Notification System Ready For Adventure Tourism Operators

Regulations governing the commercial adventure tourism and outdoor education industries come into effect today.

The Adventure Activities Regulations sit under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992. They require operators who provide activities that are designed to deliberately expose participants to a managed risk of serious harm to undergo a safety audit and become registered.

Operators who are affected by the regulations have six months from today to notify the Department of Labour about their operation - this is the only thing operators need to do at the moment.

This is not the registration process, but a simple notification of an operator’s activity or organisation. It can be done online, or via fax or post.

Operators who are unsure whether their activity or organisation fits into the scope of the regulations should notify the Department – we will be in touch to let each operator know whether they need to meet the regulations, or if they do not apply.

The Department will be releasing guidelines for operators about the regulations and more information on the audit system in early 2012.