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The Queen’s Emergency Support Program (ESP)

and the

Off-Campus Activity Safety Policy (OCASP)

Safety Planning Record Process

Cathy Lemmon

International Program Advisor

QUIC

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Dominic attempted to capture the political situation in Ghana.

SMART CHOICES?

Other choices…

In April 2007, two Swedes were sentenced to three years in prison for photographing military facilities in Iran.

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(This includes taking photographs of military installations, government or official buildings and individuals)

- Bolivia - Burma - Burkina Faso

- Cambodia - Cameroon - China - Costa Rica - Cuba

- Ecuador - Egypt

- El Salvador

- Ghana - Greece

--Iran - Israel

- Laos

- Mali

- Mexico - Morocco

- Panama - Paraguay

- Romania

- Tunisia

- Uganda

- Venezuela

Countries where it is illegal to participate in demonstrations or political protests

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Alexei thought he would receive special privileges as a Canadian when he went back to his other home.

He didn’t.

SMART CHOICES?

Keep in mind…

Dual citizenship - is it legal?

Those with dual citizenship may have outstanding military service and other obligations.

Canadian citizenship may not be recognized.

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Countries where dual citizenship is not recognized (may or may not include mandatory military service):

China Egypt Greece India Indonesia Israel

Switzerland Taiwan Uganda Vietnam Zambia Zimbabwe

Laos Malaysia Poland Romania Singapore South Korea

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I am travelling abroad.

I step off the plane and I am

immediately detained by the authorities.

Why? Where?

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SMART CHOICES?

Keep in mind…

It is an offence for civilians to import, dress in or to carry items made of camouflage material in Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Jamaica…..

Civilians in Camouflage Clothing

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Isabella hadn’t anticipated feeling this much stress or this isolated during her time in Mexico.

SMART CHOICES?

Keep in mind…

There may be various type of support available to students to help them cope with living in a new culture, being homesick or the demands of being in a different academic environment.

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Countries where culture shock may occur:

-ALL OF THEM!!

And although we encourage students to research/learn about their host country and the challenges of studying abroad many still fall into some of the traps that we have discussed here.

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• 1992 Queen’s had about 100 students abroad

• 1997 Emergency Protocol Developed/Ratified & Emergency Support Program established

• 1998 Fatal accident involving a faculty member and graduate students – The Yukon Workplace Safety Board WSIB investigated and determined the group didn’t have

the proper pre-departure training for this activity.

– Queen’s was told to ensure all off-campus activities were evaluated for risk level and participants had the appropriative pre-departure orientation/training prior to departure.

– If this was not done there would be serious legal repercussions and all Queen’s study abroad programs would be in jeopardy.

• 1998 Risk and Responsibility Office established

• 2004 Queen’s Off-Campus Activity Safety Policy (OCASP) approved

• 2013-14 Queen’s had over 2700 students abroad

HISTORY OF STUDY ABROAD

AT QUEEN’S

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OCASP & the Emergency Support

Program work together to:

• Raise Awareness of safety issues for

those involved with international education

activities.

• Manage risks inherent in international

education activities and to deal effectively

with emergencies.

• Meet moral and legal obligations re

health and safety of participants in

international education activities.

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The OCASP Policy states…

• All undergraduate or professional students traveling internationally are

considered higher risk, and required to complete, and receive approval for, a

Safety Planning Record that includes a full risk assessment of their activity and host

country, and an on-line pre-departure orientation. All others are strongly

encouraged to do so.

• Travelers submit completed Safety Planning Records to their Person in Authority

(PIA) for approval.

• PIA reviews and approves records or rejects for additional work/information to be

added before re-submission.

• All other travelers are approved by their unit head.

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Activity Details Screen

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Screen Two – “Activity Details”

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To review this session….

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Culture

Screen Three– “Travel Details”

In this section, you identify the travel steps in your journey, including your return to Kingston. If you do not know your flight details, especially for your return, enter your expected date of TRAVEL in the itinerary section of your Safety Planning Record.

