Our Health and Safety Management System(HSMS).

Aims and Objectives

Ntebeko tours Tours Ltd is committed to ensuring that every possible measure is taken to guarantee the health and safety of our clients throughout their tour. We shall achieve this through:

• Recognizing that health and safety issues are paramount and ensuring such issues always take priority while also continuing to review our safety policy and updating as appropriate.
• Ensuring that all our tour suppliers provide safe transport and accommodation and comply with current local and national standards.
• Continually developing our team so that all members know how to follow safety standards and how to meet our legal obligations.
• Seeking customer feedback and carrying out post tour evaluations and pre-tour site visits to identify strengths, weaknesses and failures.

In the event of any accident, a comprehensive accident report will be completed and a review of accident information carried out annually to identify trends and confirm that remedial actions have been implemented.

  Accommodation

• All accommodation will be selected and booked by Ntebeko Tours Ltd, will have current liability insurance cover for the duration of the contract and will comply with local and national legislation with regards to fire, safety and hygiene standards. Wherever possible, copies of the relevant documents will be obtained.
• Ntebeko Tours Ltd will also share any relevant customer feedback with accommodation suppliers. Where a hotel out-sources the provision of meals or where Ntebeko Tours Ltd uses another food & beverage only supplier they will be required to demonstrate their compliance with local food hygiene and safety regulations.
• To promote trust in our accommodation suppliers Ntebeko Tours Ltd will develop “regular use relationships” with a select number of hotels and hostels. Where accommodation is used for the first time a team member will review provision.
• Where serious concerns are raised about a hotel or hostel Ntebeko Tours Ltd will share these with our suppliers and will work with our suppliers to address any concerns. The company will, where necessary, carry out its own inspection and evaluation to ensure that the concerns are addressed.

   Transportation

• All coach operators/ Transport suppliers engaged by Ntebeko Tours Ltd will comply with local and national trade or other laws, regulations and codes of practice. We will obtain a copy of their operating license, together with their motor vehicle and public liability insurance and, on request, will share these with our customers to demonstrate that our coach suppliers comply with all relevant regulations.
• Ntebeko Tours Ltd will ensure that coach suppliers provide evidence that all drivers have suitable clearance to work with children, and that adequate arrangements are in place in the event of breakdown or supplier failure and emergencies and all drivers will bear with valid driving license.
• To promote trust in our coach suppliers Ntebeko Tours Ltd will develop a “regular use relationship” with a select number of coach suppliers.  The company will use customer feedback to evaluate coach travel and where concerns are raised these will shared with the supplier.
• Where an overseas coach is hired the supplier must comply with all applicable national, local, trade or other laws, regulations, rules and codes of practice, and will hold relevant national licenses and insurances. A contract will be put in place to stipulate a set of safety standards regarding drivers’ hours, driver vetting, insurance cover and vehicle age to which the coach supplier company must agree prior to usage.
• All coaches/ Vehicles used by Ntebeko Tours Ltd must be fitted with individual seat belts, and every effort will be made to ensure coaches have a usable fire extinguisher and DVD player on board. Moreover, comfort breaks will factored into all journeys of a significant distance.

Tour Managers/Guides

All tour managers and guides for Ntebeko Tours Ltd are contracted on a freelance basis and have been DBS checked by the company.

Public Transport

In organising overseas tours Ntebeko Tours Ltd will make use of Buses/Taxis /Matatu that are comfortable. Travel operators offering public services here are regulated by national and international rules and as such we cannot take any additional measures.

Emergency Guidance

In the event of an unforeseen event such as driver illness, mechanical breakdown or accident. Ntebeko Tours Ltd will work with our clients’ travel insurers, the coach/vehicle company and, where appropriate, local authorities to resolve the problem. Where necessary we will assist in the repatriation of our clients, taking all reasonable steps to facilitate their safe return home. In these circumstances Ntebeko Tours Ltd reserves the right to use a coach/vehicle supplier that may not have fully checked.

Visits and Excursions

• Ntebeko Tours Ltd will offer all clients a risk assessment for their tour and we will make customers aware of any hazards, identifying steps that may be taken to minimise the risk . On all school and college/group tours the responsibility for the welfare of students and children will be the supervising adults from the school or college. Ntebeko Tours Ltd will not be held to be “in loco parentis”.
• All sites used by Ntebeko Tours Ltd will have been subject to a prior visit by a member of the Ntebeko team. Where a client requests a particular site visit that has not been subject to Ntebeko verification this visit will be made at the client’s own risk. Ntebeko Tours Ltd will, however, make every effort to identify any hazards that we can foresee.
• In the Event of an Emergency

All group leaders, agents and drivers of vehicle suppliers will be provided with a 24 hour telephone service to the Ntebeko Tours Ltd Duty Officer. In addition, all our travel and accommodation suppliers will share with us their emergency contact numbers. When staying overseas emergency numbers for contacting police, fire and medical services will be shared with our clients.

• Where a member of the group is need of emergency medical treatment the client’s own risk assessment procedures will be followed. Therefore, prior to each tour, the client must share with Ntebeko Tours Ltd their emergency protocol.

Pre-Tour Expectations

• Before every tour Ntebeko Tours Ltd expects clients to hold a pre-tour briefing for children and their parents and/or carers. The company will support this meeting by offering supporting materials detailing guiding, travel and accommodation. Ntebeko Tours Ltd will also ask the group leader to share with us any additional requirements such as detailing children with special educational needs.
• To support the tour Ntebeko Tours Ltd will outline the roles and responsibilities of the company and those of our clients.

Post-Tour Evaluation

• Following each tour Ntebeko Tours Ltd will ask clients to share with us their thoughts on the quality of the Driver, vehicle and hotel suppliers by completing a post tour questionnaire. Where concerns are raised these will be flagged up and addressed. Through our website we will share our clients’ thoughts and demonstrate our response to any concerns.

Wakoze! Thanks