Carl,
NTP&W not only has the right, they have the legal responsibility under work health and safety laws to restrict access to their sites by people who haven’t been inducted and had the hazards at the site explained to them. It’s actually the other way around from what you describe: they are legally responsible from a public liability standpoint for visitors (unlike commercial contractors.) But you are right that if as an inducted person you take an un-inducted person into the WTP, you would have a responsibility to ensure they obey the rules and don’t get hurt.
I’m a health and safety consultant by profession, and I’ve also been the volunteer safety officer for the Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group for over 10 years. We take a strenuously professional approach to safety – all our volunteers have to be trained and all have to make daily scheduled call-ins to safety officers when in the field, otherwise we ask Parks Victoria rangers to go out and check they’re OK. Taking safety seriously has been really important in keeping ongoing support (including financially) from PV for our work.
I really encourage all volunteer conservation groups to get smart about safety. If you behave responsibly and professionally TPTB* will support you. If not, they can make life hard, because you make their life hard.
Cheers, Ross Macfarlane
*-he -owers -hat -e
Ross,
Glad to hear that NTP&W will wear the public liability for visitors at Leanyer.
I also heartily agree with your comments about people being smart about safety. I have seen birders do some pretty dumb things, just so they can get a good view of a bird. Fortunately, the worst accident I have seen was $2000 odd of binoculars bouncing down a canyon when the owner lost his grip while hanging over a guard rail, while trying to get a better view of an American Dipper.
Cheers,
Carl Clifford
Carl,
NTP&W not only has the right, they have the legal responsibility under work health and safety laws to restrict access to their sites by people who haven’t been inducted and had the hazards at the site explained to them. It’s actually the other way around from what you describe: they are legally responsible from a public liability standpoint for visitors (unlike commercial contractors.) But you are right that if as an inducted person you take an un-inducted person into the WTP, you would have a responsibility to ensure they obey the rules and don’t get hurt.
I’m a health and safety consultant by profession, and I’ve also been the volunteer safety officer for the Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group for over 10 years. We take a strenuously professional approach to safety – all our volunteers have to be trained and all have to make daily scheduled call-ins to safety officers when in the field, otherwise we ask Parks Victoria rangers to go out and check they’re OK. Taking safety seriously has been really important in keeping ongoing support (including financially) from PV for our work.
I really encourage all volunteer conservation groups to get smart about safety. If you behave responsibly and professionally TPTB* will support you. If not, they can make life hard, because you make their life hard.
Cheers, Ross Macfarlane
*-he -owers -hat -e