So what is the ‘We’re Good To Go’ scheme- The “We’re Good To Go” industry standard mark is a self-assessment scheme that has been designed by Visit England in partnership with the national tourist organisations Tourism Northern Ireland, Visit Scotland and Visit Wales to provide a ‘ring of confidence’ for all sectors of the tourism industry, as well as reassurance to visitors that businesses have clear processes in place and are following industry and Government COVID-19 guidance on cleanliness and social distancing. The process aligns to latest UK Government guidelines and there is a requirement that all business signing up have read the relevant public health guidelines and understand the need to aid social distancing and cleanliness. We have also put in place an alert system so that all those signed up receive notification of any relevant changes in this guidance.
We have therefore demonstrated that we have a number of procedures and risk assessments in place to ensure that all of our clients are safe from COVID-19.
Some of the procedures we have put in place include the following:-
Group sizes may be limited according to the ever changing Governments guidelines, locations and local lock down restrictions.(Currently 6)
Clients are encouraged to attend in their own vehicles with members of their own family or social bubble, and discouraged from car sharing.
All clients are briefed at the start of, and throughout the activity about the need for the 2 metres social distancing rule.
All clients are required to download the free NHS COVID-19 app prior to attending, and scan the QR track and trace code displayed by our instructor at the start of each walk.
All clients details are recorded (name and contact number) in the event that contact tracing procedures are required.
Alcoholic hand gel is provided at the start of any activity and at regular intervals during the activity.
Spare face masks and coverings are provided in the event that any social distancing measures are impeded, or our clients need to visit shops, public toilets etc
One person in the group will be identified to open and close gates, with alcoholic wipes provided to be used to wipe down areas touched, and hand gel to be used by that person afterwards. In the event of all clients having to touch an item such as a stile pole, hand gel will be provided to all clients and any touched surface wiped down.
Any kit loaned to our clients, such as compasses will not have been used for at 72 hours prior to the activity and will be wiped down prior to and after any activity.
Any maps used will be laminated maps that can be kept by the client.
To minimise the risk of transfer of COVID-19 there will be additional online training on our map reading courses.
During any map reading courses the instructor and client will wear masks when looking at the same map, with social distancing measures in place.
Any used PPE used by the group will be collected by the instructor and disposed of correctly.
Clients will be discouraged from handing around sweets and snacks.
All our instructors are First Aid trained and aware of restrictions for treating a casualty, i.e double gloves, masks, doffing of procedure, changes to CPR procedures.
Our COVID-19 risk assessment
What are the Hazards? - Getting or spreading Coronavirus, by not washing hands or not washing them adequately.
Who might be harmed? - Clients, Instructors, and members of the public
Controls - Follow our guidance on cleaning, hygiene and hand sanitiser - We will provide hand sanitiser for the occasions when people can’t wash their hands. We will talk to managers at any sites that we visit to ensure they are provided with hand washing facilities.
What further action do you need to consider to control the risks? - Our instructors will monitor and supervise to make sure all our clients are following controls. We will provide information to our clients about when and where they need to wash their hands. We will identify if and where additional hand washing facilities may be needed. If clients can’t wash their hands, we will provide information about how and when to use hand sanitiser. We will ensure that we replenish our hand washing/sanitising facilities.
Who needs to carry out the action? - Instructor and all clients.
When is the action needed by? - N/A - Ongoing.
What are the hazards? - Getting or spreading Coronavirus in public or communal areas.
Who might be harmed? - Clients, Instructors and members of the public
Controls - Identify areas where people will congregate, eg meeting points, footpaths, areas where there are pinch points meaning people can’t meet the social distancing rules, eg narrow footpaths, tracks etc, areas and equipment where people will touch the same surfaces, such as maps, compasses, areas and surfaces that are frequently touched but are difficult to clean, eg gate handles, stile posts etc. Limiting the number of people so that social distancing rules can be met, eg, have maximum occupancy numbers for meeting rooms, increase the use of online meeting facilities, provide hand sanitiser at accessible places near to where people will have contact with high traffic communal areas, consider frequency, level of cleaning and who should be doing it.
