Safety Management Systems Policy (SMS)

Transcription

1 P a g e 1. Safety Management System Policy (SMS) A working policy document detailing the safety considerations and measures put into place for all tours : 08/06/2018 Updated By: Will Carr Managing Director Signed:

2 P a g e 2 Contents 1. General Statement of Policy 2. Introduction 3. Our Safety Management System Aims and Objectives 4. Accommodation 4.1 All Accommodation 4.2 Standard Audits 4.3 Supplementary Audits 4.4 Accommodation Audit Classification 5. Transportation 5.1 UK Coach Operators 5.2 Overseas Coach Companies Booked Direct by Schools Go Surfing 5.3 Overseas Coach Companies Booked Through an Agent 5.4 Provision of seatbelts 5.5 Emergency Protocol 5.6 Airlines 5.7 Rail Transportation 5.8 Ferry and Eurotunnel 5.9 Public Transport 6. Services Secured by Agents and Ground Handlers 7. Visits and Excursions 7.1 Categorisation of Risks 8. Inspection Visits 9. Safety Information Before and During Travel 9.1 Accident Investigation & Incident Reporting 9.2 Near Miss Events 10. Emergency Procedures Duty Officer 11. Training 11.1 General Training 11.2 Audit training 12. Post Tour Evaluation 13. Crisis Management Plan 14. Surf Tour Arrangements 14.1 Surf Lessons 14.2 Surf Schools 14.3 Equipment Hire 14.4 Evening Entertainment 14.5 Adventurous Activities 14.6 Prior To The Visit 14.7 Insurance 14.8 Facilities 15. Surf School Auditing & Technical Advisors 16. Contact Details

3 P a g e 3 1. General Statement of Policy The safety of children, young persons and adults on our educational surf tours is of primary concern to Schools Go Surfing. By any reasonable definition of the term, school travel is very safe, but from time to time, accidents can and do happen within this industry. It is our policy to operate tours with the highest standards of health and safety that are reasonably practicable. Our commitments to our clients are as follows: We will maintain a written health and safety policy document. We will set standards that meet the needs of our clients that are measurable, achievable and realistic. We will ensure the provision of suitable resources to achieve a high level of safety and continuous improvement. We will promote a positive health & safety culture throughout our own and our supplier s organisations. We will endeavour to provide Group Leaders with information that will increase their ability to manage safety on their trips. We will provide suppliers with any essential information regarding a group and its participants before arrival in resort. This will assist with ensuring any potential safety concerns can be dealt with and managed appropriately. We will measure and review our performance and compliance with our own system. We will have our work audited annually by a suitably qualified external expert. We will ensure our staff are trained to respond quickly and efficiently in case of an emergency. We will review, maintain and update our Safety Management Systems annually. We will review all procedures throughout the year when issues are notified to us and ensure that we investigate and make amendments if necessary. Additionally, we will apply any recommendations which come from our external annual audit. The Managing Director has overall responsibility for Schools Go Surfing s SMS policy. All Schools Go Surfing staff are responsible for monitoring safety standards. Our policy has been developed to comply with the minimum standards for best practice in the school travel sector, ensuring that reasonable precautions have been taken and due diligence exercised. Signed: Will Carr, Managing Director 8 th June 2018

