State & National Health Authorities

Safe Health Zones (SHZ) – Exploratory Public Health Concept

Purpose of this page

This page provides context for state and national health departments, public health agencies, and policy units regarding the Safe Health Zones (SHZ) concept, and explains why SHZ may be raised for preliminary public-health review.

The intent is not to request endorsement, policy change, or implementation, but to support evidence-informed consideration of whether SHZ warrants further examination as a public-health pilot concept.

What Safe Health Zones (SHZ) are

Safe Health Zones (SHZ) are a post-shift, voluntary recovery framework designed to be explored through small, time-limited pilots addressing the health impacts of night work and extended operational hours.

Key characteristics include:

  • Access only after individuals have completed work and clocked off

  • Voluntary participation with opt-out at any time

  • Quiet, non-interactive recovery environment

  • No productivity monitoring or employment linkage

  • No clinical treatment or therapeutic intervention

  • Designed to be low-risk, non-invasive, and reversible

  • Intended to support post-shift physiological decompression

SHZ do not operate during work hours and do not replace fatigue management systems or lawful rest requirements.

What SHZ are not (health authority clarity)

Safe Health Zones are explicitly not:

  • Medical or clinical services

  • Treatment or diagnostic environments

  • Behavioural compliance programs

  • Occupational fatigue management systems

  • Surveillance or data-collection schemes

  • Industrial relations instruments

Any pilot consideration remains subject to public-health governance and ethical standards.

Why SHZ may be raised with health authorities

SHZ are being raised in response to well-documented public-health challenges associated with non-standard work hours, including:

  • Circadian rhythm disruption

  • Sleep deprivation and recovery deficit

  • Mental health strain linked to night work

  • Increased post-shift accident and commute risk

  • Long-term health impacts across logistics, healthcare, and essential services

Stakeholders may seek health-authority input to determine whether SHZ:

  • Warrants further public-health examination

  • Could align with preventive or wellbeing strategies

  • Raises ethical, safety, or governance considerations

  • Should be considered for research or pilot evaluation

Scope of health-authority consideration

Any engagement by health authorities is expected to be limited to:

  • High-level conceptual review

  • Identification of relevant public-health considerations

  • Guidance on ethical, safety, or evaluation frameworks

  • Determination of whether further research or pilots are appropriate

NaturismRE does not request policy endorsement, funding, or regulatory action.

About the request template

A neutral request template is available for stakeholders who wish to ask health authorities whether SHZ merits review.

The template:

  • Avoids advocacy or prescriptive language

  • Frames SHZ as an exploratory concept

  • Respects public-health independence

  • Accepts that authorities may decline to engage

Access the health-authority request template

Download the Word version:
State / National Health Authority SHZ template

Position statement

NaturismRE positions Safe Health Zones solely as an exploratory public-health concept.

Any further consideration must remain:

  • Evidence-aligned

  • Ethics-informed

  • Voluntary

  • Time-limited

  • Subject to appropriate governance

This page exists to provide clarity and prevent mischaracterisation.

Disclaimer

This page is provided for informational purposes only.
It does not constitute public-health advice, medical advice, or a recommendation to implement any program.
Any engagement by health authorities does not imply endorsement.