Participants Handbook A guide to going south with British Antarctic Survey

Transcription

1 Partcpants Handbook A gude to gong south wth Brtsh Antarctc Survey

2 Drector s foreword Antarctca s the coldest, wndest and drest contnent on Planet Earth. It s capped by an ce sheet over 4km thck n places. In wnter, Antarctca s dark for many months and the sea the world s stormest freezes to cover an area the sze of the contnent tself. Antarctca s the remotest and most nhosptable contnent of all. It also has no permanent nhabtants the only contnent on the planet of whch ths can be sad. So, welcome to you, one of the very specal people who are gong to lve and work there! Whether ths s your frst tme or one of many trps wth the Brtsh Antarctc Survey (BAS), congratulatons on beng selected to work n ths wld and amazng place; you are a crtcally mportant member of Team BAS. In our rapdly-changng world we have mportant work to do. BAS scentsts, operatons and support staff, and our close collaborators from the UK and across the world, play a pvotal role n polar research. By concentratng on key global scentfc problems, by beng effcent and effectve n managng our research statons and shps, and n the safe deployment of our feld partes and marne cruses, we advance knowledge and acheve world-wde recognton for excellence. Everyone n BAS plays a vtal role n our wde range of polar actvtes, from the purchase of equpment n Cambrdge to research and scence support on the shps, statons or n the deep feld. The forthcomng feld season 2017/18 s partcularly mportant for us because we wll be puttng logstcs n place to support the Thwates project, a major collaboraton between UK and US scentsts and operators, funded by the US Natonal Scence Foundaton (NSF) and the UK Natural Envronment Research Councl (NERC). Ths s an ambtous project to understand how clmate change s affectng the Thwates Glacer n the Amundsen Sea regon. In many places around Antarctca, deep, warm ocean water s begnnng to lap up under the ce shelves, meltng them from below. If ths s happenng to the Thwates Glacer then we need to know what the mpact wll be on the huge West Antarctc Ice Sheet, whch holds several metres worth of sealevel rse. Increasngly, we are also carryng out research n the Arctc. Antarctca s land surrounded by ocean and the Arctc Ocean s encrcled by land but both have extensve sea ce and ce caps. Arctc sea ce s thnnng but Antarctc sea ce s much more varable we use these smlartes and dfferences to help our understandng of the Polar Regons, especally usng clmate models. The strength of any organsaton les n the expertse and enthusasm of ts people. In jonng BAS you wll be carryng on a tradton of excellence n scence and support of world-leadng research n one of the most challengng envronments on the planet. Ths handbook s here to help you make the most of your trp south safely and effectvely, both for BAS and for you as an ndvdual. I wsh you far wnds, smooth seas, clear skes, good snow, good company and a productve tme n the Antarctc. You are about to embark on one of the most amazng experences of your lfe. Are you ready? Professor Dame Jane Francs Drector, BAS Cover mage: Bad weather at Halley VI Research Staton on the Brunt Ice Shelf, Antarctca. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 2

3 Contents 2 Drector s foreword 4 Our vson, msson and culture 5 Introducton 6 Antarctca past and present Hstory The Antarctc Treaty Permts 9 The organsaton and structure of BAS 11 BAS nfrastructure 12 Basc preparatons Health matters Passports and vsas Fnancal affars Votng Makng a wll Bad news whlst you are away 14 Packng for the Antarctc What NOT to take to Antarctca What to take to Antarctca Unaccompaned personal belongngs Scentfc cargo Northbound cargo 18 Travellng to and from Antarctca How do I get there? What nformaton can I expect to receve from BAS? MOD flghts to the Falkland Islands Commercal flghts to South Amerca and the Falkland Islands Commercal flghts to Cape Town Commercal flghts to other destnatons What facltes are avalable at the gateway destnatons? Gateway Destnaton: The Falkland Islands Gateway Destnaton: Punta Arenas Gateway Destnaton: Cape Town How wll I travel onwards from the gateway Destnaton? BAS arcraft BAS shps How wll I travel home from Antarctca? 20 Lvng n Antarctca Lvng on shps Lvng on statons Morale and behavour of staff Recreaton Lvng n the feld Tme dfferences Computng Communcatons Famly and Frends Lason Personal accounts 26 Health and safety and medcal ssues Your health and safety Health and safety management at BAS What do we need from you? A few key terms and defntons n BAS Safety Management Tranng Medcal cover Personal health 28 Envronmental protecton 29 Communcatons and meda Sponsorshp and endorsement 30 Human Resources polces 30 Fnal consderatons 30 Further nformaton 31 Checklst 32 Glossary 33 Index 35 BAS offces and research statons

