Department of Labour releases adventure tourism reports

The Department of Labour today released three reports prepared as part of the Review of Risk Management and Safety in the Adventure and Outdoor Commercial Sectors.

They are: a stock-take of risk management and safety provisions in New Zealand’s adventure and outdoor commercial sectors; an international stock-take, so that our risk management and safety provisions can be compared with those of other countries; and a summary consultation report.

The review was announced last year by Prime Minister John Key following a number of incidents in the adventure and outdoor sectors and consequent questioning of safety standards in outdoor commercial activities.

The review is led by the Department of Labour, and is being overseen by a governance group that includes representatives from central and local government and national organisations representing the outdoor and tourism sectors.

The New Zealand stock-take describes: the profile of the sector; accident and injury occurrences, reporting, investigations and enforcement activity; the safety management framework applicable to the sector; agency jurisdictions and resources; and consumer education.

The international stock-take discusses the risk and safety management frameworks of Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Canada, Norway, Costa Rica, the United States of America, Chile, and, to a lesser extent, India and Brazil.

The report on the consultation conducted by the Department summarises key themes from 142 responses to a questionnaire returned by a range of outdoor sector operators, staff, associations, organisations and other experts.

Department of Labour head of Workplace Health and Safety Policy Craig Armitage says the responses show that while most operators generally understand and are committed to the need for sound safety practices, they have also made suggestions for improvement.

“The Department of Labour has also written to people who have lost family members over the last five years and invited them to provide comments. These comments will be collated separately.”

The review team is now conducting a detailed gap analysis of risk management and safety provisions in the adventure and outdoor commercial sectors in New Zealand. The final report on the review is due to the Minister of Labour by 31 May 2010.

The reports are available on the Department of Labour’s website at www.dol.govt.nz/news/adventure.asp