Assuring Quality and Safety in the

Activity Industry

BAHA Quality Assurance

The British Activity Holiday Association was formed by a number of responsible activity centre operators in 1986, with the express intent of establishing operating guidelines for an ‘industry’ that otherwise had no specific controlling regulations.

Since that time, successive committees of elected members have developed a Code of Practice, Activity Guidelines and an Inspection Scheme.

The BAHA Code of Practice lays down standards for:

• Accommodation
• Activity Equipment
• Activity guidelines
• Customer Care
• Environmental responsibility
• Fire Precautions
• First Aid
• Health and Safety
• Insurance
• Learning Support
• Recruitment, staffing and management
• Staff induction / training / assessment
• Transport

Members are required to carry out risk assessment of their centre / activities, in keeping with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992. The Manual gives guidance on how to carry out these assessments, leading to local activity operating procedures that cover the risks identified.

BAHA inspections are carried out against local operating procedures but minimum standards are also set for the most common activities and members are expected to match or exceed these. They are consistent with NGB guidelines where these are relevant to the activity at the level undertaken. The results of the latest inspection must be held on file at each centres and be available for scrutiny by potential customers on request.

BAHA offers members three different types of accreditation, depending on their operation / market / requirements. (*NEW 2009)

There are three main types of organisation in membership of BAHA and the Association provides a route to accreditation for quality provision in all three:

DAYCAMPS

Members offering non-residential daycamps in an activity setting can submit to a BAHA inspection of their safety management systems and 25% of their sites, to check that they are complying with the standards laid down in the Code of Practice. Providers who meet the required standards will receive BAHA DAYCAMP Accreditation.

ADVENTUREMARK

Centres providing residential accommodation and / or a programme of adventurous activities (outside the scope of Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations) will be inspected every other year, with a paper self-assessment checked by our inspectors in the interim. BAHA has approval to recommend members for the industry Adventuremark award on successful completion of this BAHA health and safety inspection.

Providers whose activities fall within the scope of the Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations must of course apply for licences as required by legislation. No separate BAHA inspection will be required as long as the AALA Licence remains in force, but a paper self-assessment must be checked by BAHA inspectors in the interim year of a 2 year licence.

LOtC QUALITY BADGE

Centres working with school and statutory youth groups may also wish to be assessed against the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Criteria. BAHA inspectors are able to carry out additional checks during their inspection visits to ensure that members are complying with the LOtC Quality Indicators that confirm the level of provision and learning support required. AALA licensed centres can book supplementary LOtC inspections with BAHA to check compliance with the same criteria. Members can then be recommended for the LOtC Quality Badge.

In summary BAHA membership is an indication to schools, parents and other customers that the centre / operator is taking its responsibilities seriously and should have a safe operation, providing value for money and an enjoyable and beneficial experience.