Health and Safety
The health, safety and well-being of the students comes before absolutely everything else. Every activity on every program has undergone a thorough risk assessment and comprehensive risk assessment documentation pertaining to your program is provided to all participating schools.
We have a full suite of health and safety policies and procedures to which all Odyssey Institute staff adhere at all times.
We will always balance the enthusiasm of the students searching for adventure and meaningful learning experiences
We do this by ensuring that all activities and experiences are managed safely – the wellbeing of the students (and our reputation and that of our partner schools) depend on this.
The following websites contain reliable information on travel health and safety issues specifically for Indonesia.
Vaccinations
Please consult your doctor or travel clinic for advice before visiting Indonesia. It is also worth checking the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention website for up-to-date information. We are not able to give official advice on vaccinations, however, based on past experience we would normally expect you to be up to date with the following:
- Tetanus, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Diphtheria, Polio
- Rabies: it is recommended, though not essential, that you have the 0.1ml rabies vaccine
- Japanese B Encephalitis: not required for Bali
- Malaria: not required for Bali
Prescribed Medication
If a student needs to take prescribed medication whilst on a field trip please ensure they bring sufficient supplies to cover their stay and make sure the situation is clearly communicated to both the student’s teachers and Odyssey staff. All details can be provided by way of our confidential online Participant Information forms.
Physical Fitness
The level of fitness required to participate in our Learning Adventures varies depending on the program. The most physically demanding programs include rainforest trekking and snorkeling. In some instances, whilst trekking, participants are going to need to be able to carry a daypack and trek for 6-8 hours in temperatures of 25-30 degrees Celsius with very high humidity. Additionally, in order to be able to participate in snorkeling activities participants should be able to comfortably swim 100 meters and tread water for 3 minutes. All marine based activities require the mandatory use of personal floatation devices (PFDs), which are provided by Odyssey Institute.
Travel & Medical Insurance
All participants must have their own emergency health/medical/travel insurance. It is essential that the insurance covers medical evacuation. We also recommend travel insurance to cover loss of personal belongings and costs associated with cancelled or delayed travel plans.
Travel Documents
- Passports: Your passport must have at least 6 months validity (period before expiry) at the time of your arrival into Indonesia. Failure to have at least 6 months validity on your passport will result in denial of entry into Indonesia.
- Visas: Visa requirements do occasionally change so always check before travelling. At the moment there are over 160 nationalities that need no Visa if they are staying less than 30 days in Indonesia. Please go to imigrasi.go.id under “Visa Exemption (NEW)’ for details of the types of visit that fall under this category.
Please get in touch
If you would like to see any of our policies and procedures relating to heath and safety, risk assessments or any operational issues that you think are relevant to your planning preparation.
Our expertise is in the design and facilitation of deeply enriching, outcome-driven educational programs catered to your particular needs
With Indonesia’s outstanding biodiversity at our doorstep, our team of educators and logisticians create unique learning adventures, embracing the concepts of experiential education, global citizenship and service learning.
Operating Standards and Policies
Whether you are a seasoned leader of overseas expeditions, or you are new to this role, the Odyssey team will fully support you in the design and delivery of your program. See below links to a few of the most commonly asked questions.
Operating Standards and Policies
Whether you are a seasoned leader of overseas expeditions, or you are new to this role, the Odyssey team will fully support you in the design and delivery of your program. See below links to a few of the most commonly asked questions.
Risk Management
Health and safety is always our top priority and we work extremely diligently to maintain the highest industry safety standards. No matter how experientially, academically or culturally rich our program, the main priority is to ensure that it is run as safely as possible. By identifying the key risk issues and looking at them both preventatively and in terms of emergency response, we can ensure that the program still maintains a highly-engaging tone without taking unnecessary and/or unmanageable risks.
VIEW ALL INFORMATION
Our first task in producing comprehensive risk assessments for our activities is to gain an understanding of the environments we will be working in (both physically and culturally), and from this to reduce risk to health and safety as much as is possible.
The working documents below provide insight into the systems, policies and protocols that we put in place in order to mitigate risk and ensure high quality service provision. They represent our understanding of the environments we work in and the standards to which we adhere. Additional program-specific material is available upon request to existing clients.
Activity Risk Assessment and Management Protocols: This document contains important information regarding: 1. Risk Assessment Rating Scale for OI Activities 2. OI Field Trip Activity Ratings 3. Risk Management Protocols for Key Issues on OI Field Trips 4. Response (intervention) Plans: a. Non-medical Evacuation Evacuation b. Medical Evacuation. Contact us for a copy.