4 Our vson To be a world-leadng centre for polar scence and polar operatons, addressng ssues of global mportance and helpng socety adapt to a changng world. Our msson BAS s a research-drven organsaton recognsed for: Commtment to excellence n scence Operatonal professonalsm and nnovaton n everythng we do A partner of choce for scence, operatons and busness wherever polar expertse can be appled Safely delverng complex operatons n extreme envronments Commtment to envronmental stewardshp of the polar regons Developng our staff to reach ther full potental Sustanng an actve and nfluental presence n Antarctca on behalf of the UK, and playng a leadershp role n Antarctc affars Engagement wth polcy-makers, government and the publc Our culture BAS aspres to a culture that s: Postve postve atttude, energy, realsm, enjoy the work Responsble safety conscous, envronmentally frendly, accountable for one s actons, honourable, ethcal, open and far Innovatve creatve, entrepreneural and outward lookng, flexble, constructvely challengng, and capable of learnng from experence Co-operatve open, communcatve, carng and loyal to one another, workng n the best nterests of BAS and scence Excellent professonal, effcent and effectve, successful and recognsed, hgh qualty, applyng best practce and developng our people Image: The Bonner Laboratory at Rothera Research Staton, Adelade Island, Antarctc Pennsula. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 4

5 Introducton Ths handbook s provded to all partcpants n the Brtsh Antarctc Survey (BAS) Antarctc programme. It ams to provde some background to the envronment and organsaton wthn whch you wll be workng, outlne some of the steps that you need to take before travellng and answer the most commonly asked questons about lvng and workng n the Antarctc. Much of the nformaton gven here s repeated or amplfed at the annual Cambrdge Antarctc Pre-deployment Tranng Course n September. Durng the course there wll be flms, talks and dscussons to ntroduce you to BAS and the Antarctc. It also provdes an opportunty for you to meet the people wth whom you wll be gong south and members of Cambrdge staff. There are some practcal matters that you need to consder before attendng the tranng course please make sure you read straght away the sectons on basc preparatons, packng for the Antarctc and health and safety and medcal ssues, and that you make any necessary arrangements n good tme. Supplementary materal wll be provded durng the Antarctc Pre-deployment Tranng Course gvng the latest practcal nformaton, and a lst of sources for further nformaton s gven at the end of the handbook. The BAS Partcpants Handbook s regularly updated. We welcome any feedback on ts layout, style or content. Images: Top: A glacology feld camp on Berkner Island, Antarctca. Mddle: Emperor penguns on the Brunt Ice Shelf, near Halley Research Staton. Bottom: Halley VI Research Staton on the Brunt Ice Shelf. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 5

6 Antarctca past and present Hstory The Unted Kngdom has a long hstory of exploraton and research n Antarctca. Durng the 18th and 19th centures ths was undertaken largely ether by Royal Navy expedtons or by sealers and whalers explotng the lvng resources of the area. James Cook, RN, made the frst crcumnavgaton of Antarctca n He saled to 71 S and dscovered the sland of South Georga. In 1820 Wllam Smth s expedton to the South Shetland Islands frst sghted the Antarctc contnent and Edward Bransfeld, RN, charted part of the Antarctc Pennsula coastlne. James Weddell, John Bscoe, James Clark Ross, RN, and Carsten Borchgrevnk led other sgnfcant 19th century Brtsh expedtons. Durng the early part of the 20th century, Wllam Spers Bruce, Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton led mportant Brtsh expedtons to Antarctca. In addton to explorng new areas of the contnent, they carred out extensve scentfc programmes and establshed the Unted Kngdom as the leadng naton n Antarctc scence. Ths Heroc Age of exploraton was followed by equally successful and scentfcally sgnfcant expedtons between the wars, of whch the most mportant were the 13 voyages of the Dscovery Investgatons of the Southern Ocean, , and the Brtsh Graham Land Expedton, In 1943, the Brtsh Government mounted a top secret expedton to Antarctca, code-named Operaton Tabarn. Its objectves were to dscourage enemy actvty, partcularly to prevent harbours and stocks of shppng ol fallng nto enemy hands; collect meteorologcal data and to re-enforce Brtsh terrtoral clams through the establshment of bases. A programme of mappng and scence was undertaken. At the end of the war the operaton was establshed on a permanent bass under the Colonal Offce as the Falkland Islands Dependences Survey (FIDS), the bases establshed durng Tabarn becomng the frst to be permanently occuped on the contnent. The prmary purpose of FIDS was to contnue (through occupaton, mappng and scentfc research) the Brtsh presence n an area whose soveregnty was contested by other countres. FIDS grew rapdly, openng bases throughout the Antarctc Pennsula and related sub-antarctc area, and expandng many areas of scentfc nvestgaton. The name Fds s stll used to descrbe BAS personnel. The Commonwealth Trans-Antarctc Expedton ( ), led by Sr Vvan Fuchs, contnued the Brtsh tradton of combnng exploraton and scence. It completed the frst land crossng of the contnent. In , 67 natons took part n the Internatonal Geophyscal Year (IGY), whch recognsed the vtal role of Antarctca when addressng global scentfc questons and encouraged nternatonal scentfc co-operaton on a scale not seen before. The Royal Socety establshed Halley Bay Base on the Brunt Ice Shelf n 1956 as a major part of the Brtsh contrbuton to IGY (the base was Image: Gentoo pengun at the Hstorc Ste of Port Lockroy. The ste dates back to Operaton Tabarn and the frst Brtsh presence n the Antarctc. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 6

