Safety and insurance

ReefDoctor takes safety seriously. Our expedition camp is in a semi-remote location, and ensuring your safety is our top priority. Hospital care can be up to an hour away in Toliara, so we focus on prevention, providing safety information, training and advice to all research assistants and staff when they arrive.

Camp life
We have conducted a full risk assessment of our Ifaty campsite and created rules and procedures designed to promote safety in all aspects of our daily life.

Health
Working in rural tropical environments, both above and below water, is not without risk. We keep extensive medical supplies on site and all of our staff are trained in the provision of emergency first aid.

Diving
we work to the UK Health and Safety Executive’s Accepted Code of Practice for Scientific and Archaeological Diving Projects. However, because of our remote location we have introduced a series of additional safety procedures designed to minimise risk at all times.

All of our diving is run under the strict guidelines laid down by ReefDoctor and enforced by the dive officer and boatman. A copy of our dive regulations is given to each person entering the ReefDoctor camp, and training in our emergency procedures is completed before working diving commences.

Communications
working in a remote location means that we need to ensure that when help is needed we can contact the right people quickly. For communications we keep the following charged and ready for emergency use at all times:
• two VHF radios, one in camp and one in our boat;
• two mobile phones, one in camp and one in our boat;
• an emergency satellite phone in camp.

Oxygen
We keep a 75L oxygen cylinder in camp and have a 15L and a 2L tank for use away from base camp. Oxygen and first aid equipment is taken on every dive with emergency drill practises conducted monthly for ALL parties.

Emergency evacuation
ReefDoctor has an emergency evacuation plan that is reviewed monthly to ensure that information is correct and training is up-to-date. All volunteers receive training with the plan on arrival.

Madagascar
For general information on safety in Madagascar we recommend that you check the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office website for travel advice before departure www.madagascar.org.uk for further up to date information.

Insurance
All ReefDoctor staff and volunteers must have medical AND dive insurance. Due to the remoteness of our location, we recommend that you take out specific dive insurance. For our emergency plan and evacuation procedures, we liaise with the Divers Alert Network (DAN) and Divemaster insurance/MEDEX, both of which offer dive insurance.

To find out more about safety and insurance visit our Resource Centre. Over the three years ReefDoctor has been operating in Madagascar, only minor cuts and abrasions have been recorded.

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