Should business owners be able to access their businesses?

The Press reports:

Angry business owners unable to reach their central Christchurch premises for a month broke through a Civil Defence cordon to vent their frustrations.

About 100 protesters gathered outside the Christchurch Art Gallery yesterday, holding placards reading “We are about to lose everything”, “Stop ruining our lives” and “In fear of Civil Defence”.

They pounded on the building’s windows and demanded answers on the fate of their businesses before a group of about 30 broke through the inner-city cordon past three soldiers.

I tend to think that in principle business owners should be allowed to access the buildings their businesses are in, so long as they are prepared to assume all the risk of ignoring civil defence advice.

This would mean signing a piece of paper stating what the risks are, waiving their right to be treated in a public hospital if injured, to claim ACC, to have anyone rescue them if anything falls on them, and also acknowledging that any private life or disability insurance will be null and void as they deliberately chose to go into an unsafe area. Oh yes they also waive any welfare payments being made to their spouse or children, should they die while in the building.

Also they should have to pay the cost of a police escort to near their building.

There are two practical issues with  my solution. The first is that as far as I know you can not legally opt of of being covered by ACC, public hospitals and the welfare state. So if a business owner does go in and get injured or killed, the taxpayer is left with the bill.

Secondly even if they have agreed not to be rescued, our culture wouldn’t allow someone to be left to die trappped in their building. Just as we rescure the stupidest sailors and the stupidest trampers, we would feel obliged to rescue someone who has entered an unsafe building against advice.