Natural England volunteering: report an incident, accident or near hit
How to report volunteering-related incidents, accidents, near hit and concerns to Natural England.
Applies to England
You must report any volunteering-related incidents such as an accident, injury or near hits.
By reporting them you:
- prevent something similar from happening again and possibly harming someone
- alert Natural England to potential hazards it’s unaware of
- help create a safe and healthy working environment for everyone
- comply with any external reporting requirements
- help Natural England address training, guidance or equipment issues
How to report an incident
To report an incident, you should complete both of the following steps.
1. Phone to report the incident
Call the Natural England incident reporting line as soon as possible.
During office hours
Telephone: 0300 060 0100
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm
Calling this number connects you to a Natural England enquiries adviser. It does not connect you to the volunteering support team.
Tell the enquiries adviser as much information as possible about the incident to log a report.
If you need to report an incident outside of these times, use the out-of-hours service.
Outside of office hours
Telephone: 0300 060 6000 and 0300 060 3900
Opening hours:
- Monday to Friday, 5pm to 9am
- Weekends: 5pm Friday to 9am Monday
Health and safety is a shared responsibility. If a volunteer has an incident or an accident on site and cannot call themselves, someone else (such as the site supervisor, an accompanying volunteer, relative or friend) needs to call to report it for them.
Always get medical help first if it’s needed.
2. Email the volunteer team
After the call, email the relevant volunteer team to confirm you’ve logged the incident with Natural England.
Volunteer bat roost visitors
Email: batvolunteers@naturalengland.org.uk.
All other Natural England volunteering
Email: volunteerenquiries@naturalengland.org.uk.
What happens next
After you log an incident, someone from Natural England will contact you as soon as possible. We’ll then review the information you’ve given us and start an investigation if needed.
Contact us about volunteering
If you have any questions or need further information about volunteering, email the volunteering support team: volunteerenquiries@naturalengland.org.uk.
For any questions or further information about becoming a VBRV, email: batvolunteers@naturalengland.org.uk.