Health and safety policy

1. Our commitment

1.1 Canine Safaris Ltd is committed to providing and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for all workers, including contractors, volunteers and trainees, and to keeping our guests, visitors and members of the public safe from the risks of our work. We will remove hazards and risks to health and safety, or reduce them, as far as is reasonably practicable.

1.2 Responsibility for health and safety rests ultimately with the directors and management of the company. Workers also have important responsibilities, set out below.

1.3 This policy applies to our offices, our vehicles, our safaris, tours and day trips, the activities we run, and the premises and services of suppliers that we use for our guests.

2. The laws and standards we follow

2.1 We comply with the laws of Uganda on health and safety, including the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2006, which requires an employer to protect workers and the general public from the dangerous aspects of the business (section 13), to provide protective gear where needed (section 19), to conduct the business so that people who are not employees are not exposed to risks to their health and safety (section 23), to keep premises safe (section 26) and to provide first aid (section 55).

2.2 We also follow the Employment Act, 2006 and the law on compensation for work injuries, the Tourism Act, 2008 and the standards of the Uganda Tourism Board for tour operators, the Uganda Wildlife Act and the rules of the Uganda Wildlife Authority for parks, and the directions of health authorities.

2.3 Where our workforce is large enough that the Occupational Safety and Health Act requires a written safety policy, safety representatives or a safety committee, we will have them. This policy is our written statement and is brought to the attention of all workers.

3. What management will do

3.1 Make sure the business complies with all laws on health and safety.

3.2 Remove or reduce workplace hazards and risks as far as is reasonably practicable.

3.3 Give all workers the information, instruction and training they need to work safely, and supervise them so that work is done safely.

3.4 Consult workers, and involve them, on matters of health, safety and wellbeing.

3.5 Provide suitable safety equipment and protective equipment, at no cost to the worker where the work requires it.

3.6 Provide a first-aid kit that is stocked and easy to reach in every office and vehicle, and make sure that guides and drivers are trained in first aid.

3.7 Provide an injury management and return-to-work approach for workers who are hurt or fall ill because of their work, and meet the duties that the law places on the company towards them.

3.8 Make sure that guests' tours and excursions are planned and run by skilled people who control the risks and hazards that could affect visitors.

3.9 Record and investigate incidents, and use what we learn to improve.

4. What workers will do

4.1 Take reasonable care for their own health and safety and for the safety of others affected by what they do.

4.2 Follow safe work procedures, instructions and rules, and use safety and protective equipment as instructed.

4.3 Take part in safety training and cooperate with management on safety.

4.4 Report immediately any hazard, and any situation that they reasonably believe presents a serious danger, to their supervisor.

4.5 Report every injury and incident, however small.

4.6 Never misuse or interfere with anything provided for health, safety or welfare. No worker will be penalised for raising a genuine safety concern or for following this policy.

5. How we manage risk on trips

5.1 We assess the hazards of each itinerary and activity before we offer it, including game drives, boat trips, nature walks, gorilla and chimpanzee activities, hikes, cultural visits and team-building activities. We record the main risks and the controls we use.

5.2 Vehicles are kept roadworthy and are driven by licensed, experienced drivers. Drivers follow speed limits and traffic law, seat belts are used where fitted, and we avoid unnecessary night driving.

5.3 Every trip has a named guide or leader who briefs guests on safety, on wildlife rules and on what to do in an emergency. Guides follow the instructions of park rangers and the rules of the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

5.4 We keep the office informed of each group's itinerary, and we can reach the group and its leader by telephone where there is a signal. We monitor weather and road conditions and change plans when conditions make a trip unsafe.

5.5 We choose accommodation, transport and activity suppliers that are licensed and that meet safety standards, and we ask them for evidence of this. We expect accommodation to have fire safety equipment, such as extinguishers, and trained staff.

5.6 We give guests clear information on the physical demands of activities, and we may decline to take a guest on an activity that the guide reasonably judges to be unsafe for them.

6. Keeping our guests safe

6.1 We have a duty of care to guests and other visitors. We make sure that premises and vehicles we control are reasonably safe for their purpose, and we expect the same of the premises our suppliers run.

6.2 To make premises reasonably safe we take common-sense precautions. We remove risks and obstructions that could make guests slip, trip or fall, such as wet floors, loose cables and clutter on stairs. We make sure furnishings are fit for their purpose and secure, and that electrical appliances are safe to use. We make guests aware of our emergency procedures. We consider every guest and their needs, including children and guests with disabilities.

6.3 Areas such as kitchens, storerooms and control rooms are clearly marked out of bounds to guests, and our duty of care does not extend to guests who enter them against clear signs or instructions.

6.4 We may be responsible for accidents caused by the actions of our staff. Guests also have a duty to look after their own safety. Where a guest is hurt through their own carelessness, or while doing something that we could not reasonably have expected, our responsibility for the accident may be reduced or removed.

6.5 Guests should listen to the safety briefing, follow the guide's instructions, stay with the group, keep a safe distance from wildlife, tell us about any medical condition, bring the medication they need, and carry travel insurance that covers medical costs and emergency evacuation. Travel insurance is a condition of booking under our Terms and Conditions, and we do not provide insurance for guests. We also advise guests to consult a doctor about vaccinations and malaria prevention before they travel.

6.6 The guide's or driver's decision on safety is final. A guide may stop, change or end an activity, refuse an unsafe or unlawful request, or ask a guest to leave an activity if the guest's behaviour or condition puts anyone at risk. Guests who ignore safety instructions do so at their own risk.

7. Emergencies, first aid and reporting

7.1 In an emergency, the guide or leader first makes the people safe, gives first aid, and calls for medical help or rescue. They then inform the office, which contacts the guest's emergency contact and the relevant authorities, such as the police, the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Uganda Tourism Board and the guest's insurer.

7.2 Guests receive the emergency contact details for their trip in their final itinerary.

7.3 We record every accident, injury, illness and near miss involving a guest or worker, find out its causes, and put preventive measures in place.

7.4 We report serious accidents and dangerous occurrences to the relevant authority, including the authority responsible for occupational safety and health, as the law requires.

8. Protecting our workers

8.1 No worker will be required to carry out a task that they reasonably believe is unsafe. A worker who stops work or removes themselves from a situation they reasonably believe is dangerous will not be punished for doing so.

8.2 Our guides and drivers may refuse a guest's request that is unsafe, unlawful or against park rules, for example approaching wildlife too closely or leaving the vehicle where it is not allowed, and the company will support them when they do.

8.3 We do not accept abuse, threats, harassment or violence towards our workers from guests or anyone else. We may end the Services for a guest who behaves this way, and we will support the worker affected.

8.4 To prevent tiredness, we plan itineraries so that drivers and guides have rest breaks and rest between long days. A driver who is too tired to drive safely must say so, and will be supported in doing so.

8.5 After a serious incident we will support the workers involved, including time to recover, and we will help them to make any report or claim that the law allows.

9. Training, consultation and review

9.1 All workers receive safety induction when they start, and regular refresher training. Guides and drivers receive training suited to their work, including first aid.

9.2 We consult workers on safety and welcome their suggestions. Anyone may raise a concern by writing to caninesafarisltd@gmail.com.

9.3 Management reviews this policy at least once a year, and after any serious incident or change in the law, and updates it when needed.

10. Our goal

10.1 Our goal is a safe and healthy working environment, and trips, that are free of injury and illness. We can only achieve this through the participation, cooperation and commitment of everyone who works with us and travels with us.

10.2 Issued by the management of Canine Safaris Ltd.