This article presents empirical findings about the distinctiveness of smaller voluntary sector organisations (VSOs) involved in welfare service provision, based on in-depth, qualitative case study research. We identify a series of organisational features and practices which can mean that smaller VSOs are distinctive from larger organisations. These include how they are governed and managed, their approach to their work, and their position relative to other providers. To explain our findings, we draw on the concept of stakeholder ambiguity. This idea was posited by Billis and Glennerster (1998) and is commonly cited in relation to distinctiveness. We identified several manifestations of stakeholder ambiguity and confirm the concept’s explanatory importance, although we argue that our understanding of distinctiveness is enhanced when stakeholder ambiguity is considered alongside other closely related features, such as being embedded in a local geographic community and informal familial care-based organisational cultures. Our findings also highlight the fragility of smaller VSOs. We argue that this combination of distinctiveness and fragility creates a tension for social policy makers, many of whom recognise the value of smaller VSOs and the risks that they face but must weigh this against a requirement to allocate resources for statutory services as effectively as possible.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that there are approximately 180,000 serious ladder accidents in the US each year. Stepladders are one of the most common types of ladders in use, and it is estimated that they are involved in over half of all incidents. Therefore, it is important to determine the root causes of these accidents and what, if anything, can be done to improve ladder safety by way of design and standard testing requirements. Herein, we discuss common failure modes experienced during use, current design standards promulgated by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A14 Standards Committee, complications which are not explicitly addressed in these standards, and design and manufacturing practices employed in stepladders produced for the US market. Finally, we propose a number of potential safety improvements to the current design of and safety standards for stepladders, though further research may be necessary to quantify specific design recommendations.