7 transferred to FIDS n 1959). The success of IGY led drectly to the establshment of the Scentfc Commttee on Antarctc Research (SCAR), negotaton of the Antarctc Treaty and hence to the nternatonal co-operaton and protecton of Antarctca that exsts today. Followng the ratfcaton of the Treaty by the UK, the area of the Falkland Islands Dependences south of 60 S was named the Brtsh Antarctc Terrtory. Consequently, wth effect from Aprl 1962, FIDS was renamed the Brtsh Antarctc Survey. In 1967 t became one of the component nsttutes of the Natural Envronment Research Councl (NERC) whch had been establshed n Fundng through central Government s now provded by the Offce of the Chef Scentfc Advser, whch s part of the Department for Busness, Energy & Industral Strategy (BEIS). As part of ts dual msson, BAS has responsbltes to the Foregn & Commonwealth Offce (FCO) for admnstratve dutes n the Brtsh Antarctc Terrtory and complance wth the requrements of the Antarctc Act (1994). The Antarctc Treaty Followng the success of the Internatonal Geophyscal Year (IGY) n 1957/58, the Unted States nvted 11 countres, ncludng the Unted Kngdom, to an nternatonal conference to develop a long-term framework for peaceful co-operaton n Antarctca. The fnal result of the nternatonal negotatons was the Antarctc Treaty, whch was sgned by all 12 countres n December 1959, and came nto force n The major provsons of the Antarctc Treaty are that: Antarctca s only to be used for peaceful purposes There s freedom of scentfc nvestgaton and co-operaton Scentfc data and personnel are to be freely exchanged Terrtoral clams are frozen and new ones cannot be made Nuclear explosons and radoactve waste dsposal are banned All statons, shps and equpment are open to nspecton by any Treaty member at any tme Snce 1961, the number of sgnatores to the Treaty has ncreased to 53 n 2017, of whch 29 are full Consultatve Partes engaged n substantal scentfc research actvty n Antarctca. These natons mantan some 40 permanent, year-round scentfc research statons n Antarctca, wth many more operatng n the austral summer. The Antarctc Treaty covers all lands and ce shelves south of lattude 60ºS, but not the sea tself. The Commsson for the Conservaton of Antarctc Marne Lvng Resources (CCAMLR), whch came nto force n 1982, conserves marne lvng resources and regulates fshng actvty n the Southern Ocean south of the lattude of the Polar Front (the boundary between cold Antarctc seas and the warmer Atlantc waters). Other agreements amed at protectng Antarctc wldlfe nclude the Agreed Measures for the Conservaton of Antarctc Flora and Fauna (1964) and the Conventon for the Conservaton of Antarctc Seals (1972). The Protocol on Envronmental Protecton to the Antarctc Treaty, whch came nto force n 1998, provdes wder protecton for the Antarctc envronment, ncludng a prohbton on commercal mnng and hydrocarbon extracton. The Protocol has sx annexes, whch have a major nfluence n the way n whch BAS and other natonal Antarctc operators manage ther actvtes. These annexes cover Envronmental Impact Assessment, Conservaton of Antarctc Fauna and Flora, Waste Dsposal and Management, Preventon of Marne Polluton, Area Protecton and Management and lablty arsng from envronmental emergences. In the Unted Kngdom, the Protocol was ncorporated nto UK law by the Antarctc Act (1994), whch provdes the legslaton applcable to all UK natonals and operators n the Antarctc. Ths legslaton was updated by the Antarctc Act (2013) n order to mplement the Lablty Annex to the Protocol. Images: Top: Skdoo travel has replaced the use of dogs n the Antarctc snce dogs were banned n 1994 under the Antarctc Treaty. Bottom: Operaton Tabarn members on the deck of the Royal Navy shp HMS Eagle, at Decepton Island n For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 7

8 Antarctca past and present contnued Permts BAS receves a permt for ts general operatons n Antarctca from the FCO as a requrement of the Antarctc Act, and separate permts for the operaton of the shps and arcraft. Addtonal permts are requred f work s to nvolve any of the followng actvtes: Takng of, or harmful nterference wth, natve flora or fauna Introducton of non-natve speces nto Antarctca Entry nto Antarctc Specally Protected Areas Mneral resource actvtes Conservaton work on Hstorc Stes or Monuments BAS Project Leaders should apply to the BAS Envronment Offce for permts to undertake any of the above actvtes. For external (non-bas) collaboratons (.e. those funded through the Collaboratve Antarctc Scence Scheme (CASS) and NERC Responsve Mode), the Prncpal Investgators should apply to the BAS Antarctc Fundng Co-ordnator who wll lase wth the Envronment Offce and FCO as requred. Vstors from outsde the UK should seek advce from the BAS Envronment Offce on the need to apply to ther own governments for permts. BAS holds mport lcences for bologcal materal, ncludng anmals, non-specfed pathogens, fsh and marne nvertebrates, plants and sols. Partcpants are responsble for ensurng the approprate lcence s avalable for ther materal and they comply wth the lcence regulatons. Some materal wll also requre export and mport permts under CITES (Conventon on Internatonal Trade n Endangered Speces of Wld Flora and Fauna) legslaton. If lcensed materal s to be transferred to another establshment, the owner s responsble for provdng the necessary documentaton to ensure that the recevng establshment meets the requred standards and any lcences/permts are n place before the materal s transferred. Further nformaton s avalable from Elane Ftzcharles (emf@bas. ac.uk). Images: Top: Brd Island Research Staton, Brd Island, South Georga. Bottom: The BAS Dash 7 arcraft on the blue-ce runway at Sky-Blu Feld Staton. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 8

