Scouts and Other Volunteers Hit by OHS Laws

Ken Phillips discusses the damaging affect of new national OHS laws on volunteers:

In a dramatic demonstration of the bad design of the new national OHS laws, the NSW Scout Association has issued a memo to all its volunteer leaders and committee members. The memo is here.
 
In part, it says:
 
Section Leaders are required to perform the following duties

Promptly rectify or notify safety issues around the Scout Hall
Conduct risk assessments on proposed games and activities and ensure that the can be done with a reasonable expectation of safe participation.
Provide clear and concise instructions to Youth Members on safety issues.
Enforce safety requirements and the use of personal protection equipment where required.
Follow the policies and procedures of the Association
If you do not follow directives, policies and procedures, you may be fined.
 In effect, volunteers are now expected to have the same OHS expertise and resources as a senior manager in BHP. This has never been required before. Volunteers now face huge risks.
 
What the Scout memo doesn’t say is that prosecutions are conducted under criminal law, that volunteers would be denied the right to silence and could be held responsible even if they didn’t have control of the situation.
 
Here’s our most recent update on what’s happening with the laws.

The Gillard government is insisting that these laws go fully national.

UPDATE: Link fixed.

Ken Phillips is the Executive Director of the Independent Contractors Association.

Comments

[Tired]

1.

yeah my parents had a Church picnic on their farm. You should have seen the book or documentation that had to be done professionally by trained workplace health and safety officers. It's a terrible thing, in my opinion, that over-regulation means that simple church activities could end up with potential criminal charges for something that is essentially not the organisation's or the landowner's fault.

[barry]

2.

Never mind ,, seems Australians like being told what to do,,,, saves having to think .

[JustMEint]

3.

this is putting an end to volunteerism, something which governments and society have relied heavilly on for eons. The cost to insure volunteers is astronomical..... Aussies are not lazy, but we won't allow ourselves to be dragged thru the courts needlessly. Sometimes accident just happen, unfortunately the 'I am going to sue you' mentality from the USA has spread Down Under.

[bluebell]

4.

It's going to get a whole lot worse, as governments dream up ever more controlling measures to be heaped on the populace.....and we will, as usual, roll over like dead parrots and accept them, like the compliant little gnomes we have become.

Revolution anyone??

[barry]

5.

Coming soon ....

[TerjeP]

6.

Scouts already has a strong culture in terms of safety and does not need regulators taking over.

[dante]

7.

What's required of scout section leaders is not different than what's required of any sensible and caring parent. Clearly anyone that: (a) is not prepared to ensure that "proposed games and activities" be done safely with "a reasonable expectation of safe participation", (b) cannot provide "clear and concise instructions" to fellow members "on safety issues", and (c) is unwilling to "enforce safety requirements and the use of personal protection equipment where required" is not fit to lead or to be a parent. It's evident that those that responded negatively to this article prefer injuring others instead of ensuring their safety. What a great example to give!!! Shame on you.

[barry]

8.

Might be time we made a few laws regarding the "Gillard Government"

[barry]

9.

Go grovel to your boss you idiot

[bluebell]

10.

Christ Dante - this is what I mean about you left wing clowns. We do NOT want our kids wrapped in cotton wool and hovered over. What's the point of joining Scouts or Girl Guides if you can't be damned ADVENTUROUS! It's people like you who are the fun NAZIS! No wonder we are breeding a bunch of pussies in this country. The kids of today have been ROBBED of the childhood we had as youngsters. The damned kids are not even allowed to climb trees, scrape their knees, bang their heads or have any little mishaps that shape character and build self confidence. It's these overbearing nanny state regulations that are KILLING this country!

It's getting that bad you will need safety checks, and 'clear and concise instructions', and 'personal equipment' before you go and take a pee......but not if you are in Afghanistan! There you can still pee freely :-)

[John Mc]

11.

Dante is the sort of deluded left-wing clown who would believe it is possible to legislate good parenting into effect. To these fools a responsible and caring society is always just one more regulation away.

[Anton]

12.

Just how much do you propose we pay scout leaders?

Or should they risk prosecution and look after other people's kids for free?

[Anton]

13.

Revolution anyone??

Yes please. Do we need to do a risk assesment first? Or can we hurt people?

[Anton]

14.

Why does safety legislation ignore the benefit of removing the stupid from the gene pool?

[bluebell]

15.

[Why does safety legislation ignore the benefit of removing the stupid from the gene pool?]