4 P a g e 4 2. Introduction With experience in school travel, we at Schools Go Surfing fully appreciate the role of Health and Safety within our industry. Our commitment to Health and Safety is fundamental in everything we do, particularly within our working environment and for our groups on tour. Our Safety Management System documents the procedures that we have in place to ensure consistent standards are acknowledged and adhered to for all travelling participants. Financial Security is a crucial factor to look out for when choosing a tour operator. Our ATOL Licence (ATOL No ), Financial Failure Insurance with Affirma and Non-Air Membership with The Travel Vault guarantees that in the unlikely event of insolvency, any monies paid to us by you will be protected. This applies to all air and non-air packages booked with Schools Go Surfing. Should this occur whilst your group is on tour, repatriation is also assured. We are also a Member of ABTA, membership number Y6527. We are obliged to maintain a high standard of service to you by ABTA s Code of Conduct. For further information, visit the ABTA website at We understand and operate in accordance with our obligations under that Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Travel Regulations 1992, which as well as spelling out our financial protection requirements, ensures our clients can expect the package that they have booked and paid for. We hold Public and Products Liability insurance cover to the value of 5,000,000. When you book with Schools Go Surfing, you can be confident that we ll do our utmost to ensure a safe and rewarding tour for you and your students. 3. Our Safety Management System Aims and Objectives We are committed to ensuring that all reasonable measures are taken to provide our customers with a high level of health and safety throughout their tour. We shall achieve this through: Implementation and ongoing annual review of our safety policy. Commitment to ensuring that all our tours comply with current local and/or national standards as an absolute minimum. Commitment to ensuring all surf schools and instructors that we work with have the required licenses, qualifications and experience to operate. Promoting a positive culture of health and safety within our business, which actively encourages similar dedication from our suppliers and customers. Training and development of all staff to ensure ongoing compliance and competence Continual review of external providers services, through customer feedback (including post-tour reports) and regular site visits, to ensure weaknesses and failures are identified and standards are therefore maintained in accordance with our SMS procedures. Effectively identifying, assessing and controlling risks. Preventing harm primarily to our staff, tour participants or visitors and secondly to property, animals and the environment. Having a Safety Management System based on the risk control principles outlined in the Health and Safety Executive revised HSG65 document, Health and Safety Management System that can be simply summarised as: Plan Do Check Act. Prepare and implement procedures and arrangements to deal with health and safety concerns, near misses, accidents, illness, injuries and emergency situations.

5 P a g e 5 4. Accommodation 4.1 All Accommodation All accommodation contracted and supplied by Schools Go Surfing Ltd will comply with local and national legislation. For all accommodation used by Schools Go Surfing, an accommodation contract will be signed, or purchase order issued. This legal document will stipulate that the accommodation confirms to local and national fire, safety and hygiene standards and will have current liability insurance cover for the duration of the contract or order. To meet this responsibility, we ll implement the following procedures: 4.2 Standard Audits Directly Contracted Accommodations Each accommodation provider will be subject to a Standard Audit prior to first use. The Standard Audit form confirms that they have valid certification for both insurance and fire safety compliance. We also use the Standard Audit form to confirm essential details about the building, security, hygiene, general safety and pools for example. The Standard Audit form will be assessed by a qualified auditor and held on file Accommodation Booked Through an Agent We work with a carefully selected team of local agents in a number of UK and overseas destinations, who provide a number of on the ground services which sometimes includes securing suitable group accommodation. Where used, each agent that acts as an accommodation provider will need to complete a Standard Audit form either on behalf of or in conjunction with the hotelier, which confirms that they have valid certification for both insurance and fire safety compliance. The Standard Audit form will be assessed by a qualified auditor and held on file Frequency of Standard Audits To ensure that accommodations continue to meet the required standards, audits for properties to which we continue to send groups will be conducted every three years. Schools Go Surfing will also complete random spot checks of Standard Audits annually. 4.3 Supplementary Audits As an additional safety precaution, accommodation used by Schools Go Surfing for more than five (5) groups in any one academic year will be identified as frequent use and subject to a Supplementary Audit, completed by a qualified auditor on-site. The Supplementary Audit will be completed within 12 months of qualification of the frequent use criteria. Accommodations which remain within frequent use will continue to be re-audited in the same manner at least every three years. 4.4 Accommodation Audit Classification Each accommodation is categorised according to levels of conformity: a) High Conformity: Minor or no areas of improvement have been identified. The management will be commended and encouraged to maintain their standards.