9 The organsaton and structure of BAS Our Vson To be a world-leadng centre for polar scence and polar operatons, addressng ssues of global mportance and helpng socety adapt to a changng world. Our Msson BAS s a research-drven organsaton recognsed for: Commtment to excellence n scence Operatonal professonalsm and nnovaton n everythng we do A partner of choce for scence, operatons and busness wherever polar expertse can be appled Safely delverng complex operatons n extreme envronments Commtment to envronmental stewardshp of the polar regons Developng our staff to reach ther full potental Sustanng an actve and nfluental presence n Antarctca on behalf of the UK, and playng a leadershp role n Antarctc affars Engagement wth polcy-makers, government and the publc Our strategc approach Our scentfc research programme, Polar Scence for Planet Earth, sets the strategc drecton for BAS. Our ambton s to address scentfc questons that affect the entre planet and the lves of the ndvduals on t. The answers to these questons wll delver real benefts to socety and underpn natonal and nternatonal polces. Our work reflects, and takes forward, NERC s aspratons that UK envronmental scence should assst us n: Beneftng responsbly from natural resources Developng reslence to envronmental hazards Supportng management of envronmental change Contnung to answer fundamental questons about how the Earth System works Our multdscplnary scence teams develop and delver a portfolo of research projects desgned to address major scentfc and socetal ssues that wll lead to responsble envronmental management and produce lastng benefts for the UK economy. Each team wll contrbute to the Grand Challenges we have dentfed for polar scence: Polar Change understand the causes and mpacts of global change Earth and the Poles understand how polar processes mpact the global system People and the Poles develop reslence to envronmental hazards and manage natural resources Polar Fronters explore the fronters of knowledge For more nformaton, see: topcs Operatonal support for UK polar research s managed by our Operatons teams. The team covers a wde range of actvtes from managng Arctc and Antarctc Research statons to operatng polar shps and arcraft. Our expertse s n polar feldwork plannng, arcraft and shp operatons as well as developng engneerng and technology solutons for scence. Teamwork s at the heart of everythng that we do. Strategc drecton for our scentfc, operatonal and busness teams s set by our leadershp teams. The BAS Executve Team s responsble for strategc plannng. Members advse and support the Drector and help provde the overall leadershp, drecton and management of the Survey to acheve ts msson. The BAS Management Team s responsble for corporate and operatonal decson-makng. The BAS Scence Strategy Team ensures that the organsaton delvers world-leadng scence underpnned by a clear polar scence strategy, that scence n BAS s well-managed and has fundng that s approprate and secure. 9

10 The organsaton and structure of BAS contnued For further nformaton about the structure and functon of each BAS team please refer to: Image: The organsatonal structure of BAS. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 10