Funny you should say that - I was telling my husband the same thing about P platers that drive like maniacs and end up killing themselves. As long as they only wipe themselves out and not some innocent family I am fine with it. One less idiot with one brain cell to worry about on our roads.

[bluebell]

16.

I do have an extensive list on those I'd like to permanently erase. Murder most foul is looking mighty attractive don't you think? They tell me life is pretty good in jail these days - so good in fact,the crims are actually re-offending to get back in!

I'll draw up A Risk Management Plan and get back to you. :-)

No death penalty
Hire a Civil Libertarian Lawyer - Chris Murphy might be the go.
Hire Max

[Anton]

17.

If stupidity was illegal nobody could vote for the labor party

[bluebell]

18.

Damn, I hit the post button before I finished my list..

Hire Max Markson as my agent - you never know, a book deal or a doco or two could be in the wind. Hey, it works for Fidel.

[Anton]

19.

Remember the personal protective equipment, PPE is mandatory these days.

Anybody going near Wong will need good odour blocking nose plugs.

Anybody going near Gillard will also need drone attenuating ear plugs

Probably worth getting vaccinated as well, cabinet is a cesspool of dishonesty these days.

[Andrew]

20.

See the MSM have picked up on this lunacy
http://bit.ly/wYJ0QJ

[ibbit]

21.

Without going into the deeper philosophical raised, I can say the following from personal parenting experience (how pompous that sounds expressed in the language of today.)

My 2 girls resented like hell if I went to them when they had a fall and grazed their knees or some such. Said it made them look like boobies to be fussed over.

So I left them to their own devices (keeping an eye open, but out of view) in case of serious damage. Fortunately, nothing more than scratches and bruises ever occured.

As a parent I was more hung up on teaching them respect for others - children, adults and elders alike. Courtesy, helpfulness and self-responsibility were also high on my list.

Not picking on anyone less fortunate - eg. an overweight child, was also well up there.

The list of what I considered important lessons was not small, and I am glad to say my girls (after many hiccups as young adults they dealt with themselves)have turned out decent human beings in spite of bumps, bruises and skinned knees along the way.

I suppose the awful Dante will class me as a bad parent because I considered issues outside bumps and bruises much more important.

Personally speaking, as a long time volunteer for Red Cross, Meals on Wheels (where safety was a key issue) Cancer Council and so forth, I will be thinking twice before I volunteer my services again.

As for Dante, he is a fool of the worst order.

Kids do not need to be mollycoddled nor do adults need to be instructed on safety. After all, if they have lived with their minds, eyes and hearts open, they will have learnt a thing or two along the way.

But then, what can you expect of a pretty stupid, brainwashed, holier-than-thou leftie who so obviously enjoys robbing the world we live in of pleasure?

[ibbit]

22.

No, you can't hurt people - not even in war, or so we are led to believe by a variety of people and mediums.

And yes, I'll join a revolution for commonsense anyday.

Pity is, the majority wont.

[bluebell]

23.

Yes, ibbit - everything you have outlined is so tragically true. It's bad enough that many kids today have helicopter parents - then to make a bad situation worse along comes the government to regulate your child's life. I have always said that the best years for children in this country was in the fifties and sixties. Children were allowed to be children in those days. Mostly free of life's nasties that the kids of today are exposed to. It is normal for kids to be physically active and curious about their surroundings. Confident children are usually the ones like your 2 girls. A am genuinely sorry for the kids of today. They are missing out on so much in this regard. The government is now intruding into sport and organizations with their utter stupidity. Their need to micro manage everything in our lives is infuriating.

[Grantley]

24.

What this issue raises is of a wider problem, but oh so complex. "We" love to take the simple and make it difficult. No doubt what the OP refers to is a result of some court case somewhere and some one being sued....and we all end up paying. I share the sentiments of bluebell and ibbit.

On a recent trip to the US my wife and I commented on the number of times we either heard or read the following statement when using public services or visting National Parks:

" YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY & THE SAFETY OF THOSE IN YOUR CARE "

if we heard or read those words once then we heard or read them a thousand times in 6 weeks.

Sounds like common sense advice to me.

[Anton]

25.

I think the majority only need to hurt a little more and they will.

maybe when the Euro socialist experiment collapses into a smouldering heap people will consider our own Socialist "government" to be not such a good idea.

This mess is going to take a lot to clean up.

[dante]

26.

And where would you, Anton and Ibbitt be if the 'stupid gene' had been removed from the gene pool? Probably an algae somewhere doing more useful work for the rest of humanity is my guess!!