Screen 4 “Hazards and Risks”

Risk is the uncertainty embodied in an event that threatens to do harm to people or organizations and their property.

Risk mitigation changes the nature of the activity and/or its surrounding circumstances so that the risk is reduced or consciously managed.

Screen Four – “Hazards and Risks”

In this section, you identify:

1. Hazards and risks associated to the activity you are undertaking:

• Include any risk/hazard that is specific to the activity in this section along with your mitigation plan. Eg.

rock climbing, scuba diving, mountaineering, etc. Your department may be able to provide resources for

these risks.

2. If travelling internationally, hazards and risks associated to the country/location in which you are

undertaking the activity. The sections outlined in the form coincide with the Department of Foreign Affairs

and Trade Development Canada (DFATD) website http://travel.gc.ca/

• How you identify the potential hazards does not need to be in your own words, only your risk

management plan must be in your words. For this reason, we recommend that you copy and paste ALL

of the various hazards that you identify on DFATD, directly into the corresponding Hazard box for

each category. You would then need to indicate why this is a risk to you, and include your Risk

Management Plan for each identified hazard. Copying and pasting these items directly from the DFAIT

website will help ensure that you have addressed all of the hazards, thereby, reducing the time it takes to

gain approval for your risk assessment.

• As you navigate through the DFATD website, continue to ask yourself what, if anything has the potential to

cause you harm (physically, financially, medically etc.). All of the items that have the potential to do so,

must be addressed in your risk assessment.

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DFATD - Country Travel Advice and Advisories Categories:

1. Advisories

2. Security

3. Entry/Exit Requirements

4. Health

5. Laws and Culture

6. Disasters and Climate

7. Help Abroad

What is YOUR plan? Make sure it is in your own words.

You will find the contact information for the Canadian embassy/consulate in your host country along the right

side bar in the DFATD country profile. Please add this contact information to this section.

If you are not a Canadian citizen please enter the contact information for the embassy or

consulate of your home.

Government Contacts for Canadian Citizens

The following KNOWN HAZARDS issues must be addressed in your risk assessment (failure to do so will

result in your record being rejected):

Under Travel: If (AND ONLY IF THIS IS APPLICABLE) traffic drives on the left in your host country - how does this

affect you as driver AND as a pedestrian and how will you mitigate those risks.

Under Entry & Exit Requirements : Note that you will carry a photocopy of your passport and all other travel documents

with you as you travel (but not in the same place as the originals) for easy replacement in case they get lost or stolen. You

should also leave a copy at home with family or friends for the same reason.

Under Health: Please note screening/quarantine measures = if someone on your flight exhibits signs of a serious or highly

contagious disease (i.e. H1N1 or H7N9) you might find yourself under quarantine when you arrive at your destination. This

could affect your academics if your host institution and Queen's are not notified immediately. How will you mitigate this

risk?

Under Health: You should also note you will verify whether your travel insurance will cover air evacuation to your home

country in the event of serious illness or injury.

Under Natural Disasters and Climate: In mountainous regions, avalanches present a risk and have resulted in fatalities. If

you are planning a mountaineering or skiing holiday, you are advised to visit the website of the National Association for the

Study of Snow and Avalanches for information on weather and safety conditions. ALSO please note you will verify if your

travel insurance cover high risk activities such as skiing or mountaineering.

If you are travelling to Europe you must also address:

Under Entry & Exit Requirements : It is important to get your passport stamped when entering the Schengen Area.

The absence of an entry stamp from the initial Schengen port of entry could create difficulties during subsequent encounters

with local police or other authorities throughout the Schengen Area.

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KNOWN HAZARDS

If you are traveling on a non-Canadian passport you will also have to

address the issues involved in re-entry into Canada by completing the

IMMIGRATION/RE-ENTRY section of the risk assessment page.

If you are traveling on a non-Canadian passport BUT re-entering Canada

on a Canadian passport YOU MUST TELL US THAT HERE!!

HOVER-OVER HELP IS AVAILABLE

Traveling on a Non-Canadian Passport

Screen Five – “Immunizations”

In this section, you identify:

Immunizations that are required based on your travel destination.