11 BAS nfrastructure Staton: Rothera Locaton: 68 S 68 W Summer complement: Wnter complement: 21 Mnmum temp. -30 C Maxmum temp. +5 C Staton: Halley Locaton: 75 S 25 W Summer complement: 52 Wnter complement: 13 Mnmum temp. -50 C Maxmum temp. +1 C Staton: Brd Island Locaton: 54 S 38 W Summer complement: 10 Wnter complement: 4 Mnmum temp. -10 C Maxmum temp. +10 C Staton: KEP Locaton: 54 S 36 W Summer complement: 18 Wnter complement: 8 Mnmum temp. -10 C Maxmum temp. +10 C Staton: Sgny Locaton: 61 S 45 W Summer complement: 8 Wnter complement: 0 Mnmum temp. -30 C Maxmum temp. +10 C In 1975, BAS moved to new buldngs n Cambrdge, whch were extended to ther present sze n It s from here that all the Survey s complex actvtes are organsed. BAS operates three research statons n the Antarctc, and two statons on South Georga. In addton to the offcal name, each staton has an dentfyng letter. These letters are used extensvely n cargo and communcatons procedures. Rothera (Base R) s stuated on Adelade Island to the west of the Antarctc Pennsula. The ste ncludes a crushed rock runway, hanger and wharf. Rothera s the centre of BAS feld and ar operatons. It s the largest BAS Antarctc faclty and supports actvtes across all BAS scence programmes. Halley VI (Base Z) s bult on the Brunt Ice Shelf south-east of the Weddell Sea, some 200km from the nearest exposed rock. The ce shelf s 200m thck, and flows towards the sea where, at rregular ntervals, t calves off as cebergs. Scentfc research concentrates on atmospherc scences, meteorology and chemstry. Halley has a snow runway and supports a number of summer feld scence actvtes. Brd Island (BI) s a small sland at the western end of South Georga. It s covered n tussock grass wth no permanent snow or ce. The research concentrates on the bology of brds and seals, huge numbers of whch lve on the sland. Kng Edward Pont (Base M or KEP) s stuated close to Grytvken on the man sland of South Georga. It s surrounded by glacers and mountans, but low-lyng areas support abundant grasses and wldlfe. The staton focuses on appled fsheres research and supports the GSGSSI Marne Offcer. Sgny (Base H) s a summer-only staton stuated on one of the South Orkney Islands. It s a small sland, a large part of whch s covered by a permanent ce cap. There are extensve areas of mosses and lchens and many lakes and pools on the sland. Sgny supports terrestral and freshwater scences, especally bology, and a CCAMLR montorng programme. BAS operates two ocean-gong research shps: RRS James Clark Ross (JCR) and RRS Ernest Shackleton (ES). Both shps are ce-strengthened wth bow and stern thrusters and dynamc postonng systems. BAS shps are flagged n the Falkland Islands and ther home port s Stanley. RRS James Clark Ross (JCR), launched n 1990, s prmarly a marne research vessel for bologcal, oceanographc and geophyscal cruses. It s equpped wth a sute of laboratores and a wnch system that allows scentfc equpment to be deployed astern or amdshps. The shp has an extremely low nose sgnature, allowng the deployment of senstve acoustc equpment. A swath bathymetry system was ftted n The JCR also carres out cargo and logstcal work. Durng the northern summer the JCR supports NERC scentfc work n the Northern Hemsphere, often n the Arctc. RRS Ernest Shackleton (ES), launched n 1995 and under charter to BAS snce 1999, s prmarly a logstcs vessel, beng used to transport cargo, fuel and personnel. The shp also has a basc scentfc capablty and undertakes some research work. Durng the northern summer, the ES s commercally chartered, but stll wth BAS management and crew. BAS operates fve arcraft n the Antarctc durng the austral summer. The largest s the four-engned De Havlland Canada Dash 7, the prmary role of whch s as a lnk between the Falkland Islands, Punta Arenas and Rothera for both passengers and cargo. It also undertakes fuel depot-layng trps to blue-ce runways and some scentfc survey work. The other four arcraft are twn-engned De Havlland Canada sk/wheel Twn Otters. Ther prmary role s to deploy feld partes and establsh remote fuel depots. Partcular arcraft are also confgured to undertake aeral photography, rado-echo cedepth soundng, meteorologcal studes and geophyscal survey work. Whlst usually based at Rothera, the Twn Otters also operate out of Halley. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 11

12 Basc preparatons Health matters Medcal examnaton Everyone who travels wth BAS to the Antarctc must pass a strct medcal examnaton. For BAS staff ths s carred out by a BAS doctor at BAS s expense. Vstors medcals are carred out by ther own General Practtoners (GPs) to BAS gudelnes (BAS wll not remburse the costs ncurred). The purpose of the medcal s to determne whether you are ft for the arduous nature of Antarctc servce. The standard vares dependng upon what you are lkely to do whlst n the Antarctc. There are only a few condtons that completely preclude Antarctc servce, because those sufferng from them would be a danger to themselves or others whlst south. However, whenever practcable the BAS Medcal Unt (BASMU) tres to make specal medcal arrangements to enable staff and vstors to work n Antarctca. As the medcals are often completed many months before travellng south, t s vtal that you report any subsequent medcal problems to the BAS Medcal Unt as soon as possble, as ths may affect your ftness to go south or requre specal medcal arrangements to be made. Please do not take your GP s word that you are ft to go to the Antarctc. The fnal decson rests wth the Senor Medcal Offcer at BASMU. Some GPs do not have a full understandng of the hazards nvolved, and there have been nstances when people who would have serous medcal problems when south have been ntally passed ft by a GP. Please refer to the BASMU document Medcal aspects of lvng and workng n Antarctca for more nformaton ( Dental check You must ensure that you have a thorough dental check before leavng the UK and that a letter from your dentst confrmng your dental ftness s suppled to BAS. Your own dentst should carry out ths check. Some personnel, such as wnterers and those gong nto deep-feld locatons, wll be requred to supply x-rays and be assessed by a consultant at BASMU. They wll advse of any follow-up treatment f necessary. You wll be nformed f you fall nto one of these categores. A dental problem can have a dsproportonately sgnfcant mpact. Mnor toothache can run your trp south, so t s n your own nterests to ensure that you are dentally ft before travellng. BASMU requres that you have a dental check wthn sx months of travellng to Antarctca. As some NHS dentsts only provde annual checkups t s sensble to plan ahead to avod addtonal costs where possble. Blood testng BASMU wll need to be aware of your blood group and ths should be communcated va your medcal Image: Rothera Research Staton, Rothera Pont, Adelade Island, Antarctc Pennsula. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 12

