Health & Safety on your Music Tour
At Halsbury Music, safety is regarded as paramount and must take precedence over all other objectives
Halsbury Music, as the specialist music division of Halsbury Travel Ltd., is a proud member of the School Travel Forum(STF), which is a group of leading school tour operators that promotes good practice and safety in school travel.
All full members of the STF adhere to a rigorous Code of Practice and Safety Management Standards, which are externally verified every year by Argent, the UK’s leading Health and Safety Consultancy specialising in travel.
General Safety Information
Halsbury Travel has assumed responsibility for the development and implementation of the Safety Management System (SMS), to ensure that all reasonable measures are taken so that clients are assured of a high level of safety throughout all Halsbury tour programmes, including music.
Halsbury Travel is committed to:
• Facilitating and promoting a positive health and safety culture
• Assessing the risks associated with activities and maintaining appropriate control measures
• Providing safe transport and accommodation
• Providing adequate financial and human resources to implement the health and safety policy
• Ensuring that all staff are able to apply the SMS
• Maintaining effective communication with clients
• Regularly reviewing and updating the SMS as appropriate
The application of the SMS and the monitoring and improvement of safety standards is the responsibility of all Halsbury Travel staff who are committed to consistently meeting the objectives of this policy.
Safety Management of Accommodation
All accommodation contracted by Halsbury Travel:
• Complies with local legislation with respect to fire and general safety
• Is contracted by trained Halsbury Travel staff or reputable agents
• Receives a Standard Audit and risk assessment prior to use by Halsbury Travel
• Receives a Supplementary Audit if it is used on five or more occasions in a year
Safety Management of Transport
We take great care to ensure that our travel arrangements are always as safe as possible, whether students are travelling by coach, ferry or air transport.
Coach
British coach travel is regulated by the Department for Transport and an operator licence is only granted if a national or international operation satisfies the requirement of professional competence.
Vehicles must also be properly maintained. Halsbury Travel selects only reputable British coach companies and all coach suppliers are subject to a Standard Coach Audit.
All foreign coaches used by Halsbury Travel must conform to all local, national and international standards.
Ferries and Eurotunnel
All ferries are nationally regulated, likewise the Eurotunnel, but Halsbury Travel Managers also hold regular meetings with all of the companies used, where, amongst other issues, on-board safety and security are discussed.
Air Transport
The Civil Aviation Authority regulates all transport from the UK, operating to very strict safety criteria.
Halsbury Travel holds a licence from the Civil Aviation Authority (ATOL 5079), allowing us to operate individual and group tours by air.
Worried about risk assessments?
STF has published a very helpful document for teachers and group leaders taking groups abroad.
You can download ‘Demystifying Risk Assessments’ here.