6 P a g e 6 b) Acceptable Conformity: Whilst the accommodation is safe and considered fit for use by our groups, a number of areas of minor improvement were identified during the audit and recommendations will be made to the hotelier in respect of this within 14 days of receipt of their audit. The deficiencies will be evaluated and a schedule of remedial action will be agreed and monitored. c) Unacceptable: There are areas of significant concern which breach key elements of our Safety Management System. Accommodations rated in this category will not be used by Schools Go Surfing unless action is taken to rectify all breaches and the accommodation has been re-audited to a standard that is either high or acceptable conformity. 5. Transportation 5.1 UK Coach Operators All UK coach operators supplied by Schools Go Surfing Ltd, whether sourced by the company or booked on request of a customer, will comply with local, national trade or other laws, regulations and codes of practice. Our procedures also verify that our suppliers possess all valid and necessary licences and insurances with respect to their line of business. For all coach operators used and booked by Schools Go Surfing, a contract will be signed, or purchase order issued Standard Coach Audit Prior to use, each UK coach operator used by Schools Go Surfing will need to complete and return a Standard Audit form, which confirms a number of safety elements including: a) Valid certification and operating licences for UK and overseas work where applicable. b) The operation of policies to check driver suitability and compatibility for working with children. c) Appropriate vehicle maintenance and emergency procedures are in place. d) Appropriate safety standards regarding drivers hours, driver vetting, insurance cover, subcontracting and vehicle age are in place. This form will be assessed by a qualified auditor to ensure compliance and will be held on file Frequency of Standard Audits To ensure that operators continue to meet the required standards, audits for coach operators that we continue to use will be conducted every three years Supplementary Audits As an additional safety precaution, coach operators used by Schools Go Surfing for more than five (5) groups in any one academic year will be identified as frequent use and subject to a Supplementary Audit, performed on-site and in-person by a qualified auditor. The Supplementary Audit will be completed within 12 months of qualification of the frequent use criteria. Coach operators that remain within frequent use will continue to be re-audited in the same manner at least every three years. 5.2 Overseas Coach Companies Booked Direct by Schools Go Surfing All coaches booked directly and supplied for overseas transfers and excursions must conform to local, national and international standards. They must at least hold valid Insurances and an Operators Licence, and we will request that all reasonable measures have been taken to ensure driver suitability. Prior to use, each overseas coach operator booked directly by Schools Go Surfing will

7 P a g e 7 need to complete and return a Standard Audit form, which will be reviewed, held on file and refreshed every three years. 5.3 Overseas Coach Companies Booked Through an Agent All coaches booked through an overseas agent will be audited by the agent and on behalf of Schools Go Surfing, in accordance with Section Provision of Seatbelts Please note that whilst all UK coaches must be equipped with seatbelts for all passengers, this is not the case in many other countries. Whilst we will request coaches with seatbelts be provided where possible, this cannot be guaranteed unless seatbelt provision is mandatory for that destination. 5.5 Emergency Protocol In the event of an emergency such as breakdown, driver illness or accident, Schools Go Surfing reserve the right to use coach companies that have not been subject to audits. We can then provide the best replacement services possible under the circumstances. 5.6 Airlines Flights from Britain are regulated by the Department of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority. Flights originating on other jurisdictions are governed by the laws and regulations of the country in question. It is not felt that members can take any further measures. 5.7 Rail Transportation All rail transport is regulated nationally. It is not felt that members can take any further measures. 5.8 Ferry and Eurotunnel All ferry companies and Eurotunnel are regulated nationally and internationally. It is not felt that members can take any further measures. 5.9 Public Transport All public transport is regulated nationally. It is not felt that members can take any further measures. 6. Services Secured by Agents and Ground Handlers Where Agents and Ground Handlers provide services that would be the subject of a safety review if booked direct by Schools Go Surfing e.g. visits and excursions, they shall sign a contract agreeing to use the same standards as outlined in section 7 of this SMS document. 7. Visits and Excursions Schools Go Surfing will take reasonable steps to ensure that, where visits and excursions are included in the final itinerary, risks have been evaluated and monitored. Sufficient information will be provided to the Group Leaders so that they are able to make informed decisions for their own group.

