This section will guide you through the various health & safety issues which may affect your chosen holiday accomodation.

In October 2000 the Institute of Occupational Safety & Health held a seminar in London discussing the International implications for having, or not having, as the case may be, a properly organised and audited health and safety program.

Within that seminar the discussion centred around the issue of the developing country. On that point they concluded that whilst there may be ‘developed countries’, there may also be within that country a ‘developing economy’. Much is said to holidaymakers on this point – usually that they should remember they are either in a ‘third world country’ or that they are in a ‘developing country’. HolidayTravelWatch strongly believes that the true debate should be on the provision of a safe standard – not whether one country is better than the other, nor to hide behind the label of a particular country’s level of progress.

The Institute accepted that the debate on standards could also be applied to an environmental or other areas attracting a strong health & safety bias.

The seminar producd many conclusions, all directed at the key players in the provision of work or contracts, for example they should:

* Provide leadership and focus on key health and safety issues;
* Move away from the ‘cheapest price’ to the ‘value for money’ when purchasing their contracts;
* Good communication, not through interpreters;
* Working with local and government infrastructure support services for their improvement;
* Instead of simply raising health & safety standard issues with local people, train new workers in the safe standard;
* To drive joint health & safety incentives to motivate the right individual, group and oganisational behaviour.

These are surely some of the key targets of all travel providers?

The following articles provide a wide range of considerations for holidaymakers.