Screen Six – “Special Needs”

In this section, you identify:

You have the option to disclose special needs, if applicable, and your management plan to reduce the risk

associated to it. (eg. Allergy to penicillin…will you be wearing a Medic-Alert Bracelet while abroad??

If not, should you be considering this?)

Disclosure enables those assisting in the case of an emergency to better meet the needs of the situation

affecting you.

Screen Seven – “Emergency Contacts”

In this section, you identify:

Information that enables Queen’s to contact you in the event of an emergency - if conventional methods

(your personal contact information) do not work (DO NOT JUST PUT IN YOUR OWN CELL # OR EMAIL

ADDRESS. What happens if we can’t get a ahold of you via those methods? Put in the International

Student Centre at your host university).

Your personal contacts that Queen’s would notify in the event of an emergency.

For your information onsite: Local Emergency contacts (i.e. the equivalent to “911” in your host country or

police, fire rescue, ambulance. Look it up and make sure it is correct! ).

Select the correct Program Overseeing Activity

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Emergency Response page

911 equivalent in

your host country

Host university

international student

centre

Choose the program overseeing your activity from this drop down menu.

Submitting Your Online Form

Once you complete the information collection process, you are taken to a

summary page which will highlight any incomplete sections in red. All mandatory

fields must be filled in for you to proceed (completion indicated by a green dialog

box).Scroll down the summary page to ensure there is no red text telling you that

required information is missing.

When the form is complete click “Continue” to bring you to the “Acceptance of

Responsibilities” section.

Then continue through the process to submit the record for review. You will

see a screen that tells you that your record has been submitted.

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What Happens Now?

• The form is sent electronically through a review/approval

process using email notifications to trigger action, and give

the status of the record.

• If your submission is missing important information, most

of which has been covered in this presentation, it will be

rejected back to you to make corrections.

• Make sure that you cover all of things mentioned in this

presentation. They are important!!!

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And finally, make sure that your OCASP

record is

“Approved”

You will receive an OCASP-generated email telling you that your record has been rejected with corrections or “Approved”. Watch for it!!! And work with your reviewer/ approver until it is approved.

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Bringing it all together…

Comprehensive Risk Management

Emergency Response Protocol

Waivers and informed consent

Health & Safety Programs/

Orientation

Comprehensive Staff Training

Insurance

Contracts

Safe Travel Policy

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Using the resources we have talked about here (and more …) Queen's prepares you to:

• To go abroad in partnership with Queen’s

• To act as an ambassador for Queen’s

• To leave campus aware of the risks associated with your activity and host country

• To know how to access help if needed

• To experience/immerse in a culture that is different than your own.

Ready to Go?

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The Importance of Compliance

• Completing and receiving approval for the OCASP Safety Planning Record is a

business requirement of your practicum and part of the

contract you signed with Queen’s Faculty of Education.

• In order to support you we need to know where you are and when!

• Only you can create or amend your record in the OCASP 2.0 system

• Failure to complete the OCASP process could affect your transfer of

credits/your program!

• Undergrads and professional students traveling internationally are required to

create a “Higher—risk” record in OCASP

• Monitoring compliance is the responsibility of the unit delivering the activity (your

faculty or department) and they can impose sanctions on non-complaint

students

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Recap the Process

Create and submit OCASP Safety Planning Record

at least one month before your departure (Do it now!!!)

Make sure to address ALL of the hazards on the DFATD “Country Profile (eg. Vigipirate

system in France!); use other authorities if applicable (eg. WHO)

Make sure to address ALL of the known hazards just mentioned (if they apply to your

destination)

Work with your reviewer until approval is granted

Make sure you receive approval prior to your

departure

Carry your Queen’s University Emergency

Contact Card with you at all times

Have a safe trip abroad!

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For more information about the

EMERGENCY SUPPORT PROGRAM

or the OCASP Safety Planning Record process

please visit

http://www.quic.queensu.ca/outgoing/safetyabroad.asp

Or email cathy.lemmon@queensu.ca