13 paperwork. Wnterers wll be requred to provde a predeployment blood sample whch wll usually be undertaken at Pre-deployment Tranng. Confdentalty Medcal records are retaned by BASMU and are an mportant part of ensurng good medcal care n the Antarctc. BAS does ts utmost to mantan the confdentalty of medcal nformaton. However, as there may be safety, welfare or operatonal mplcatons, personnel addtonal to the medcal staff may sometmes be nvolved. The specal crcumstances under whch BAS operates and the measures taken have been recognsed by the General Medcal Councl. Immunsaton Pror to departure from the UK, you must be well n date wth the followng mmunsatons, whch are freely avalable from your GP. Dphthera, Tetanus, Pertusss (DTP or Revaxs Polo) Menngts ACWY Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) For certan people (as advsed by BASMU) other vaccnatons are needed: Tuberculoss Hepatts A Hepatts B Please refer to BASMU document Immunsaton Polcy for more nformaton: Other mmunsatons may be requred f you ntend to travel prvately around South Amerca after your trp south. BAS can provde further advce, but t s the ndvdual s responsblty to ensure that they are properly vaccnated. No addtonal mmunsatons are requred f you are just vstng a South Amercan cty whlst n transt, unless health warnngs are n place at the tme. Ensure that you have a record of your mmunsatons wth you when you leave for the Antarctc. A BASMU doctor may wsh to see ths. Passports and vsas Please ensure that your passport wll be n date throughout your stay n Antarctca plus at least an extra sx months after your planned date of return, ncludng tme for any subsequent travel, e.g. around South Amerca. Ths s vtal: you cannot renew your passport once you have left the UK, nor can you travel on a passport wth less than sx months lfe on t. You need to be aware that processng passports can take several weeks, so f you need a new passport, please do not delay applyng for t. If you don t obtan a passport by the date you are due to leave, you wll not be able to travel. We have been advsed that those travellng through South Afrca need to ensure that they have at least two adjonng pages clear of all mmgraton stamps for use by South Afrcan authortes. You are responsble for obtanng any necessary vsas. UK ctzens do not requre vsas for travel to South Afrca, Chle, Uruguay or the Falkland Islands. Ths wll be checked pror to your Predeployment Tranng and you wll be advsed of any changes. Ctzens of other countres, and UK ctzens travellng elsewhere, should check ther vsa requrements well n advance of travel. Fnancal affars (supplementary materal wll be gven at Predeployment Tranng) We cannot provde fnancal advce. To prevent problems and mnmse worres for yourself and your famly, you should take every step to ensure that your fnancal arrangements are as well organsed as possble. Further detals on the tax and NI stuaton can be obtaned from the BAS Personal Accounts Manager. You should consder gvng someone you trust Power of Attorney to enable them to act on your behalf and deal wth all matters concerned wth your affars. You need to arrange ths va a solctor. You should nform your bank that you are gong to be away. You may also have to nform nsurance companes, partcularly wth regard to lfe, health and home nsurance polces. Ths s partcularly mportant for those who wll be wnterng. Votng There are no arrangements for you to vote n general or local electons whlst you are n Antarctca. If you wsh to retan your enttlement to a vote whlst you are away, the only way to do so s by arrangng a proxy vote before you leave the UK. Ths cannot be done once you are abroad. Please contact your Dstrct Councl for more nformaton. Makng a wll It s always prudent n terms of personal affars to have a wll n place. You are strongly advsed to make a wll f you haven t already done so. Bad news whlst you are away You should also take the opportunty to dscuss wth your frends and famly the possblty that there may be bad news from home whlst you are n the Antarctc. Experence has shown that openness and honesty s the best polcy under dffcult crcumstances. Leavng bad news untl the ndvdual gets home has often made matters worse. Your next-of-kn should understand and be aware of your wshes. We recommend that news be passed n real tme, va HR n Cambrdge. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 13

