Risk Assessments: Getting personal..

The importance of a thorough risk assessment before departure and a constant on-going appraisal of it as the trip progresses is obviously vital to the safe running of any trip abroad.

The majority of tour operators offering services to the education sector are able to prepare a detailed risk assessment of the arrangements they are providing, based on their extensive knowledge of the area being visited and the terrain, climate and transport that will be encountered. However, there is a fundamental part of assessing risk that no tour operator can perform, no matter how experienced they are.

The reason? Risk assessing has to be personal. The relationship between individual members of a team can sometimes be the prime cause of a problem, especially when under pressure in a challenging environment. No tour operator has the ability to know your pupils like you do, so only you can do an effective assessment of the risk posed by individuals within a group.

Don't let this put you off. This area forms only part of the risk assessment for the whole itinerary, and is a small price to pay for the benefits gained from running a successful tour or expedition.