Alpha Adventure Safaris – Health, Safety & Emergency Policy

The Directors and Management of Alpha Adventure Safaris recognize that they have a responsibility to clients to ensure that all reasonable precautions are taken to provide and maintain high levels of safety.

Alpha Adventure Safaris is a company committed to customer satisfaction and consumer financial protection. Therefore, in accordance with ”The Package Travel, Tourism Act [2008]”, all passengers booking with Alpha Adventure Safaris are fully insured for the initial deposit, and subsequently the balance of monies paid as detailed in your booking confirmation form.

Policy exclusions: This policy will not cover any monies paid back to you by your Travel Insurance or any losses which are recoverable under another insurance or bond.

Our Safety Management System Aims and Objectives

Alpha Adventure Safaris is committed to ensuring that every possible measure is taken to guarantee the health and safety of our clients throughout their tour. We shall achieve this through:

• Recognising that health and safety issues are paramount and ensuring such issues always take priority while also continuing to review our safety policy and updating as appropriate.
• Ensuring that all our tour suppliers provide safe transport and accommodation and comply with current local and national standards.
• Continually developing our team so that all members know how to follow safety standards and how to meet our legal obligations.
• Seeking customer feedback and carrying out post tour evaluations and pre-tour site visits to identify strengths, weaknesses and failures.
• In the event of any accident, a comprehensive accident report will be completed and a review of accident information carried out annually to identify trends and confirm that remedial actions have been implemented.

Accommodation

All accommodation will be selected and booked by Alpha Adventure Safaris, will have current liability insurance cover for the duration of the contract and will comply with local and national legislation with regards to fire, safety and hygiene standards.  Wherever possible, copies of the relevant documents will be obtained.

Alpha Adventure Safaris will also share any relevant customer feedback with accommodation suppliers. Where a hotel out-sources the provision of meals or where Alpha Adventure Safaris uses another food & beverage only supplier they will be required to demonstrate their compliance with local food hygiene and safety regulations.

To promote trust in our accommodation suppliers Alpha Adventure Safaris will develop “regular use relationships” with a select number of hotels and hostels.  Where accommodation is used for the first time a team member will review provision.

Where serious concerns are raised about a hotel or Lodge, Alpha Adventure Safaris will share these with our suppliers and will work with our suppliers to address any concerns. The company will, where necessary, carry out its own inspection and evaluation to ensure that the concerns are addressed.

Transportation

All transport means engaged by Alpha Adventure Safaris will comply with local and national trade or other laws, regulations and codes of practice. We will obtain a copy of their operating license, together with their public liability insurance and, on request, will share these with our customers to demonstrate that our transport suppliers comply with all relevant regulations.

Alpha Adventure Safaris will ensure that transport suppliers provide evidence that all drivers have suitable clearance to work with children, and that adequate arrangements are in place in the event of breakdown or supplier failure and emergencies.

To promote trust in our transport suppliers Alpha Adventure Safaris will develop a “regular use relationship” with a select number of transport suppliers.  The company will use customer feedback to evaluate coach travel and where concerns are raised these will shared with the supplier.

Where an outside country transport is hired the supplier must comply with all applicable national, local, trade or other laws, regulations, rules and codes of practice, and will hold relevant national licenses and insurances.  A contract will be put in place to stipulate a set of safety standards regarding drivers’ hours, driver vetting, insurance cover and vehicle age to which the coach company must agree prior to usage.

All transportation used by Alpha Adventure Safaris must be fitted with individual seat belts, and every effort will be made to ensure vehicles have a charger socket on board. Moreover, comfort breaks will factored into all journeys of a significant distance.

Tour Managers/Guides

All tour managers and guides for Alpha Adventure Safaris are contracted on a permanet basis and have been approved by local authorities.

Emergency Guidance

In the event of an unforeseen event such as driver illness, mechanical breakdown or accident. Alpha Adventure Safaris will work with our clients’ travel insurers, the immediate tour company in area and, where appropriate, local authorities to resolve the problem. Where necessary we will assist in the repatriation of our clients, taking all reasonable steps to facilitate their safe return home. In these circumstances Alpha Adventure Safaris reserves the right to use a local supplier that may not have fully checked.

Visits and Excursions

Alpha Adventure Safaris will offer all clients a risk assessment for their tour and we will make customers aware of any hazards, identifying steps that may be taken to minimise the risk . On all school and college tours the responsibility for the welfare of students and children will be the supervising adults from the school or college. Alpha Adventure Safaris will not be held to be “in loco parentis”.

All sites used by Alpha Adventure Safaris will have been subject to a prior visit by a member of the Alpha team.  Where a client requests a particular site visit that has not been subject to Alpha verification this visit will be made at the client’s own risk. Alpha Adventure Safaris will, however, make every effort to identify any hazards that we can foresee.

In the Event of an Emergency

All group leaders, agents and drivers will be provided with a 24 hour telephone service to the Alpha Adventure Safaris Duty Officer. In addition, all our travel and accommodation suppliers will share with us their emergency contact numbers. When staying overseas emergency numbers for contacting police, fire and medical services will be shared with our clients.

Where a member of the group is need of emergency medical treatment the client’s own risk assessment procedures will be followed. Therefore, prior to each tour, the client must share with Alpha Adventure Safaris their emergency protocol.

Pre-Tour Expectations

Before every tour Alpha Adventure Safaris expects clients to hold a pre-tour briefing for children and their parents and/or carers.  The company will support this meeting by offering supporting materials detailing guiding, travel and accommodation. Alpha Adventure Safaris will also ask the group leader to share with us any additional requirements such as detailing children with special educational needs.

To support the tour Alpha Adventure Safaris will outline the roles and responsibilities of the company and those of our clients.

Post-Tour Evaluation

Following each tour Alpha Adventure Safaris will ask clients to share with us their thoughts on the quality of the Transport and hotel suppliers by completing a post tour questionnaire. Where concerns are raised these will be flagged up and addressed. Through our website we will share our clients’ thoughts and demonstrate our response to any concerns.