14 Packng for the Antarctc What NOT to take to Antarctca Importaton of PCBs (polychlornated bphenyls) and pestcdes s banned under the Antarctc Treaty. These materals may persst n the Antarctc envronment and damage local wldlfe Do not use polystyrene chps or smlar packng for your equpment; these tems are also banned under the Treaty system. Wrap fragle tems n clothng, foam or newspaper (not shredded) Equpment contanng elemental mercury (such as thermometers) Non-natve speces and Antarctc bosecurty Non-natve speces are plants, anmals and mcro-organsms that are not normally found n Antarctca, but are taken there by human actvtes. If ntroduced and able to establsh, non-natve speces can severely damage Antarctc ecosystems and habtats. As a result, mportng non-sterle sol and non-natve speces (such as plants, seeds, bulbs and nvertebrates) s strctly banned under the Antarctc Treaty. If you requre a non-natve speces for your scentfc research or other work you wll need to obtan a permt contact the BAS Envronment Offce for more detals. Rats are commonly found at ports used by BAS vessels. We have mplemented comprehensve control measures to ensure that we do not spread rats to rat-free areas. Ths s partcularly mportant at Brd Island, where the ntroducton of rats would be a major ecologcal dsaster for globally-mportant populatons of some brd speces, ncludng the wanderng albatross. Non-natve speces can also be ntroduced nadvertently to Antarctca on vstors clothng and n ther personal belongngs. For example, seeds and spores can get trapped on outer clothng and mud can be mported on boots. To reduce the rsk of non-natve speces ntroducton through BAS actvtes, the Envronment Offce has developed the BAS Bosecurty Handbook (Internal access va the BAS Intranet: apps.nerc.ac.uk/basntranet/peopleandteams/envronment/ antarctca/bosecurty/pages/default.aspx). Please consult ths for Image: The Clothng Store at BAS Cambrdge. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: further bosecurty nformaton. The followng general bosecurty measures should be followed: All bosecurty breaches and near msses should be logged on the Accdent, Incdent, Near-Mss and Envronment (AINME) Reportng System If you see anythng that could represent a bosecurty rsk and that requres mmedate acton (e.g. a rat on Brd Island, or sgns of gnawng or droppngs on a shp), please take all reasonable acton you can to deal wth the rsk wthout endangerng yourself or your colleagues. Inform the Staton Leader or Shp s Master at the earlest opportunty The BAS pont of contact (e.g. PI, co-pi, named contact, LOU sgnatory, Programmes Offce, Board Member for Scence Delvery, Head of Human Resources) s responsble for ensurng that all non-bas vstors to South Georga and Antarctca operatng under BAS logstcs are made fully aware of the contents of the BAS Bosecurty Handbook If any nvertebrates (e.g. fly, spder, beetle, etc.) are found wthn staton buldngs or on shps, every effort should be made to capture and eradcate them All human waste, whch contans non-natve mcro-organsms, must be dsposed of n accordance wth the BAS Waste Management Handbook and the Envronmental Impact Assessment for the project Indvduals shall not mport any of the followng nto South Georga or Antarctca: Any lvng plant, anmal or mcro-organsm (unless n possesson of a GSGSSI permt or a Secton 12 permt ssued under the Antarctc Act) Non-sterle sol or compost Any plant propagules (e.g. seeds, bulbs, cuttngs) or nvertebrate eggs (e.g. brne shrmp or sea monkey eggs) Untreated wood where bark remans attached Any pershable foods ncludng frut, vegetables, cheese, fsh or meat 14

15 N.B. BAS mports fresh foods to Antarctca and South Georga for consumpton by vstng personnel. Please ensure that any person that s lkely to send gfts or packages to you whle n South Georga or Antarctca s also aware of these restrctons. What to take to Antarctca If you buy anythng new to take south, such as a camera or outdoor equpment, you should carry the recept wth you. When you re-mport the goods to the UK, the recept wll provde clear evdence that duty has been pad on the goods. There should be no problems re-mportng equpment that s clearly well aged. Please note that thefts from baggage can occur on commercal flghts between the UK and South Amerca/South Afrca. You should therefore ensure that any valuable or partcularly precous personal tems are carred as hand luggage and not placed n the hold. Laptop computers should always be hand-carred. Antarctc clothng Temperatures n the Antarctc can vary rapdly and wdely, rangng from the relatvely warm sub-antarctc slands durng summer to contnental Antarctca durng wnter. BAS ssues approprate outdoor and work clothng that are specfcally desgned for each locaton, actvty and length of tour. A stock of specalst and back up clothng s mantaned on each BAS staton and vessel. Clothng s ssued from the Clothng Store n Cambrdge. You should contact the Clothng Store (clothng@bas.ac.uk) and arrange a fttng sesson well before you go south. Where there s pror agreement between BAS and another nsttuton we wll not provde clothng, n those cases the clothng used must be of an equvalent standard to that ssued by BAS. All BAS ssue clothng remans the property of BAS and must be returned at the end of your Antarctc tour. A ktbag and ts contents are tracked va the Bll of Ladng (BOL) system and you are accountable for t. All tems should be replaced n the ktbag and stored onboard shp or staton for return to the clothng store. Please do not nclude personal possessons or clothng n the BAS ktbag. The clothng s vtal for your own safety and comfort, you must look after t properly, keep t clean and make repars as necessary. BAS does not supply ndoor clothng, so take your own. All shps and statons are warm nsde. You wll requre tems such as jeans, tracksut bottoms, shorts, T-shrts, sweatshrts or smlar, as well as nghtwear, underwear, ndoor socks and ndoor shoes and slppers. You may have some tme n the Falkland Islands, Punta Arenas or Cape Town wthout your ktbag, so you should carry some of your own outdoor clothng such as outdoor shoes or boots, trousers, tops, nsulated jacket and waterproof jacket for mmedate use. Most statons have sem-formal meals or other events on Saturday nghts and RRS James Clark Ross runs a formal messng system, so you wll need at least one set of reasonably smart clothes. More nformaton on ssued clothng can be found n the clothng catalogue on the BAS Intranet or speak to your Staton Leaders for more specfc nformaton. Images: Top: All outdoor clothng s ssued from the BAS Clothng Store n Cambrdge and transported south on one of the BAS shps. Bottom: Dggng snow for the melt tank at the Subglacal Lake Ellsworth drll ste, Antarctca. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: Glasses If you wear glasses, ensure that you take at least one spare par wth you. Leave a copy of your prescrpton wth Human Resources so that replacements could be obtaned n an emergency. Contact lenses have the advantage that they do not get steamed up or frozen. As part of the clothng ssue, BAS wll pay an amount towards the purchase of prescrpton sunglasses f requred. These may be obtaned by you to a maxmum cost of Please speak to the Clothng Store Manager f you requre any further nformaton (clothng@bas.ac.uk). Provson of contact lenses and supples for them s your own responsblty. 15

