Safety, health and environment
For almost 200 years, we have relied on generations of courageous lifeboat volunteers to save lives at sea.
Today they are joined by our lifeguards who keep a watchful eye on over 200 beaches every Summer.
Supporting them are thousands of dedicated volunteers and staff. And not forgetting you, our supporters.
People are our most important asset here at the RNLI and to sustain our lifesaving service, we need to support and care for them.
Safety at work
Our aim is to keep our people, property and environment safe by providing policies, practical tools and training.
We want to make sure that all of our volunteers, staff, visitors and contractors are able to go about their lifesaving and prevention activities safely.
Since 1824 the RNLI has been dedicated to the safety of seafarers and the people who use the waters around these islands. It matters to every one of us that the coast is as safe as it can be, and everyone at the RNLI is committed to keeping it that way.
But sometimes it’s all too easy to overlook the safety of the people around us, and that includes volunteers and staff whether they’re on the water, at a fundraising event, on the road or in an office.
It’s part of our Sustainability Vision to make the RNLI an accident-free organisation where we do everything we can to look after the safety of people who are generous enough to give their time and support to our lifesaving activity.
To achieve this, we need everyone – volunteers and staff – to be aware of safety and make it a top priority.
We must make our environment safe for ourselves, and all of those around us, and that includes the many visitors we have to our premises.
We need to do this because our people matter; without them there would be no RNLI.
Safety Get Onboard
That’s where our Safety Get Onboard programme comes in – our safety initiative that aims to reduce incidents that cause harm and create a world-class, proactive safety culture across the organisation.
At the heart of Safety Get Onboard is prevention – we want to stop accidents from happening in the first place. In the first six months of 2014, the year we launched our new safety initiative, 163 near misses and hazards were reported. But in the same period in 2015, a staggering 617 were reported, and this number continues to grow.
Your safety counts too
If you’re visiting the RNLI – a lifeboat station, shop, museum or fundraising event – and you see something that you think is unsafe, please report it to the relevant site manager or RNLI representative.
Or you can email us at [email protected] and help us to prevent accidents before they happen.
Mental health and wellbeing
As part of our Sustainability Plan, we have been reviewing wellbeing initiatives across the RNLI.
Working with external organisations, including charities CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) and Mind, as well as conducting staff surveys has allowed us to benchmark ourselves and set priorities for a sustainable future.
Advice and support
We offer a dedicated 24/7 support service to all our volunteers and staff for impartial and confidential advice on all kinds of work and home matters.
Flexible working
To encourage a better work / life balance, we’re facilitating flexible working, empowering and trusting our staff to work in different ways while still delivering our lifesaving work.
Sports and social clubs
Exercise classes, sports teams, a choir and even a knitting club are just some of the organised activities at our Headquarters in Poole to encourage inclusion and a healthier, happier workforce.