Legal_and_Admin

Legal Requirements Expeditions may involve travel on private land or in national parks. If this is the case, participants need to consider the following: - Booking of camp sites - Permission from the land owner to drive, camp, ski, walk, paddle or cycle on their land - Entry permit - Attention to detail; for example, leaving camp sites clean, leaving all gates as you find them, respecting privacy and avoiding disturbing domestic plants and animals. The leaders of the organization have the duty of care over the participants, and so they are accountable for the planning and management of the trip. In this situation, the leader could also be held legally responsible if something went wrong on the expedition and they were found to be negligent. Most often negligence involves poor planning and decision making and can be avoided by having a leader who is qualified or experienced in the activity. Thus, it is extremely important that all leaders or related members of staff are trained and qualified in the area of hiking and canoeing. The leader should: - Conscientiously check all equipment, routes and weather - Know the capabilities of the party - Have first aid qualifications - Be aware of medical conditions in the group - Ensure that all required permissions have been sought through liaison with appropriate authorities and trip intention forms have been lodged. Included here will be:  Permission notes if taking school students or people under the age of 18  Risk assessment forms; that is, forms detailing areas of possible risk and measures that will be adopted should problems occur (schools)  Trip detail forms providing information about where the group is going, how long they expect to be away, mobile phone contact numbers, modes of transport and other relevant information.