Free health and safety assistance for Kiwi volunteers

Volunteer organisations may be bound by the new Health & Safety Act when it comes into force in April - just like businesses - but one company is offering to help reduce the resulting burden.

Safety Brokers New Zealand Limited has donated over $100,000 worth of Health & Safety guidance documents to volunteer groups that show them how to implement the correct systems and put in place appropriate policies so they, given the current interpretation, comply with the new law.

Safety Brokers provides a health and safety system development service. Director, Graham Roper, says volunteer organisations are scared about the repercussions of the new Act and how it will impact on their service delivery or the running of their club.

Organisations at risk are those where money is charged to attend an event. There may also be a requirement to ensure all practicable steps are taken to make certain that the contractors organisations use comply with the new Act.

Already, NZ Safety Brokers has given assistance to Speedway New Zealand, Motorcycling New Zealand, Motorsport New Zealand and various sporting clubs; groups in the high risk category.

Graham Roper says, "When I heard that a small volunteer club was going to be charged $6,000 I was horrified. Volunteer organisations need awareness of the new Act and support, not to be seen as a potential income stream or become the victim of scare tactics."

Under the new Act, organisations - whether for-profit or charitable - may be under greater obligation than ever before to ensure their workers and volunteers, and the public, come to no harm.

The new law doesn’t distinguish between profit or non-profit organisations; the punishments for non-compliance are equally rigorous - in some instances amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The new law demands adherence from the PCBU (person conducting a business or undertaking) but also from organisations’ managers and employees. While volunteers themselves may exempt from certain parts of the Act, the organisation/PCBU may be subject to prosecution.

Graham Roper says, "Meeting the terms and intent of the Act is not difficult, but it does require vigilance and awareness."

One of the volunteer organisations receiving free help from Safety Brokers is Motorcycling New Zealand.

General Manager Operations, Vicky Hicks, says NZ Safety Brokers has created a full Health & Safety manual for the organisation’s 57 clubs, and is developing and implementing a Health & Safety strategy. As well, the company is working with Motorcycling New Zealand to create medical intervention plans to ensure that the right type and number of medics are in attendance at each event.

Vicky Hicks says, "Motorcycle racing comes with risk but one way to minimise this is to ensure our clubs have good robust systems and policies that protect our 1000-plus volunteers.

"By working with NZ Safety Brokers to put such policies in place we are reducing the number of accidents that occur. Our sport is high speed, very competitive and with obstacles but we are confident the risks are minimised."

Vicky says, "For a small organisation with minimal budget, it is great that NZ Safety Brokers is willing to work with us to meet all the safety requirements."

Graham Roper says most organisations put together written manuals that only document their intent around health and safety. They still need to work out how to implement safety practices in order to comply with the new law.

"An example of this is that we recommend Health & Safety be a standard item on every meeting agenda of volunteer organisations to demonstrate commitment to the Act. But there are also other actions organisations need to take and our free documents provide detailed guidance on that," he says.

"The intent of the new Act is that organisations need to take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure more people go home at the end of a working day unharmed."

Organisations wishing to take up NZ Safety Brokers’ offer of free assistance need only get in touch via the company’s website - www.nzsafetybrokers.co.nz