8 P a g e 8 We will request a completed Health and Safety questionnaire from every visit and excursion provided by Schools Go Surfing; reasonable efforts will be made to evaluate the key Health and Safety elements. 7.1 Categorisation of Risks Schools Go Surfing will take reasonable measures to ensure we have the internal risk management procedures in place for all visits and excursions that we provide. More specifically, risks will be categorised between 1 and 5 as follows: Risk Category 1: Low risk excursions such as museum visits. Look and See. These excursions will be assessed prior to being used for the first time and thereafter every three years, or in line with any major changes. Group feedback and accidents, incidents and near misses will be monitored Risk Category 2: Excursions which have a doing element to them, and/or which have potential risks inherent in the environment, process or activity, and/or which may be unfamiliar to participating groups. These excursions will be asked to complete an excursion questionnaire covering licencing, insurance and safety. The excursion questionnaire will be assessed by a Director prior to being used for the first time and thereafter every three years, or in line with any major changes. A supplier assessment form will be completed internally and any safety information that needs to be brought to participating groups attention will be made available. Group feedback and accidents, incidents and near misses will be monitored Risk Category 3: Water Immersion based excursions such as swimming. These excursions will be asked to complete pool safety questionnaire covering licencing, insurance and safety. The pool safety questionnaire will be assessed by a Director prior to being used for the first time and thereafter every three years, or in line with any major changes. Group feedback and accidents, incidents and near misses will be monitored For Category 4: Adventurous Activities as defined by the Adventure Activities Licencing Authority (AALA) or which have a considerable risk to participating groups. Activity providers will be asked to complete a detailed adventurous activity audit covering licencing, insurance and safety. The adventurous activity audit will be assessed by an expert Technical Advisor prior to being used for the first time, which will be reviewed annually and fully audited again every three years, or in line with any major changes. Group feedback and accidents, incidents and near misses will be monitored All assessments will be reviewed by a competent person. Where excursions fail to demonstrate reasonable safety measures for visitors, including children, members shall not offer that excursion and/or make such information available to group leaders who are considering using the excursion independently. 8. Inspection Visits Schools Go Surfing will provide means for clients to inspect a destination in advance of travelling with their group. This may be at an additional cost.

9 P a g e 9 9. Safety Information Before and During Travel Schools Go Surfing will provide written practical safety information and code of conduct to Group Leaders prior to their tour to include local area information and precautions. A form is included for the reporting of accidents, incidents and near misses, which is used by a Director to review and investigate where appropriate. 9.1 Accident Investigation and Incident Reporting Accident reporting is compulsory. An Incident Report Form will need to be completed whenever an accident or incident takes place. This Incident Report Form is designed to capture key information and lead to a conclusion with respect to the causes and the identification and implementation of remedial action. The Incident Report Forms address the following: a) Date, time and place of accident. b) Who was involved. c) Witnesses. d) Events leading up to the accident. e) Outcomes of the event, e.g. injury or damage, and the severity. f) Causes of injury or damage. g) Immediate and underlying causes of the accident. h) Emergency action taken at the time to prevent a reoccurrence or to minimise injury/damage. i) Further action required to prevent a reoccurrence. 9.2 Near Miss Events Both Group Leaders and staff are strongly encouraged to complete an accident report form for an occurrence that could potentially have resulted in an accident. These are classified as a near miss, with this information being used to strengthen the system. 10. Emergency Procedures Duty Officer Schools Go Surfing operates a 24-hour emergency assistance line which is available to our groups and passengers throughout the duration of their school surf trip. The line will be operated by a Duty Officer, who will be appropriately trained and have access to Company Directors with financial authority. Our UK based and Overseas suppliers will be provided with emergency contact details to elevate serious incidents should the need arise, supporting our Group Leaders and Tor Leaders. The Duty Officer will have access to vital information regarding all school groups on tour. This includes essential passenger details and phone numbers, as well as contact numbers for all Group Leaders, suppliers and Directors, to be used in the event of an incident. The Duty Officer will be familiar with the Schools Go Surfing Crisis Management Plan, with expertise on how to define an incident and the appropriate action required to be taken in the event of a crisis or emergency. In the event of a crisis, we provide a 24/7 emergency contact number and worldwide Crisis Response Coverage through our combined liability insurance policy with Tasker and Partners Limited. 11. Training

