I've recently started volunteering at a local sports-based club (prefer not to say which one - but it is part of a national organisation). The national organisation has a Board and managers, and so is clearly a PCBU. But the clubs/ branches are run by volunteers (although engaging contractors), so are they volunteer associations, or still part of the PCBU? And lastly, in terms of Officers - is that only the Board of the National body, or also those who run the local branches?
Hi Chris.
Not sure if this helps, but I work for a national church and went through the same line of questioning. Here is how we solved it.
The church agreed to do its utmost to care for its people. We use the HSWA to help us do this. Therefore we bypass who is/isn't a PCBU and WorkSafe will have to sort it out if something goes wrong. And of course if we do things right, then things won't go wrong.
It leans into moral obligations rather than legal obligations but achieves exactly the same thing. And it saved me from having to educate people about PCBUs - in fact I don't even use that term! I don't have to differentiate between volunteer or employee very often either.
Removing the question of "must we do it this way or not?" and using "is this the right thing to do?" makes life a lot easier.
Hi Trudy
I like that approach - and I'm sure that everybody involved as volunteers will be motivated to look after the safety of their kids and other people around the activity from that moral rather than legal requirements anyway.
Thanks
Chris