Information for Local Education Authorities on the Health & Safety measures taken to safeguard the Operation Wallacea expeditions to Greece

Transcription

1 Information for Local Education Authorities on the Health & Safety measures taken to safeguard the Operation Wallacea expeditions to Greece

2 Contents Page 1. Introduction Structure of the Expeditions Risk Assessments Training Before the Expedition Designated Leaders and Competencies Use of Guides... Error! Bookmark not defined. 7. Medical Procedures Operating Procedures Emergency Procedures Insurance Child Protection Procedures Communications Transport Accommodation and Camp Security Cultural Aspects of the Expedition and Local Issues These LEA health and safety procedures were last updated on: 25th March

3 1. Introduction The aim of this document is to highlight the procedures and protocols in place for school groups who are involved with Operation Wallacea research expeditions in Greece. It is intended to fulfill the criteria set by the local education authorities with regard to overseas expeditions and is based on the information requirements set out in Guidelines for Educational Visits and Outdoor Education Activities 2004, produced by Surrey County Council. The Surrey CC document in turn is based on the Department for Education and Employment Health & Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits (1998) and on the August 2002 document produced by the Department for Education and Skills entitled Standards for LEA s in Overseeing Educational Visits. As with all these documents the aim is to ensure that there are adequate preparations and safety systems in position to ensure that best practice with regard to Health & Safety issues is being used in the planning and implementation of the expeditions. 2. Structure of the Expeditions The group will fly into Samos International Airport (Aristarchos) and the expeditions start at the Archipelagos Marine Research Centre near Pythagorio at 1200hrs on a Thursday and finishes back near Pythagorio Wednesday at 1400hrs. The flights can either be purchased on line from Aegean Airlines, the largest Greek airline company ( or via Operation Wallacea s preferred travel partner Round the World Travel Experts, to Samos International Airport (Aristarchos). Arrangements for the transfers to and from the airport can be made directly with Operation Wallacea. Transfer time from the airport is around 15 minutes. This expedition is different to the other Operation Wallacea Expeditions in that the marine and terrestrial elements run alongside each other across both weeks. Volunteers will spend 7 days on Samos Island after which they will travel by boat to several Dodecanese Islands: Lipsi Island where they will stay for 3 days; followed by Arki and Marathi Islands where they will stay a further 3 days before travelling back to Samos for the end of the expedition. Itinerary for Samos Island Whilst based on Samos the group will be completing their Open Water PADI qualification (unless previously qualified). They will also be split into helping the following teams to complete biodiversity surveys of the Mediterranean marine and terrestrial ecology: Jackal and Chameleon surveys This team will concentrate on the population of golden jackal present on Samos (the only island of which to host them) and populations of various chameleon species that until recently have been under pressure from the pet hunting trade. A variety of habitat types have been established of which will be visited shortly after dark to use recorded jackal calls to elicit responses, as These LEA health and safety procedures were last updated on: 25th March

4 well as to set up camera traps and baited sand trays to monitor activity during the night. Spotlight surveys of transects using the same habitat types will be conducted to determine distribution of chameleons, with all individuals sighted being captured, identified in terms of age and gender, and marked if they are adults. Saltmarsh abiotic and bird surveys This team will focus on saltmarsh bird species in a saline lagoon that is proposed to be pumped with water during the Summer months. They will conduct point count surveys for passerines, seabirds and wading birds, as well as collecting salinity, temperature and ph readings at various points within the lagoon. Standardised seagrass surveys Alongside the dive training, volunteers will be conducting seagrass surveys of permanent 50 x 50m quadrats photographing to assess seagrass cover and snorkelling to measure the height of the seagrass blades. Those who are already dive trained before the expedition will conduct these surveys through diving. UVC and identification Students will run through a series of workshops and practicals to train them on prominent native and invasive fish, macro invertebrate and algal species, accompanied by the use of Underwater Visual Censuses to establish community structures. Itinerary for the Dodecanese Islands During the second week, the group will be assisting the following teams: Marine mammal surveys The Eastern Aegean is a notable region for sperm whale migrations and the waters are regularly used by other cetaceans such as common and bottlenose dolphins. During travel between the islands, aquatic transects will be used to monitor cetaceans and pinnipeds through hydrophones, oceanographic data collection and GPS usage. Seagrass Surveys Addition seagrass surveys will be conducted through snorkeling, as well as through the use of 2-man kayaking to collect photography and oceanography data Wildlife refuge islands 14 of the small, mostly uninhabited islands surrounding Arki have recently been designated as wildlife refuges by the Greek government thanks to persuasion from local communities and the Archipelagos Institute. The Aegean Islands fall directly on several migratory pathways for bird species so the team will be identifying breeding sites on wildlife refuges for birds such as Eleanora s Falcon and Audouins Gulls. They will also be conducting point count surveys for greater flamingos, shearwaters and blackwater stilts and ruddy shelducks. Alongside this, very little is known about the invertebrate These LEA health and safety procedures were last updated on: 25th March

