Standard Operating Procedures

SOPs are often called the ‘bible’ for your daily operation and as such should bring consistency to the actions of your team.

SOPs tend to fall into three main categories: Activity specific Associated operational areas Forms and checklists When developing your SOPs it may be useful to consider that: SOPs are created by applying your operational systems to the actual activities and tasks that make

up your daily operations e.g. hazard management systems Staff will often take SOPs documents with them into the field SOPs will often take the form of staff handbooks or manuals and may include checklists and forms. The language you use should clearly differentiate your non-negotiable “must-do” procedures from

those where you permit greater degrees of judgement and initiative In addition to safety information SOPs may include other operational guidance e.g. a daily run sheet SOPs help direct your staff to use supporting operational systems e.g. incident reporting or hazard

identification NB: For guidance on activity specific detail refer to your industry’s activity specific guidelines, codes

of practice and/or check with industry experts on current industry practice.  For examples of SOPs being used by other operators see the 'Support from the field' section.

Activity Specific Associated Operational Areas Forms and Checklists Activity Specific

Headings and topic areas Every activity you offer must have SOPs. The information

covered often includes: Context This sets the operational scene for the activity and usually

includes: Location Any environmental operational parameters e.g. seasonal

restrictions, weather, river levels, avalanche risks, time of day

Client participation criteria e.g. age, competency or health Client supervision levels Staff competency requirements

Context

Pre activity “Our SOPs are the bible; they make it really clear what we want done a certain

way every time e.g. client briefings, versus where our guides should apply more judgement and initiative to their decision making e.g. assessment of client skill levels”

This is the part of your day before clients arrive. Procedures usually include: Hazard management procedures e.g. the procedures you developed in your

hazard management process relevant to the pre-activity part of the day Criteria for client participation e.g. age, competency or health Equipment required for clients, staff, activity operation, communications and

emergencies Staff briefing discussion about operational factors and reminders about the

activity’s significant hazards and how they will be managed Staff roles i.e. who has overall responsibility, and who is responsible for

particular safety aspects. Factors determining whether the activity goes ahead e.g. weather, access or

minimum client or staff numbers Reminders to complete pre-activity paperwork e.g. intentions forms, client

medical and contact information, waiver forms, staff hazard update sign-offs

Pre activity

During the activity Client briefings e.g. what, when, how and who should deliver

them General operational information e.g. a ‘run sheet’ of the day Hazard management e.g. particular hazards and the

procedures to manage them Quality monitoring e.g. are the safety procedures and

systems being followed? Incident and emergency procedures Specific site information e.g. peculiarities or procedures

associated with a given site Guidance on how to deal with variations to SOPs e.g. to what

degree can a guide use judgement and initiative when changes occur

During the activity

Post activity ‘Activity complete’ procedure  e.g. letting the person

responsible know that you have finished Return  and ongoing care of equipment and vehicles Debrief of clients and customer feedback Completion of all record keeping responsibilities  e.g.

vehicle logbooks, trip reporting forms, incident reports Associated Operational Areas Associated with Activity Specific SOPs are other

operational areas that also justify a SOPs approach. While these will vary from operation to operation, below are two examples with their common headings and topic areas:

Post activity

Driving This is a risky part of most operations. A driving SOP will often include: Context Route descriptions Vehicle loading parameters Operational restrictions such as trailers, chains, roof racks etc Driver licence and/or experience requirements Pre-drive Vehicle checks Drive Licence and log book requirements Specific speed restrictions Vehicle loading Trailer-use procedures Equipment to be carried e.g. fire extinguishers, shovels, chains, first aid kits, communication

devices Post drive Vehicle cleaning and re-fuelling requirements Recording of mileage and use Parking and trailer storage Drop off locations for keys, vehicle checklists, etc

Driving

Client Screening This is a common office/base SOP. It will often include procedures for taking bookings and gathering information. Client

screening procedures usually cover: Activity specific criteria for determining client participation e.g. age and swimming ability Methods for checking that clients meet participation criteria and procedures to follow if they don’t Screening information required  e.g. medical information or dietary requirements How client information will be gathered and (where applicable) who by Client contact information required  e.g. address or emergency contact details Booking and payment systems Storage of client information Forms and checklists Forms and checklists can be a useful component of your SOPs. They help guide your team through procedures and help

to show that your systems are being used. Note: See 'Support from the field' for examples of forms and checklists being used by other operators Forms and checklists must have: "Our SOPs were first written on wet days in the middle of winter and we still update them at quiet times when we have

time to really challenge what we do and involve the team" An appropriate person responsible for filling them out/using them, and (where necessary) for checking/reviewing them

e.g. a lead instructor must fill out the post-activity report form, the operations manager must review it Any associated time parameters clearly stated e.g. incident report forms must be completed within a certain time of the

incident occurring A system that ensures they are current i.e. any changes to safety systems result in updates to affected forms/checklists A location that is useful and appropriate e.g. emergency response log with the back-up person or pre-trip checklists in

the loading area Clear guidelines for what to do with them once they are completed i.e. how long, and where they should be kept  Their intended use, locations and associated staff responsibilities clearly stated in the safety management plan A copy located in the appendices of the safety management plan

Client Screening