10 P a g e General Training: There will be a formal training session given to all relevant staff during their induction period, following which renewals will be offered periodically or upon request. Employees will be trained in those areas of the SMS for which they may be required to exercise responsibility All staff will undergo SMS awareness training and will be kept aware of the latest developments with the SMS Audit Training External STF approved training is available to all staff who undertake accommodation and coach audits. 12. Post Tour Evaluation As part of our commitment to continually evaluate and improve our tours, we encourage every group to complete a post tour questionnaire. Each questionnaire is analysed and recorded. Should Health and Safety be raised as an area of concern it will be immediately flagged for the attention of the Directors and following investigation, action will be taken where appropriate. 13. Crisis Management Plan The Crisis Management Plan is a document defining procedures in case of a serious incident involving Schools Go Surfing groups on tour. This document is available on request. 14. Surf Tour Arrangements 14.1 Surf Lessons All surf instructors will be qualified according to local and national regulations and approved by the director of the local surf school. As a minimum, all surf instructors must have completed a surf coaching course, life-saving course and hold First Aid certifications In the United Kingdom, all surf instructors must hold a surf coaching qualification equivalent to ISA (International Surfing Association) levels 1 and above. They must also hold the Beach Lifeguard Award: SLSGB (Surf Life Saving GB) or the RLSS (Royal Life Saving Society Award) or equivalent All overseas surf instructors must be qualified to local and national regulations, which are usually stricter in France, Spain and Portugal than in the United Kingdom We ensure the group size in each lesson does not exceed an 8:1 student to instructor ratio, but it will often be less or 6:1 most commonly All surf instructors must hold a valid DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check or equivalent within their national or local authority We will clarify in advance arrangements for surf lessons with the Group Leader.

11 P a g e If we must cancel your surf lesson due to unfavourable conditions as highlighted in section 22 of our Booking Terms & Conditions, the surf school and instructor must hold the required licensing to provide the alternative activity if required. If the surf school can provide Coasteering for example, the instructor must hold a Coasteering Guide qualification The surfing locations and wave conditions will be selected to match the needs of the group and level of instruction needed Individual participant performance will be monitored and a progression course will be implemented where possible. A feedback process will exist to measure suitability of delivery Surf Schools Schools Go Surfing have built partnerships with a variety of surf schools, who have been carefully selected to ensure they re ideally suited to school groups and can meet all requirements and checks We ensure our surf schools are experienced in their location and are regulated by governing bodies or associations. This may include, but is not limited to: Surfing England The Recognised National Governing Body (NGB) for surfing in England. ISA (International Surfing Association) The ISA is recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the world governing authority for surfing. AALA (Adventurous Activities Licensing Authority) Adventure activities licensing ensures that activity providers follow good safety management practices We ensure our surf school providers hold Public Liability Insurance of at least 5,000, We ensure our surf school providers have changing rooms, ideally male and female changing facilities We ensure our surf school providers hold risk assessments relative to their teaching locations. Risk Assessments will be provided to Schools Go Surfing and will be made available to the Group Leader Our surf schools must provide Schools Go Surfing with an up-to date Emergency Action Plan, which is relevant to all teaching locations. This document will be provided to the Group Leader Surf schools will be informed of any students with special needs, including medical conditions, in advance of the tour or group arriving All surf schools used by Schools Go Surfing must sign a service form and supplier service agreement to confirm they meet all requirements stated in section 14 of the Schools Go Surfing SMS document Equipment Hire All equipment supplied will be fit for purpose Only members of the surf school who are deemed competent will provide advice on wetsuit sizes, surfboards etc.