[dante]

27.

Simply because you aren't pay does not absolve you from the basic human responsibility to ensure the safety of others isn't impaired by your actions and inaction. If you think that "looking after other people's kids for free" absolves you of any responsibility for the safety of kids you have agreed to look after then, clearly the threat of prosecution is the only deterrent an organisation has to avoid people like you occupying leading roles.

You are a danger to yourself and to others.

[dante]

28.

Dear John, I'm not 'deluded' in believing that 'is possible to legislate good parenting' but I know that children learn parenting skills from their parents and the community around them.

Regulations is the last resort and they are necessary to protect the community from people like you that are not able to conceptualise that we all have a responsibility for each other.

If wasn't for 'deluded left-wing clowns' like me you would probably need to employ armed guards to protect you from those that, like you, have no respect for other's safety and security. Take a tour around the World, e.g. the USA, and you'll soon realise how good our 'left-wing' (which of course were also 'right-wing' when the other mob was in power!!) regulations are.

Once irresponsible people like you migrate to Argentina, Columbia, El Salvador or USA (these countries have considerably less WHS regulations than us) then we may repel them since we no longer need them to protect us against idiots like you.

Addios

[dante]

29.

You are a woman and I won't call you a clown (also because clowns make me laugh) but I suggest you read my various replies to others to see that I'm not advocating robbing anyone. You can claim a tree safely (I lived in a farm and as the youngest of 5 I had many teachers instructing me how to climb tree of any size) is you are given appropriate instructions or unsafely if you are not aware of the dangers. That is all the regulations require. As a leader (and as a parent) you need to impart instructions to those that you look after that they perform the required operation as safely as possible.

If you are clear how to take a 'pee' then please go ahead. In case you need help to do this safely for you and those sharing your space then I'll be happy to provide safety instructions so that you will pee safely without peeing all over the floor endangering your safety and that of others that slips and breaks are avoided or at least minimised.

Happy peeing!!!

[Mike]

30.

And there in a nutshell is Dante's problem. Approach every thing and everyone who doesn't agree with them as an idiot worthy of deportation. It is the over zealous approach to what is really common sense that is the real problem here. Sorry Dante, we live in a free society. Assuming that a person defending their right to not have these laws foisted upon them is automatically intending harm to children, is exactly the kind of despicable debating tactics we don't need. Your inference that some of us don't care about our children or others is offensive in the extreme and deserves disdain. I hope you re-read what you've written in 20 years time, and realise just how narrow minded it was.

[bluebell]

31.

Dante - there was no PC crap, or workplace health and safety laws governing my childhood years. In short, we were ALLOWED to be children and do all those mischievous things kids are known for. Kids were actually allowed to knock themselves around exploring their world. Sure, at times the claret & the tears flowed, and mum would kiss it better and stick a bandaid on it. If it happened to be worse, then off to the doctor we went. We never had helicopter parents that fretted over every waking moment of our day. I also had a rural type upbringing, living in small towns and being totally carefree. As long as we came home before dark my parents were fine with it. We would tell our mother where we were going and that would be the end of it. As I have told you before, the children of today are in fact being robbed. They are not able to live the carefree life that was given to us. Yes, we were protected in other ways - we were never exposed to the adult world to the extent that today's kids are now faced. Adults in those days actually went to great lengths to save us from the grubbier and crueler aspects of the world. We were allowed to believe in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy and feel safe. Those are the things that have been stripped from the kids of today. Western children are far too adult for their own good. It's takes a trip to the third world to see the innocence of childhood that we once had. Oh, and Dante - I am a damned good mother. I raised two girls to be responsible productive members of society. They don't smoke, don't drink, don't do drugs, have jobs, pay their damn taxes, and one raises her children....the other cannot have children due to a medical problem.

[Mike]

32.

How sad you seem to need the safety of instructions for everything you do. We don't want or need your instruction manual for everything. The extension of your logic is a cold, plain humorless world where everyone does everything exactly the same. One where mistakes are never made, and everyone and everything is perfectly safe.....good luck with that mate. I'll be out there living life, you just stay safe, wrapped up inside, writing the instruction manuals for all the things you like, because we still have the right to ignore you, and listen to someone with real life experience. Like BlueBell, or John, or Anton, you robot.

[recruitment software]

33.

Thanks for introducing the new OHS laws. Every organization should follow the OHS rules. I deeply get interested each single piece of facts you post here. Thanks!

[Training Aid Australia]

34.

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