5 fauna on these islands, so collections will be made through pitfall traps and sweep net surveys. Fishery surveys The team involved with this will be conducting surveys with the local fisherman to establish the use of their gear, the catch effort and load. Underwater video analysis will be used to add to this monitoring. Open sea aquarium monitoring A proposal for an open sea aquarium will be established, using point count video surveys and seagrass surveys within the proposed bays to establish baseline data. 3. Risk Assessments A thorough assessment of all sites and activities are completed before the start of the season and reviewed throughout. Risk assessments are completed for each site as well as generic risk assessments for each activity. These risk assessments are published on the website ( and are available by hard copy if requested. 4. Training before the Expedition Operation Wallacea staff work closely with teachers to ensure that pupils are ready and prepared for the expedition abroad. Various joint meetings take place with the Operation Wallacea schools team and the teachers regarding facilities on site and skills required. A training package is sent to each of the schools with the following aims: Detail the level of fitness required from the pupils The level of fitness required by students is outlined in detail in the training presentation. For those students that have limited outdoors experience professional UK based outdoor adventure companies are recommended to provide this additional training. Biological survey methodologies All the pupils are given a lecture detailing the aims of the surveys and the associated methodologies to be used, so they are aware of exactly what they will be doing in the field. Operation Wallacea also make available a student handbook (downloaded from the Opwall website) containing full details of the facilities at each site, the equipment that students will require, and any information that teachers or students may find useful in preparing for travel to Greece. The Operation Wallacea staff are always available to talk to any student, parent, or teacher, who has any questions about any aspects of the expeditions, and the preparation required. These LEA health and safety procedures were last updated on: 25th March

6 Whilst Operation Wallacea aims to ensure that the pupils are well prepared for the expedition, the teachers are responsible for the dynamics and teamwork abilities of the group. 5. Designated Leaders and Competencies Role of the teachers The teachers accompanying the students are responsible for ensuring the pupils travel arrangements followed through from the school until they arrive on Samos. Travel packages can be arranged or clarified through the travel team within Operation Wallacea. Operation Wallacea are organising all of the internal travel arrangements from this point onwards. Flights can be purchased online from Aegean Air or via Round the World Travel Experts, Operation Wallacea s preferred travel partner, or indeed any other international flight provider. Once the expedition has begun the teachers will be travelling with the group and are responsible for pastoral care issues and checking that the safety procedures run by Operation Wallacea are working in full. At the end of the expeditions the teachers and the group are returned to the airport and the teachers are responsible for accompanying the group back to the UK. Role of Operation Wallacea staff Site Manager The Site Manager is responsible for the overall running of the project. The 2015 site manager is Dan Ward. He has significant experience in leading expeditions through a trip leader role with Ecofieldtrips in Malaysian rainforests and coastal regions as well as assistant camp manager role with Operation Wallacea on the Peru site. He will ensure that in each of the locations the correct level of leadership is provided for each of the survey groups and that the various risk amelioration measures are being adhered to, in addition to ensuring that the overall objectives of the project are being met. Leadership during transfers from the airport to the marine institute in Pythagorio Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation will organise all the travel arrangements for incoming staff and volunteers. A senior member from Archipelagos will meet and brief all the groups at the start of the expedition. Archipelagos has been running for several years and has been managing group projects across the islands with numerous other organisations. Staff members speak fluent English with a variety of additional mother or second languages. In addition the Site Manager or a suitably competent staff member appointed by the Site Manager will also be present to provide additional input and will travel with the incoming groups. Leadership on the islands During the 2 weeks on the Eastern Aegean island sites the expedition group will be staying on Samos, Arki and Lipsi Island. The Site Manager will be present either at These LEA health and safety procedures were last updated on: 25th March