12 P a g e We will request information in relation to age, height, gender, swimming and surfing ability, medical conditions etc. in advance Evening Entertainment Schools Go Surfing s tours include a package of evening entertainment, but we can often pre-book additional social events for school groups at a supplement. We cannot accept liability for the standard of any optional events that are not booked by our staff or agents. Teachers/Group Leaders must satisfy themselves that any such facilities/services are appropriate for their party to use Adventurous Activities Adventurous Activities are defined as those which would require licensing by for example AALA. These activities would include, but not be limited to: a) Caving (natural caves, and mines including potholing, cave diving, and mine exploration). b) Climbing (climbing, traversing, abseiling, and scrambling except on purpose built climbing walls). c) Trekking (walking, running, pony trekking, mountain biking, off-piste skiing and related activities when done in moor or mountain country above 600 meters and which is more than 30 minutes drive from the nearest road). If an Adventurous Activity as specified above is offered by Schools Go Surfing, then the activity will be assessed and approved in writing before use for the first time by a suitably qualified or experienced Technical Advisor. Where we offer an activity, which is not covered by the above, but includes an element of risk, Schools Go Surfing will conduct an assessment to enable us to decide whether this activity should be referred to a Technical Advisor for an inspection to be carried out Prior To The Visit Schools Go Surfing will discuss with Group Leaders their aims and objectives for the Surf Tour and take these into account when making preparations for the trip Schools Go Surfing will obtain essential information from the Group Leader regarding the participants prior to the trip Schools Go Surfing will advise Group Leaders and participants on what essential items to bring on their surf tour and answer any questions the Group Leader, parents or participants have regarding the matter Any special needs will be identified with the Group Leader and appropriate measures taken Suitable information will be provided to the group to ensure informed decisions on permission by parents and the managing authority Insurance Any insurance offered to the client will have full cover for the sports undertaken Where clients arrange their own insurance, Schools Go Surfing will endeavour to ensure the suitability of cover for the specific sports and activities undertaken, but the group leaders take ultimate responsibility for this Facilities

13 P a g e All facilities offered will be fit for purpose to achieve that which has been discussed in section 1 and to maintain safe standards. An assessment of the following will be made: a) First aid facilities. b) Emergency medical processes. c) Changing and welfare facilities. d) Transport access. 15. Surf School Auditing & Technical Advisors All surf schools used by Schools Go Surfing will be assessed and approved in writing before use for the first time and following any significant changes. If a surf school has a license with the AALA (Adventure Activities Licensing Authority) or if it has been awarded the Adventure Mark, it does not require an assessment. Overseas surf schools and UK based surf schools which do not hold a license with AALA and/or have not been awarded the Adventure Mark, must be assessed and approved in writing by a suitably qualified Technical Advisor. The assessment will cover all aspects of the provision and include: a) The activity provider's safety management system and safety record. b) Suitability of the activity for planned users, by reference to their age and likely level of ability. c) Location. d) Equipment. e) Staffing ratios. f) Staff competence, recruitment and monitoring. g) First aid and emergency provision. h) Communications. i) Insurance j) Existence and effects of local regulations, safety standards and/or disclaimers. Schools Go Surfing will ensure sufficient resources are allocated to ensure thorough assessments can be made and that any recommendations contained in the assessments are followed up and satisfactorily completed before any group which has booked with Schools Go Surfing embarks on the activity in question. All defined activities will be re-assessed and approved in writing at least every three years by a suitably qualified technical advisor. Contact Details: Address: 23 Chiltern Drive, Surbiton, Surrey, KT5 8LP Tel: info@schoolsgosurfing.co.uk Date Completed: 8 th June, 2018