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		Health and Safety in Employment Bill New Zealand Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux submission on the Health and Safety in Employment Bill March 2002

Background The New Zealand Association of Citizens Advice Bureaus welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Health and Safety in Employment Bill. The aims of the Association are: To ensure that individuals do not suffer through ignorance of their rights and responsibilities or of the services available: or through an inability to express their needs effectively –– Me noho matära kia kaua te tangata e mate i töna kore möhio ki ngä ähuatanga e ähei atu ana ia, ki ngä mahi ränei e tika ana kia mahia e ia, ki ngä ratonga ränei e ähei atu ana ia; i te kore ränei öna e ähei ki te whakaputu i öna hiahia kia märama mai ai te tangata. To exert a responsible influence on the development of social policies and services, both locally and nationally -- Kia tino whawähi atu ki te auahatanga o ngä kaupapa-ä-iwi me ngä ratonga-ä-rohe, puta noa hoki i te motu. The New Zealand Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux – Ngä Pokapü Whakahoki Pätai mai i te Iwi Whänui provide free, confidential and impartial information, advice, advocacy and support to individuals, and use our experience with clients to advocate for socially just policies and services in Aotearoa New Zealand. The national network of 88 Citizens Advice Bureaux aim to empower individuals to deal with their own problems and to strengthen communities by identifying and raising local and national issues.  The person to person information, advice, advocacy and support service provided by 2,750 bureaux volunteers is unique in New Zealand, as is our ability to provide a national snapshot of community issues and concerns.       Comments on the Bill The Association supports the overall intention of the Bill, as outlined in the general policy statement.  We would support the inclusion of volunteers in health and safety legislation.  However, we have concerns with those parts of the Bill that seek to clarify how volunteers might be covered and protected by the amendments. Our concern is around the definition of “volunteers”.  While the Bill intends to clarify how volunteers are covered by health and safety legislation we feel that this definition and relevant clauses in the Bill relating to volunteers in fact gives less clarity. Further, this lack of clarity means that we are unable to determine the impact and implications that these amendments might have on our 88 member bureaus and 2,750 volunteers. We therefore recommend that volunteers are not included at this stage.  Rather further work must be done to examine how best to provide appropriate coverage for volunteers.  We endorse the suggestion of the Federation of Voluntary Welfare Organisations that a process involving the Ministry of Social Development volunteer policy project and key national voluntary agencies is developed to examine adequate coverage of volunteers in respect to health and safety legislation.  The Association would be very keen to be involved in this process.           Information | Contact Us | Volunteering | Social Policy | About Us