Risk is inherent in everything that we do in life. Without accepting and understanding these risks, we would not be able to do anything at all. The first concern of all activities undertaken as part of Operation Wallacea expeditions is to gain an understanding of the environments we will be working in, and from this to reduce risk to health and safety as far as is possible. These pages are devoted to explaining our approach to health and safety, and to giving as much advice as we are responsibly able.

Health & safety documents Risk Assessments BS8848 compliance document 2011 Medical Report Medical and Evacuation Procedures Health and Safety Information for Local Education Authorities

After an independent assessment Operation Wallacea has been awarded the Learning Outside the Classroom badge for safety and quality.

Operation Wallacea's Approach to Health and Safety

Operation Wallacea has a seven point health & safety policy which is reproduced below together with notes on how each of these policy points are implemented:

1.         Provision of relevant health and safety information to all volunteers before they arrive in Guyana

·         All volunteers are provided with information on the immunisations and prophylactic medications required before they join the project.

·         Information is also provided on necessary equipment for activities such as trekking and staying in the forest.

2.         Ensuring that appropriate qualified and experienced staff are employed on the project and that all field staff and group leaders are trained in the safe operating procedures.

·         All staff have to go through an on site induction course which includes training in the relevant procedures.

·         Auditing of operating procedures on a monthly basis at each camp followed by meetings of all relevant staff to identify corrective actions needed.

3.         Identification of the risks associated with activities and locations, as well as the development of measures to minimise these risks.

·         Risk assessments are produced by the relevant staff for each location visited (forest camps, trek locations) activity undertaken (eg trekking, etc) as well as specific research project associated risks.

·         Staff are required to consult these reports before visiting a new site, undertaking a new activity or participating in a new project.  The risk assessments are continually evaluated and updated.

4.         Development and implementation of safe operating procedures for each of the activities undertaken

·         Procedures to ensure trekking teams remain in contact with all the members of the group are practiced by ensuring the slowest volunteer is put at the front of the trek, all volunteers and staff carry whistles and torches and that there is a staff member at the front and the back of each trek line.

·         Sign out/in procedures for all groups leaving camps have been put into position and search and recovery procedures for teams missing return and contact deadlines.

·         Additional procedures cover aspects such as safe driving, hygiene, trekking and many other aspects .

5.         Ensuring there are adequate communication, medical and evacuation procedures in position

·         Satellite phones are kept at each of the forest camps, and radios are used to communicate between survey groups and the camps.

·         All teams working in the forest have to carry a radio and check in and out when operating from the forest base camps.

·         Each of the camps has a qualified Medical Officer and extensive medical supplies.

·         There are hospitals with good facilities for most possible injuries (eg broken bones, dehydration, snake bites, tropical diseases) in Georgetown approximately 1 hour by plane from the forest camps.

·         Evacuation plans for High Priority emergency evacuations (normally by plane but in some cases in conjunction with overland routes) have been developed for each of the sites.  Evacuation plans for Medium Priority (fastest overland route to a hospital) and Low Priority (most convenient and comfortable overland route) have also been developed for each site and will be practiced before the start of the season.   

6.         Training of all volunteers on arrival in the safe operating procedures, and acquainting them with the medical facilities available.

·         All volunteers on arrival are given a general health and safety briefing.

·         Additional briefings are given by leaders as the volunteers join new projects or visit new areas

7.         Recording all illnesses, accidents, near-misses or incidents which may have a bearing on health and safety and using this information as part of an ongoing refinement of the operating procedures.

·         The Medical Officers keep detailed confidential medical records on all staff and volunteers, which are used in combination with accident and 'near miss' data reported by various staff, in compiling accident and illness reports.

General Travel and Health

It is worth checking the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office or the  US State Departments' web pages on travel advice to Guyana.  Both stress that most visits to the country are trouble free but that petty and occasionally, violent crime can be a problem in the country.  The sites where you will be based on the Op Wall expeditions are remote and relatively unpopulated, so this is not likely to be an issue. The main risk from crime is when you are travelling to and from the sites and you will be accompanied at all times on these journeys by experienced Operation Wallacea staff.  The FCO also states that 'the terrorism threat is low, but you should be aware of indiscriminate attacks from terrorists in public places ..... throughout the world'. 

Vaccinations

You must consult your GP or travel clinic for personal advice and it is also worth checking the NaTHNaC web site for up to date advice. Operation Wallacea are not able to give official advice on inoculations. Some people are not able to have certain jabs, so blanket generalisations cannot be made.

However, based on past experience we would normally expect you to be up to date with the following inoculations:  

Tetanus

Typhoid

Hepatitis A

Polio

Yellow Fever

Rabies - You may have the opportunity to handle bats during surveys (with protective clothes), however, you will only be able to do this if you have had the rabies immunisation.  The general advice for Guyana and most countries in South America is to have the rabies course of injections as a precaution anyway.

Malaria - It is generally advised that you take Chloroquine though because advice changes from time to time it is worth checking with your GP or travel clinic about one month before departure.  You will need to start taking malarial prophylactics one week before departure. No drug offers complete protection from contracting malaria.  The only sure way of preventing diseases transmitted through insect bites (particularly mosquitoes and ticks) is to prevent being bitten.  Use precautions including insect repellent; cover exposed skin, use of mosquito nets etc.   

Physical fitness

It is a good idea to work on your fitness prior to going on expedition, as the heat and humidity in tropical forests can make trekking more tiresome than in a temperate climate. In general however, Guyana's forests are relatively flat, but due to the heat and humidity, trekking can be tiring.