Ask a Health Authority to Consider Safe Health Zones

To: [Department of Health / Public Health Division / Policy & Prevention Unit / Relevant Health Authority]

Authority: [State / Territory / National Authority Name]

From: [Name / Organisation, optional]

Location: [State / Territory / Country]

Date: [Insert date]

Subject: Request for preliminary public-health consideration of Safe Health Zones (SHZ)

I am writing to respectfully ask whether [Department / Authority] would be willing to review and provide a preliminary view on a concept known as Safe Health Zones (SHZ), which is being explored as a possible public-health and post-shift recovery framework relevant particularly to night work and extended-hours operations.

The purpose of this request is not to seek endorsement, funding, immediate policy change or approval of an SHZ pilot.

Rather, I am asking whether the concept raises questions that are sufficiently relevant and plausible to warrant preliminary public-health consideration, research discussion or referral to an appropriate authority or research body.

Based on the current SHZ framework, Safe Health Zones are proposed around principles including:

• access only after individuals have completed work and clocked off;
• voluntary participation, with no obligation or penalty for non-participation;
• quiet, non-interactive recovery environments;
• no positioning as medical, clinical or therapeutic services;
• no substitution for fatigue-management systems, lawful rest requirements or existing workplace controls;
• no intended connection with productivity monitoring, performance management or inappropriate surveillance;
• a structured opportunity for post-shift recovery consideration, particularly following night or extended-hours work;
• appropriate governance, privacy and evaluation safeguards where research or pilot assessment is undertaken.

The concept is being raised in the context of broader questions concerning night work, circadian disruption, fatigue, post-shift recovery, wellbeing and post-shift safety.

I am not suggesting that SHZ has already been demonstrated to improve those outcomes.

Instead, I am seeking the Authority's independent view on whether the questions raised by the framework warrant further examination.

In particular, I would appreciate any high-level guidance the Authority is willing to provide concerning:

• whether the SHZ concept raises any immediate public-health, ethical or safeguarding concerns;
• whether the concept has a sufficient basis to warrant further research or exploratory evaluation;
• whether existing evidence is sufficient to justify pilot evaluation or whether additional preliminary research would be preferable;
• whether existing occupational-health, fatigue, sleep, prevention or public-health frameworks should inform any assessment;
• whether research or evaluation involving SHZ would require ethics review or another formal oversight process;
• what outcome measures could appropriately and ethically be considered in an exploratory evaluation;
• what potential unintended consequences or harms should be examined before implementation;
• what safeguards may be necessary to ensure that SHZ does not shift responsibility for workplace fatigue management from employers onto individual workers;
• whether particular participant populations may require additional safeguards, separate assessment or exclusion from an exploratory pilot;
• whether the Authority is aware of existing programmes, interventions or research addressing similar post-shift recovery questions;
• whether another department, research institution, occupational health body or regulatory authority would be better placed to consider some or all of these questions.

No decision to proceed with a pilot has been made.

Any further exploration should remain subject to appropriate governance, applicable law, ethics requirements where relevant, workplace health and safety obligations, privacy requirements and competent research or professional assessment.

Background information about the Safe Health Zones framework is available through the NRE Health Institute:

https://www.naturismre.com/shz-hub

https://www.naturismre.com/complete-guide-to-safe-health-zones-shz

Thank you for your time and consideration. Any preliminary guidance, relevant existing framework or referral the Authority is willing to provide would be appreciated.

Kind regards,

[Name]
[Role / Organisation, optional]
[Contact details]