Home Stay Risk Management Policy & Protocols: A detailed plan for the management of risks associated with facilitation of home stay experiences. Contact us for a copy.
BS8848 compliance document: A statement of our compliance with British Standards Institute’s BS8848 Specification: for the Provision of Visits, Fieldwork, Expeditions and Adventurous Activities outside the United Kingdom (2007). Contact us for a copy.
Staff Manual & Code of Conduct: A series of regulations for Odyssey Institute staff outlining what is not acceptable during program facilitation and the subsequent consequences for rule violations. A Code of Conduct for participants is included in the Terms and Conditions. Contact us for a copy.
Daily Log: Odyssey program management staff use this template to create a written report of daily activities and any incidents. Field-based staff are expected to find time to meet and debrief at the end of every day. The Daily Log template provides staff with the structure they need to reflect accurately on the program from a range of different perspectives. Contact us for a copy.
First Aid Kit: Odyssey Institute Facilitation teams always contain individuals with Wilderness First Responder certification. Our teams carry ample med kits for the provision of immediate care. Exact med kit contents can vary slightly depending on the nature and location of a program. Details of med kit contents can be provided upon request.
Health & Safety
The health, safety and well-being of the students comes before absolutely everything else. Every activity on every program has undergone a thorough risk assessment and comprehensive risk assessment documentation pertaining to your program is provided to all participating schools.
The Odyssey Institute has a seven point health and safety policy which is reproduced below together with notes on how each of these policy points are implemented:
VIEW ALL INFORMATION
1. Provision of relevant health and safety information to all clients (students, parents, teachers) before their program begins in Bali.
– All clients are provided with information about immunizations and prophylactic medications required before they join the program.
– Information is also provided on necessary equipment for activities such as trekking and living in tropical wilderness environments, as well as details of required fitness levels.
– Information is provided in our waiver regarding the full scope of risks associated with travel adventure-type programs.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 safety policies and procedures.
– Auditing of operating procedures on a regular basis at each camp/location 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 minimize these risks.
– Risk assessments are produced by qualified staff for each location visited and activity undertaken.
– 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.
– The risk assessments identify the main safety measures to reduce the risk to clients at the various camps and locations and on different activities.
– There is regular on site auditing to check that the risk reduction measures identified in the risk assessments are being implemented in full.5. Ensuring there are adequate communication, medical and evacuation procedures in position.
– The main bases, the transport boats and buses to and from field sites all have radio and/or handphone contact with Odyssey Institute headquarters and other emergency medical facilities and resources.
– All boats leaving the Odyssey base have VHF radios and a check in check out procedure for each journey.
– Staff can communicate with the Odyssey Institute headquarters at all times in the event of an emergency.
– All groups trekking in the mountain rain forest area use VHF radios to check in and out and communicate.
– Each Odyssey Institute program is facilitated by qualified professionals who have appropriate medical training and extensive medical supplies.
– All teams have to carry a First Aid kit with them at all times.
– The Senior Program Facilitator is responsible for ensuring that all the medical kits are replenished as necessary.
– There are hospitals with excellent facilities for stabilizing patients with most possible injuries (eg broken bones, dehydration, snake bites, tropical diseases) in Bali.
– Evacuation plans for Medium, High and Emergency Priority evacuations have been developed for each Odyssey Institute field sites.
– Medical and evacuation insurance is purchased by all participants.6. Training of all staff in the safe operating procedures, and acquainting them with the medical facilities available.
– All staff are given a general health and safety briefing and carry minimum certification of Wilderness First Aid (most are Wilderness First Responders).
– Additional briefings are given by Odyssey Institute management as and when staff join new projects, take on new responsibilities and 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 Odyssey Institute keeps detailed confidential medical records on all staff or clients that are injured and/or require medical treatment.
Preparation Plans
Here is a taster of how we work with you in prepare for your program.
Pre-Trip
During Trip
Post Trip
Pre-Trip
We work with your Lead Educators to identify learning objectives. Based on those objectives we design a prospective itinerary which we will continue to edit throughout the design process, integrating your feedback/input.
Arrange all logistics. We book, liaise with, and manage all functions related to:
- Accommodation
- Catering
- Transportation
- 3rd Party Activity Providers
Conduct a full risk assessment and Risk Management profile for all activities, amenities, and 3rd party providers.
During Trip
From the moment you arrive, our team of skilled Facilitators lead every step of the way. From an enthusiastic airport greeting to a (usually) tearful goodbye as you depart.
