Under the Act on the Icelandic Tourist Board No. 96/2018, any party that operates organised tours within Icelandic jurisdiction must have safety plans in place for each type of tour offered. Sellers who market tours operated by other parties are responsible for ensuring that safety plans exist for those tours.
The Icelandic Tourist Board oversees that safety plans are in place and may request them when necessary. Safety plans do not need to be submitted as part of a licence application. Further information on the supervision of safety plans is provided below.
A safety plan is made up of four key elements: a risk assessment, operating procedures, a contingency plan, and an incident report. Below you will find a short description of each element, along with templates that may be freely used when preparing safety plans. Safety plans should be reviewed and updated regularly, with an emphasis on learning from experience and continuous improvement
Risk assessment
Risk assessments identify and evaluate potential risks associated with each type of tour. They consider what risks may arise, how likely they are to result in accidents or incidents, when and where they may occur, and who could be affected.
• Risk assessment template
Operating procedures
Operating procedures are based on risk assessments and form part of an organisation’s preventive measures. Their purpose is to prevent, reduce, or eliminate the risks identified in the risk assessment.
Operating procedures should include information on employee qualifications, training, and experience; customer-to-staff ratios; information provided to customers; as well as required equipment and communication systems.
• Example of operating procedures (pdf)
Contingency plan
A contingency plan is based on the risk assessment and describes how to respond to accidents and incidents in order to minimise their consequences.
One or more contingency plans may be requried, depending on the nature of the tours. The contingency plan should be simple, clear, and available to staff during tours.
• Contingency plan template
Incident report
An incident report is a detailed report about incidents; it includes information such as a description of the incident, what action was taken, who was involved and who witnessed the incident. Incident reports are indispensable when safety plans are revised with the intention of learning from incidents that have occurred.
• Form for incident report (pdf)
Suggestions and practical advice
- Preparing safety plans is an integral part of providing quality services.
- It is important to record ALL incidents that occur and are outside the norm. Near accidents must also be recorded.
- Safety plans must be in writing in both Icelandic and English.
- Agents reselling tours must verify that companies performing the tours have safety plans.
- Various engineering and consulting companies offer assistance in the preparation of safety plans.
- Safety plans must be revised on a regular basis (at least once a year and always following any accidents / mishaps / incidents / near accidents) and new plans prepared when new types of tours are planned.
- The website Vakinn – the official quality and environmental certification for Icelandic tourism – contains detailed information on the preparation of safety plans (see here).
Checklists for Compiling and Reviewing Safety Plans
Below are checklists that can be useful when compiling and reviewing safety plans. Many of the items listed are general and common to most activities and tours so the lists can be used even though the activity in question is not the same as the name on the list implies. For instance, checklists for jeep-, snowmobile- and ATV tours are combined into one list. The checklists are available in both in Word and PDF format.
Supervision of Safety Plans
In accordance with Act No. 96/2018, The Icelandic Tourist Board supervises that safety plans are in place, comply with the relevant legal requirements, and are updated as necessary. The Icelandic Tourist Board is authorised to request safety plans at any time.
All parties operating organised trips within Icelandic jurisdiction may be subject to random selection. In such cases, the Icelandic Tourist Board requests that the company’s safety plans be submitted for review. In addition, the Icelandic Tourist Board may request safety plans following notifications received by the agency, or in the aftermath of incidents or accidents. In the latter case, a completed incident report must be submitted along with the safety plans.
When the Icelandic Tourist Board requests safety plans, companies holding an Icelandic licence are notified via island.is. Companies licensed abroad are contacted by email. The notification includes information on the submission deadline and the review process. In the assessment of safety plans, the Icelandic Tourist Board uses checklists, such as those shown above, as a reference.
According to the aforementioned Act, the Icelandic Tourist Board is authorised to impose daily fines on companies that do not meet the requirements of the Act. Daily fines may range from ISK 50,000 to ISK 500,000 per day.
For further information please e-mail safety@itb.is
