Safety Issues - Health & Safety LEA's
Health & Safety - Supplementary Statements for LEA's
Tour Operator: Ocean Alpine Ltd
Brochure Titles: Ocean Active
Schools are bound by the booking conditions that they have signed up to and no extension of our obligations are inferred without specific written agreement between the school and ourselves. However, the following statements cover our tour operator packages offered in the above packages under the contract that schools have signed up to. If there are any statements that you would like to see included in the following, please contact us with your suggestions.
SECTION A - All Trips
Health, Safety and Emergency Policy
1. Ocean Alpine Ltd complies with relevant health and safety regulations, including the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and associated regulations for visits taking place in the UK, and has a health and safety policy [downloadable from our web sites] and recorded risk assessments.
2. Accidents and emergency procedures are maintained and records are available for inspection.
Vehicles
3. All vehicles are roadworthy and meet the requirements of relevant regulations in the country in which they are being used. Coach Travel is covered by the Travel Industry's benchmark for coach safety, CoachSafe. Liability regarding aircraft and ferries is limited in line with applicable international treaties.
Staffing
4. CRB checks are carried out on seasonal and permanent staff recruited from the UK for relevant criminal history to aid in assessing their suitability to work with young people.
5. There are adequate and regular opportunities for liaison between school staff and Ocean Alpine Ltd 's staff and there is sufficient flexibility to make changes to the programme if necessary and the reasons for such changes will be made known to school staff.
Insurance
6. Ocean Alpine Ltd has product and public liability insurance to the sum of £10,000,000 and contains a clause giving 'indemnity to principal'.
Accommodation
7. UK accommodation is covered by a current fire certificate or [where this is not legally required] advice has been sought from an independent fire safety expert and implemented. A fire risk assessment has been completed.
8. If abroad, the accommodation complies with fire, health and safety regulations, which apply in the country concerned.
9. There are security arrangements to prevent unauthorised persons entering accommodation. These arrangements vary but are appropriate to the type of accommodation in which the group is housed.
10. Separate male and female accommodation and washing facilities are provided and staff accommodation is close to pupils' accommodation, to aid supervision.
SECTION B - ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES
11. For UK activity groups undertaking licensable sports, a valid Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA) Licence will be in place. Visit www.oceanalpine.com for licence numbers and links to the AALA site for verification.
12. For sports outside the scope of this licence, the activity will be delivered under the guidelines of the National Governing Body [NGB] pertaining to that activity. In the absence of an NGB, a written operation manual exists covering the delivery of the sport and a risk assessment will have been carried out.
Activity management
13. Ocean Alpine Ltd 's bought in activity providers [including ski schools] operate a policy for staff recruitment, training and assessment in line with relevant NGB's guidelines. Instructors with a responsibility for participants are deemed competent to undertake their duties by way of the qualifications they hold and the ongoing assessment they undergo.
14. These Providers, have a written code of practice for activities which is consistent with guidelines of the relevant NGB's.
15. Instructor competencies are confirmed by way of their NGB qualifications.
16. Where there is no National Governing Body for an activity, the provider has a code of conduct for that activity which is in line with current good practice within the UK and/or overseas location, and this includes assessing appropriate instructor competencies.
17. Instructors are practiced and assessed to be competent in accident and emergency procedures, most NGB's insist on a current first aid qualification.
18. There is a clear definition of responsibilities between providers and visiting staff regarding supervision and welfare of participants. See our Health and Safety Statement on the website.
19. All equipment used in activities is suited to task, adequately maintained in accordance with statutory requirements and current good practice, with records kept of maintenance checks where necessary.
SECTION C - Our Role as a Tour Operator
As a tour operator delivering services to schools using other providers eg. Ski schools, other activity providers, transport operators or accommodation, we monitor whether each provider meets the relevant specifications outlined in Sections A and B of this form or whether these providers operate to standards which meet the relevant regulations which apply to the country of operation.
We comply with the package travel regulations.
DECLARATION
The above information reflects relevant aspects of the package booked by the school in question. We believe this to be an accurate restatement of information contained in our published literature and in the agreement into which the school has entered into with us. Your attention is drawn to our Health & Safety Statements which can be found on our website at www.activ8schools.com . These sites also include Codes of Conduct for our activity packages along with specific information relating to instructor qualification and teaching ratios.
Ocean Alpine Ltd T/A Ocean Active and Ocean Lodge
Ocean Lodge
Holywell Road
Newquay
TR7 2NP