7 both locations or a suitable appointed member of staff will accompany them on Arki and Lipsi islands with direct contactability with the Site Manager. Leadership for survey teams The survey teams will be led by Greek and UK or US researchers who have been trained by University Staff, Opwall and Archipelagos. Each team leader will be able to speak good English. During all surveys, there will be a translator with sufficient skills in both Greek and English language. Leadership for dive training Dive training will be conducted under a strict safety ratio of no more than 8 students maximum to one Dive Master and one Dive Instructor unless checked to be sufficiently qualified, to which they will still be accompanied in a ratio of 1:6 with a Dive Master. 6. Medical Procedures This section summarises the medical and evacuation procedures report which has a much more detailed description of the staffing, First Aid facilities and procedures to be followed. Information and records All school staff and pupils are required to complete an Operation Wallacea medical questionnaire prior to their departure. These forms are required to be completed and returned to the Operation Wallacea Medical Coordinator at least 3 months in advance of the expedition. The Site Manager will review the medical forms received and identify any potential medical issues that could restrict sites or activities for individual pupils or staff, or aspects which require additional information before the start of the expedition, for review with Operation Wallacea s Medical Advisor. All medical information is held securely under the guidelines provided by the data protection act. Additionally, PADI forms are required to be filled out and submitted by every member of the group to be reviewed by the Site Manager to ascertain the level of qualification (if any) of diving proficiency for each member as well as previous experience. On site medical information about each pupil and teacher is provided to the Medical officer in Archipelagos if required. There are additional forms for treatment provided and the individual files are kept by Operation Wallacea. All medical problems, illnesses, injuries and near misses are recorded at each of the sites. At the end of the season, these data are collated and a health and safety report is completed and published on the website. This report classifies incidents into 7 categories and allows comparison between the expeditions and other activities. The policy of publication of the accidents and illnesses recorded on the expedition is a unique aspect of the Operation Wallacea expeditions and helps ensure the procedures on site are followed fully. These LEA health and safety procedures were last updated on: 25th March

8 Medical staffing Samos and the Dodecanese Islands (Greece) are currently part of the EU and medical standards in the local hospitals and clinics are generally high. Members of the Operation Wallacea and Archipelagos staff are First Aid trained at least to First Aid Responder or above. All diving staff members are able to perform in water rescue. Medical facilities A basic medical kit is provided at each site and aboard all transport vessels, the content of which is agreed prior to the season in consultation with professional medics. These kits are designed to deal with as many non-emergency medical eventualities as reasonably possible onsite, and also to support emergency incidents and stabilize a casualty for transfer to more extensive medical facilities where needed. Each survey team will also carry a basic first aid kit on surveys. There is a local clinic with an English speaking doctor in Pythagorio (which is between approximately 5 minutes from the research institute) to provide low priority medical services for the expedition so that any participants can quickly be treated at the clinic. The General Hospital of Samos Agios Panteleimonas (about minutes from site on 1 st week) has very good facilities and can cope with virtually all emergency situations. Doctors present in Samos Hospital speak English. A patient would only need to be repatriated to their home country if they had a medical problem which required ongoing treatment and left them unable to continue participating in the expedition. The Lipsi Medical Centre (approximately minutes from site whilst on Lipsi Island) has simple facilities and is equipped to deal with all Medium Priority and most High Priority situations. The doctor does not speak English but a translator fluent in English and Greek will be present at all times. From Arki Island, Lipsi Medical Centre is an additional 15 minutes speedboat journey, with several speedboats on standby at all times. If deemed necessary by the Site Manager and Archipelagos senior staff member, then evacuation to the hospital on Leros will be made via speedboat. This will require 30 minutes via speedboat plus 15 minutes journey on land. From Arki, this journey time increases to 45 minutes speedboat plus 15 minutes journey on land to the hospital. In the case of a need for recompression, there is a chamber on Kalimnos Island to be reached by low flying helicopter. This will only be required from Samos as there is no option to dive during any other part of the expedition. This will require a 15 minute journey to the airport followed by a 15 minute helicopter ride to Kalimnos. Helicopters are on standby 24 hours a day. In addition, there are 2 medical planes based on Kos and Rhodes approximately minutes flight away. 8. Operating Procedures There are detailed operating procedures for all aspects of expedition management. These LEA health and safety procedures were last updated on: 25th March

