Ask Your Union to Consider Safe Health Zones
A union-member template for requesting independent review of SHZ as a worker safety and post-shift recovery concept
Workers may reasonably want their union or worker representatives to examine a new workplace health and safety concept independently before employers consider implementing it.
This resource allows a union member to ask whether Safe Health Zones warrant review from a worker-protection, industrial, consultation and safety perspective.
Safe Health Zones are proposed as voluntary, after-shift recovery environments that can be considered particularly in workplaces involving night work or extended operational hours.
Any workplace consideration of SHZ should remain subject to applicable workplace health and safety law, industrial instruments, consultation requirements, existing fatigue controls and appropriate worker representation.
No membership with NRE. No fee. No paywall.
What Are You Asking the Union to Do?
You Are Asking for Independent Review
- examine the SHZ framework;
- consider it from a worker-protection perspective;
- identify potential industrial or WHS concerns;
- consider what safeguards would be necessary;
- determine whether further discussion is warranted;
- establish guidance or a position for members if the union considers that appropriate.
You Are Not Asking the Union To
- endorse SHZ without assessment;
- approve an employer pilot automatically;
- waive existing worker rights or conditions;
- replace required rest or fatigue controls;
- accept mandatory participation;
- permit performance or productivity monitoring;
- bypass consultation or industrial processes.
Questions a Union May Want to Examine
Worker Rights & Conditions
Could an SHZ pilot affect existing employment conditions, enterprise agreements, awards or other industrial arrangements?
Voluntary Participation
What safeguards would be necessary to ensure participation remains genuinely voluntary and non-participation carries no disadvantage?
Fatigue Controls
Could an employer attempt to use SHZ as a substitute for working hour controls, breaks, lawful rest or existing fatigue-management measures?
Privacy & Surveillance
What controls would be required to prevent participation data being used for productivity, performance management or inappropriate surveillance?
Consultation
What worker consultation, representation or formal processes would apply before a workplace pilot could proceed?
Governance
Who would operate the pilot, what rules would apply and how would concerns or complaints be raised?
Health & Safety Evidence
What evidence should be considered before conclusions are reached about potential safety or recovery effects?
Union Position
Would members benefit from a clear union position or guidance if employers begin considering SHZ proposals?
Worker Protections Come First
SHZ should not be used to weaken existing fatigue-management systems, extend working hours, reduce required rest or transfer responsibility for workplace fatigue onto individual workers.
Participation should not become an expectation attached to employment, promotion, performance assessment or continued access to particular work.
Nor should participation data become a proxy for productivity, commitment or fitness for work.
Editable Union Member Request
To: [Union Delegate / Organiser / Branch Secretary / WHS Committee]
From: [Member name, optional]
Role / Industry / Site: [Role / Industry / Site, optional]
Date: [Insert date]
Subject: Member request for union consideration of Safe Health Zones (SHZ) as a worker safety concept
I am writing as a union member to request that the union consider reviewing and forming its own position on a concept known as Safe Health Zones (SHZ), which may be explored as a voluntary, after-shift recovery pilot for workers in night and extended-hour roles.
My intention in raising this is not to advocate for automatic implementation, bypass union or workplace consultation processes, or weaken existing worker protections.
I am asking whether the union considers that the concept warrants independent review, discussion or formal assessment from a worker-protection perspective.
From the information currently available, Safe Health Zones are proposed as:
Workers may raise SHZ because of concerns relating to cumulative fatigue, post-shift recovery and commute-home risk following night or extended-hours work.
Raising the concept should not be interpreted as dissatisfaction with existing union protections, enterprise agreements, fatigue controls or other worker safeguards.
I respectfully ask whether the union would consider examining:
I recognise that any consideration of SHZ should remain subject to applicable WHS law, enterprise agreements or other industrial instruments, consultation requirements, existing fatigue controls and appropriate worker representation.
No pilot should proceed merely because the SHZ concept has been presented. Any workplace proposal should be independently assessed and appropriately governed before implementation is considered.
Background information about Safe Health Zones is available through the NRE Health Institute:
https://www.naturismre.com/shz-hub
https://www.naturismre.com/complete-guide-to-safe-health-zones-shz
I submit this request in good faith and respectfully ask whether the union is willing to review the concept and advise members accordingly.
Thank you for your time and for your continued work representing and protecting workers.
Kind regards,
[Name, optional]
[Union / Branch, optional]
What Happens After You Submit the Request?
The union may decide to review the SHZ material, refer it to workplace health and safety or industrial specialists, request further information, consult members, raise questions with an employer or decide that no further action is appropriate.
The union may also identify concerns that were not apparent when the proposal was first raised.
That independent scrutiny is part of the purpose of this template.
An acknowledgement, internal referral, meeting or request for information should not be described as union endorsement of SHZ.
Safe Health Zones Resources
Members, delegates, organisers and union safety personnel can examine the wider SHZ framework before reaching any position on the concept.
Safe Health Zones Hub
Central access point for SHZ information, stakeholder resources and supporting material.
Explore the SHZ HubComplete Guide to Safe Health Zones
A broader explanation of the SHZ framework, its purpose, structure, safeguards and implementation considerations.
Read the Complete SHZ GuidePublic Use & Adaptation
This template is provided freely for public use. No copyright restrictions are attached to this template.
Union members and worker representatives may adapt it to their union, branch, industry, workplace and industrial arrangements.
The template does not presume that a union supports SHZ and should not be presented as evidence of union endorsement.
Where a union has an established process for member motions, safety issues, policy proposals or workplace concerns, use that process where appropriate.
Independent Review Strengthens Worker Protection
A new safety concept should be open to scrutiny from the people and organisations responsible for representing workers.
Asking a union to examine SHZ does not predetermine whether the union should support it.
Review the concept. Identify the risks. Protect the worker.