closer look. Uneven walkways, stairs without handrails, and winter ice are dangerous to anyone who encounters them, even volunteers familiar with the property. A volunteer walking a property for the first time doesn’t know where the loose step or the ice is, so the risk may be more pronounced.
How Can Volunteers Reduce Their Exposure to These Risks?
Prevention starts with attention. Volunteers should scan walkways and entrances before stepping onto them and move with extra caution in spaces they don’t know well. Around dogs, the CDC recommends never approaching an unfamiliar animal, even if it appears friendly, and staying still and calm if a dog approaches, rather than running or making sudden movements. A volunteer who isn’t sure whether a client has a pet on the property should ask before entering.
Coordinators should also give volunteers a clear answer to a simple question: What do I do if I run into a hazard mid-visit? A quick check-in call to a supervisor, paired with a plan to skip or reschedule an unsafe task, keeps a bad situation from becoming worse.
What Happens When an Unexpected Incident Still Occurs?
Even a well-prepared volunteer can get hurt by something outside their control. Reporting should never be an afterthought. Volunteers need to know, before they’re ever in the field, exactly who to call and what to report if something happens on a visit.
Volunteer accident insurance earns its place in a risk-management plan. It exists for the incidents that preparation can’t fully prevent, covering volunteers when the unexpected happens, despite doing everything right.
Small Risks Deserve the Same Preparation as Big Ones
What are the most common unexpected risks volunteers actually face in the field? For most organizations, it comes down to trip-and-fall hazards, such as uneven walkways or icy steps, and encounters with unfamiliar dogs during home visits. Both are easy to overlook precisely because they’re so ordinary, which is why they end up being the risks volunteers are least prepared for.
A rotation of safety reminders, paired with a clear reporting process and the right insurance coverage, closes that gap.
VIS members have 24/7 access to the “VIS Vault” of risk-management resources, including a checklist covering common volunteer risks like these. For details about the specialized volunteer insurance VIS offers, click the “VIS is…” tab at the top of the page and scroll down to the FAQ section.
If you are interested in protecting your volunteers through the VIS insurance program, please click on the “Get volunteer insurance now” link on the home page, or call 800-222-8920.
About the Author
William R. Henry, Jr. is Vice President and Director of Member Benefits at Volunteers Insurance Service Association, Inc. (VIS), where he leads membership development and delivers risk management solutions tailored to volunteer-based organizations nationwide. A recognized authority on volunteer risk management, he is a frequent speaker and author on best practices for safe and effective volunteer engagement. He is accredited by the International Association of Business Communicators. With a background in communications, journalism, and public affairs, Henry brings a strategic perspective to supporting nonprofit organizations across the United States.
About VIS
Volunteers Insurance Service Association, Inc. (VIS) is a membership organization serving more than 3,500 volunteer-based nonprofit organizations and public entities nationwide. VIS is the only association that offers these three insurance programs designed specifically for volunteers: volunteer accident, volunteer liability, and volunteer excess automobile liability.
If you are interested in protecting your volunteers through the unique VIS insurance program, please click on the “Get volunteer insurance now” link on the home page, or call 800.222.8920. For more information on VIS’s risk-management resources for members and our vendor partners, click on the “Member Benefits” tab.