9 The main measures used to minimise risk are included in the risk assessments which are published on the website but are summarised below if they are not included in other sections of this report: Groups leaving the institute No volunteers are allowed to leave the institute accommodation area unless they are on survey or have consulted with Opwall staff. If going locally (to shops in Pythagorio), they must be in a group with a translator and report in on their leave and return. In the field they must stay in their team groups. The leader will communicate by mobile phone provided by Archipelagos. Phone cover is excellent in the area, and during boat transports VHF radio will be active. Anyone not following this rule will be cautioned, and if they repeat their offence will be confined to camp/base for a period deemed suitable by their leader. Trekking A member of the team, usually the survey leader, takes the front of the terrestrial survey with the slowest group member immediately behind and the fittest group member at the end of the line followed by the teacher. Diving The Dive Master (and Dive Instructor where appropriate i.e. in groups of training students) will remain in visual site of all members of the dive group at all times. Each member of the group will remain within reachable arms length of another member during dive training. Kayaking The leading staff member will be Open Water Rescue qualified and will be in a ratio of 1:8 students, with no more than 5 kayaks in any group. All boats will be inspected prior to any use. Life jackets will be used at all times whilst using a kayak. Health and safety briefings and training will be held before any kayaking activity. Alcohol There is a strict no alcohol policy whilst the school group is under the care of Operation Wallacea. 9. Emergency Procedures This section summarises the medical and evacuation procedures report which is a much more detailed description of the procedures used at each of the sites. Carefully planned evacuation protocols are in place for the islands in Greece. All staff will have training on the evacuation procedures and protocols. Because of the high variability of influential factors such as weather conditions and nature of potential injuries, a number of different evacuation scenarios must be prepared for prior to the season. All staff are fully briefed in these scenarios, and this report describes the most commonly used and available evacuation options. These LEA health and safety procedures were last updated on: 25th March

10 Once a major incident or emergency is identified the Site Manager will advise Archipelagos. The Site Manager will take overall control as Incident Coordinator in conjunction with other senior staff if they are in a position to assist. The Medical Officer and Site Manager will decide the level of emergency evacuation required for the patient. These should be classified as Medium Priority, High Priority or Emergency. Medium Priority Cases in which the patient is in no immediate danger but the onsite facilities are unable to cope were their condition to deteriorate. An example of this would be falling over on a trek causing a cut requiring stitching. This requires the patient to be moved as quickly as possible without the need to hire special vehicles to the nearest appropriate suitable facilities normally to a local surgery such as in Pythagorio, the Samos General Hospital or to the Lipsi Medical depending on which week of the expedition this occurs on. High Priority Cases where the patient s health is at risk if immediate action is not taken. An example of this is a broken bone. This may require a call to the ambulance service and then transportation to the General Hospital of Samos Agios Panteleimonas in Vathi or to the general hospital on Leros Island depending on which week this occurs. Emergency Cases where the patients life is at risk if immediate action is not taken. This requires the fastest possible transfer usually by ambulance/speedboat to General Hospital of Samos Agios Panteleimonas or the general hospital of Leros. 10. Insurance 1 million medical and repatriation insurance cover has been purchased by Operation Wallacea for all expedition participants. Operation Wallacea prepare detailed evacuation plans which are passed to the insurers so that the Medivac planes and hospitals likely to be used during any evacuation can be contracted in advance by the insurance company so if there is a need for an evacuation then there are no delays. In addition to this Operation Wallacea have comprehensive combined liability insurance with up to 10,000,000 for public/product liability. 11. Child Protection Procedures We endeavour to ensure that all school students participating in our activities are safe in accordance with the Protection of Children s act This is done a number of ways: These LEA health and safety procedures were last updated on: 25th March