- Facilitate all activities, delivering upon all identified learning objectives
- Health and Safety first responders. We’re there on the frontlines for any illness or injury that occurs; activating and leading an Emergency Response plan as needed
- Logistical support: whatever arises we’re here to troubleshoot and support!
Post Trip
- Conduct post-trip surveys to collate and integrate program feedback
- Offer ongoing support for any identified learning objectives and educational deliverables
Travel with a Conscience
What do we mean by this? Be aware socially, culturally and environmentally of the places you are visiting. Understand your personal impact when you visit and try to make sure that the impact is a positive one. To travel responsibly means you are making a greater effort to go past the surface that an average tourist normally experiences.
We think as a company that focuses on experiential travel and global citizenship that we really must talk about the impacts of travel and how we can all be a more responsible travellers.
Responsible travelling does not necessarily mean doing it backpacker style – students, young people and families in South East Asia who attend our programs travel frequently and often by air – this is a fact of life in SE Asia – so lets focus our efforts where we can make an impact – implementing sustainability programs and wildlife preservation policies.
We Concentrate on
Quick Tips
We Concentrate on
- Reducing plastic waste
- Avoiding unethical travel
- Respectful photography
- Child safety
- Informed and responsible giving
- What is appropriate to share on Social Media
Quick Tips
- Don’t rush to take a selfie – take time to absorb your surroundings
- Take time to talk to the locals, make sure you have a few words to share in the local language
- Respect the people, culture and environment you are visiting
- Say no to plastic – the easiest way to reduce plastic consumption is to just say no
- Use reusable bottles and say no to the straw!
- Respect the environment and take your trash with you until you can find a proper place to put it
- Chose sustainability / eco friendly accommodation whenever you can
Avoiding unethical travel
As an experiential education company specializing in cultural studies and environmental education we are obviously passionate about creating opportunities for students to “meet the real world”. Some of these experiences can be challenging for students (in fact it’s our hope that they often are!), but the manner in which students would witness poverty and hardship must be managed very carefully.
The team at Odyssey Institute will do our very best to help you and your group be responsible travellers and are always looking at ways to create positive impacts in the local communities and environments that we operate in. We have some great examples (just ask us) of adventure travelling and responsible travelling working in practice.
The team at Odyssey will do our very best to help you and your group be responsible travellers and are always looking at ways to create positive impacts in the local communities and environments that we operate in. We will be more than happy to share some great examples (click here) of adventure travelling and responsible travelling working in practice.
Respectful photography
Photography is such a powerful and effective way to remember a trip but you must think about the other people you are taking a shot – would you feel it appropriate if they took the same photo of you. Would you take a similar photo at home? Could your photos – say of children or people living in poverty be considered intrusive?
Child Safety
We strongly encourage the students not take or post photos of other children on social media. And we actively discourage any situation where locals give permission to photograph children in exchange for money. Publishing these images can have consequences that can put vulnerable children in danger.
Informed and responsible giving
If you want to support local community projects in the place you are visiting, take some time to research non-profits and social enterprises – or consult with an expert (Your friendly Odyssey Institute team will be able to help!).
What’s appropriate to share on Social Media
Everyone is super keen to share their travel experiences on Social Media but it can create unforeseen consequences so it is important to post responsibly. Our facilitators and program managers can advise teachers and group leaders on the best practice here. All schools that work with Odyssey will have their own stringent Social Media policies and we will within this framework as well.
Facilitator Code of Conduct
Odyssey Institute takes pride in its world class learning adventures. We abide by international industry standards and carry high expectations of our field-based facilitation teams.
Our biggest asset is our incredible team of facilitators and logisticians. Each member of staff goes through rigorous in-depth training to ensure they understand the expectations and responsibilities of their role at Odyssey.
We expect our teams at all times to:
- Demonstrate maturity and sound judgement
- Represent Odyssey Institute with consistent professionalism
- Uphold Odyssey Institute’s values and mission
- Be a positive role model for students and colleagues
- Be flexible and adaptable in terms of itinerary and planning
- Maintain appropriate levels of physical fitness for the programme activities, supervision and emergency situations
- Share a love of learning and spirit of adventure
Our rules which are strictly followed at all times:
- Understanding and upholding the Red Rules
- Obey the laws of Indonesia and any other country in which Odyssey Institute is active
- Keep all relationships with students professional
- NO consumption of alcohol or smoking whilst facilitating or whilst with students or teachers
- NO inappropriate relationships with students, sexual or otherwise
- NO sexual, racial or other forms of discrimination and/or harassment
Our comprehensive Odyssey Institute Staff Manual is available upon request to schools we work in partnership with.
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