What further action do you need to consider to control the risks? - Our instructors will monitor and supervise, to make sure our clients are following controls put in place, eg following hygiene procedures, washing hands, following one-way systems. We will record any near-misses which will also help identify where controls cannot be followed or people are not doing what they should.
Who needs to carry out the action? - Instructors and all clients
When is the action needed by? - N/A - Ongoing
What are the hazards? - Getting or spreading Coronavirus through clients travelling to activities together.
Who might be harmed and how? - Clients and instructors
Controls - Identify groups of clients who live together or part of a social bubble.
What further action do you need to consider to control the risks? - Discourage clients from car sharing unless part of the same family household or social bubble, and fully explain the risk of the spread of Coronavirus.
Who needs to carry out the action? - Instructors.
When is the action needed by? - Prior to any activity
What are the hazards? - Getting or spreading Coronavirus by not cleaning surfaces, and equipment.
Who might be harmed and how? - Clients and instructors
Controls - Identify surfaces that are frequently touched and by many people, eg handrails, gate handles, vehicle door handles (inside and outside), shared equipment such as compasses. Reduce the need for people to move around your site as far as possible. This will reduce the potential spread of any contamination through touched surfaces. Avoid sharing equipment by allocating it on personal issue or put cleaning regimes in place to clean between each user. Identify where you can reduce the contact of people with surfaces, eg by leaving open doors, gates when possible.
What further action do you need to consider to control the risks? - Our instructors will monitor and supervise to make sure people are following controls, ie are minimising contact with common items and highlighting precautions they need to follow. The areas they need to clean. We will provide contact less payment systems, using bank transfers rather than cash. All our equipment such as compasses will be cleaned prior to issue, it will not have been used by another person for at least 72 hours prior to the activity, and will be cleaned at the end of the activity.
Who needs to carry out the action? - Instructors.
When is the action needed by? - Prior to, during and after any activity
What are the hazards? - Contracting or spreading the virus by not social distancing.
Who might be harmed and how? - Clients, Instructors and members of the public.
Controls - Identify how you can keep people apart in line with social distancing rules in the first instance. This may include: using marker tape on the floor, one-way systems, holding meetings virtually rather than face to face, staggering start/end times, limiting the number of people on site at one time, having allocated time slots for customers, rearrange work areas and tasks to allow people to meet social distancing rules, implementing ‘drop zones’ for passing materials between people, Provide information, instruction and training to people to understand what they need to do, minimising contact for all clients, instructors and members of the public. Identify where it isn’t possible to meet social distancing rules and identify other physical measures to separate people.
What further action do you need to consider to control the risks? - Our instructors will brief all clients at the start of any activity and remind our clients of the need for social distancing. The instructor will remind all clients for the need for social distancing at regular intervals throughout the activity. When meeting other members of the public on narrow footpaths or tracks our clients will be encouraged to stand back a safe distance to allow other members of the public to pass. All our clients details will be obtained and recorded should the need for contact tracing arise. Activities where social distancing isn’t possible will be done via online training when possible to minimise contact.
Who needs to carry out the action? - Instructors
When is the action needed by? - At the start of any activity and at regular intervals throughout the activity.
What are the hazards? - Spreading the virus to the wider community
Who might be harmed and how? - Clients, Instructors and members of the public.
Controls - All parties must download the free NHS covid-19 app onto their smart phones prior to the activity. On arrival at the activity everyone must then scan a QR code provided by the instructor. If one of the group then tests positive then an alert will be sent to everyone that attended that activity, and they will be required to self isolate for 14 days.
What further action do you need to consider to control the risks? - Instructions will be sent to clients prior the activity on how to download the free app. Our instructors will then ensure that all parties scan the QR code at the start of the activity. If a person refuses to scan the QR ode they will not partake in the activity. A new QR code will be created for every activity.
Who needs to carry out the action? - Instructors and clients
When is the action needed by? - At the start of any activity.