11 Supervision and accompanying adults. Operation Wallacea offer a free teacher place with every 8 students thus giving an automatic ratio of at least 1 to 8 (in line with the DfES). For each activity provided by Operation Wallacea in the field the following ratios apply: 1 to 10 ratio for Habitat Survey work (plus at least one guide) 1 to 10 ratio for participating in other biodiversity survey activities (plus at least one guide) These ratios do not include other supervisory staff such as translators, medics or the schoolteachers. Overall there is 1 to 4 ratio of adult staff to students on site providing a very high level of supervision. Teachers are asked to accompany students on as many activities as possible. Minimum number of students No school pupil is allowed to participate in any activity without at least one other pupil from the school or a teacher being present. Criminal Records Bureau Checks All UK based Operation Wallacea staff are CRB checked. All locations where pupils are sleeping have a CRB staff member in attendance. The teachers accompanying these school groups will, at the responsibility of their employer, be Criminal Record Bureau checked, and whilst on expedition will stay with the students overnight at each location. Codes of Practice All Operation Wallacea staff in the field are required to sign a code of conduct before they are employed. The Code of Conduct commits each staff member to not entering into relationships with school volunteers as well as conformity to restrictions on alcohol use and a complete ban on drug abuse. Operation Wallacea will dismiss staff that do not follow the code of conduct. Complaints procedure Any complaint by a school pupil about inappropriate behaviour from any staff member or other student will be treated as a formal complaint and documented. The accompanying teacher will be informed immediately and together with the senior Operation Wallacea staff member on site will investigate the complaint. If the complaint is upheld then any individuals involved will be dismissed from the expedition and a police file created if the incident was serious enough. 12. Communications Mobile phone coverage throughout Samos and the Dodecansese islands is mostly good and all staff will be equipped with mobile phones supplied by Archipelagos. During boat transportation, there will be VHF radios and a qualified user available in addition to the phone coverage. These LEA health and safety procedures were last updated on: 25th March

12 13. Transport All transport arrangements conducted by Operation Wallacea in the field are subject to stringent protocols. Transport used to move pupils from various sites have been assessed by the Site Manager and the team in Greece and only reputable companies with an excellent safety record are used. The transport in Greece conforms to EU standards although stringent checks will be carried out on all vehicles used during the expedition 14. Accommodation and Camp Security Students are never allocated accommodation on their own and are always as close to staff members as is practical. Accommodation will be based in either the nearby hotel to the Archipelagos base (with contractual obligation) or in marine institutes owned by Archipelagos. All accommodation complies with EU standards of hygiene and safety. The maintenance of safety and hygiene levels at each site are the responsibility of the Site Manager and the senior Archipelagos manager. At each of the camps there will be a staff member in attendance to ensure that unauthorised persons (people who are not part of the staff or volunteer cohort and are otherwise unknown to Archipelagos) are not allowed to enter. The participants are given a full health and safety briefing upon arrival and will only be able to leave the institute and its surrounding area if in a group as per the above operations protocols. 15. Cultural Aspects of the Expedition and Local Issues One of the principal objectives of Operation Wallacea is to empower local organisations to run the expeditions so that before and after the OpWall season they can then use the facilities and equipment to provide year round income for local communities. In some countries there are very competent NGO s that can be utilised to provide this service. In Greece, Archipelagos is such an organisation and is the sole NGO working with OpWall on the expedition. Archipelagos is a Greek registered nonprofit NGO which is committed to researching and defending the biodiversity of the Greek seas and islands, as well as of the north east Mediterranean region overall. Their primary areas of focus are the conservation of marine wildlife (focusing on endangered habitats and species) with oceanographic research, water quality, pollution assessment and shipping disaster prevention. Their second area of focus is the conservation of terrestrial wildlife with particular focus on endangered species such as chameleons, golden jackal, bats and birds, as well as the rare island forests and freshwater habitats. They are also heavily involved with the development of the Aegean Seed Safe (preservation of rapidly disappearing local varieties of agricultural plants), pollution and human impact assessment, and the management of priority habitats. Archipelagos also has strong scientific links with Texas Tech University and Athens University along with excellent local cooperation and respect and as a result we are confident that the participants will have every opportunity to experience Aegean culture in a safe and enjoyable manner. These LEA health and safety procedures were last updated on: 25th March