16 Packng for the Antarctc contnued Toletres We wll supply all tems necessary for your safety n the Antarctc. Hgh-factor sun cream and lp salve are freely avalable on shps and statons (although you wll have to provde your own when you frst arrve n the Falkland Islands/Chle/Cape Town). General toletres are suppled on staton these nclude soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, razors and shavng foam (but not deodorant or shower gel). On the shps, these tems have to be purchased from the shp s bond. There s not a great deal of choce and you may wsh to take your own favourte brands and your own cosmetcs. For women, wnterng personnel should purchase ther requrement of santary towels or tampons and reclam the cost va the expenses system. Summer-only personnel must take ther own supples. Bns for dsposal of santary waste are provded on shps and at statons. When n the feld, santary/medcal waste should be placed n yellow bags (provded n feld boxes) for return to staton and approprate dsposal. Medcaton All shps and statons carry stocks of medcnes, coverng requrements from frst ad to emergency treatment. The shps carry varous ant-seasckness remedes although t s worth startng such a course just pror to the voyage f you are so dsposed. The feld ratons are nutrtonally balanced but many people take vtamn supplements when n the feld for longer perods. The statons are well suppled, but do not have the range of medcaton avalable n the UK, and are equpped to deal wth emergences, not ongong problems. If you are takng regular medcaton of any knd (ncludng contraceptve plls) you wll, as far as possble, need to take suffcent quanttes for your tour. GPs wll usually gve prescrptons for up to a year. If your tour s longer, or there are any problems wth ths, contact BASMU as soon as possble, and well n advance of your departure date. If you have any concerns at all, please dscuss your medcaton wth BASMU well n advance, who wll advse or assst n ensurng you have what s needed. To avod potental problems at Customs, ensure that all medcnes are carred n ther orgnal contaners wth labels ntact. If you are takng any prescrpton medcnes, or are carryng any controlled drugs, ths must be declared on your medcal questonnare and at your medcal and should also be advsed to the doctor or shp s Master/Staton Leader when you jon a BAS shp or staton. Photography Photography s a very popular recreatonal actvty n Antarctca. Ths s a bref ntro, and there wll be a Q&A sesson wth Pete Bucktrout (BAS Photographer) to offer advce and nformaton at the Antarctc Pre-deployment Tranng Course. For now, a few general ponts follow: Don t panc about the cold, most modern cameras work perfectly well n Antarctca, but be aware that n the wnter, extreme low temperatures wll dramatcally reduce battery performance, so ensure that you have spares. The camera kller s condensaton, so take a plastc bag! more at the Pre-deployment Tranng. Don t underestmate the compact camera. It ll often capture those unforgettable moments smply because t s there n your pocket. A good camera bag and a few cleanng cloths are a sound nvestment and thnk about UV flters on all your lenses, f only for protecton. In our world of dgtal magng, the one thng people underestmate s just how much storage capacty you need, so take twce as much as you thnk. A top tp for dgtal SLR users: never change lenses wth the power on the powered sensor acts lke a vacuum cleaner for dust! One fnal pont, the BAS mage collecton reles heavly on photos taken by everyone who goes south, so, to fnd out more about submttng your pctures or just to get those questons answered, you can emal: Pete Bucktrout (pbu@bas.ac.uk) and/or Jame Olver (jaol@bas.ac.uk) or just drop n to see us n the Creatve Servces offce (room 269) at BAS Cambrdge. Musc, flms and books All statons hold large collectons of musc, flms and books (ncludng e-books). A personal MP3 player wth headphones s useful and wnterng personnel may wsh to take a mn h-f system/pod dock/speakers etc. Remember to take rechargeable batteres (wth a charger) for any portable equpment. Muscal nstruments are popular and concert nghts are sometmes organsed. Ask for packng advce f you wsh to take muscal nstruments. Sks and snowboards There s a selecton of sks avalable on the larger statons, but you may wsh to take your own sks or snowboard. Recommendatons vary between statons you should consult your Staton Leader as to local preferences before purchasng new equpment. Approprate protectve equpment should always be used when skng or snowboardng, and all sks must have releasable bndngs and be set up by a qualfed person before use. Please consult the Operatons Group f you ntend to hand carry your sks. Other tems The Antarctc s hard on watches. You should take at least two watches nexpensve dgtal watches are qute adequate. Spare straps and batteres are also useful. A watch wth an alarm s recommended. You may consder takng tems such as bnoculars, a har dryer, alarm clock, etc. but avod power hungry tems as generator capacty on the statons s lmted. The latest bestsellers and newspapers/magaznes are always welcome on the statons. Unaccompaned personal belongngs (apples to wnterng staff only) Wnterers may consgn personal belongngs as manfested cargo (that s, cargo offcally declared to Customs) on a BAS shp, for delvery to ther wnterng staton. Ths cargo wll not be avalable untl the shp arrves at your staton, whch may be some tme after your own arrval. It s not accessble whlst onboard shp. It s not ntended that you should move house to the Antarctc. Space on statons s extremely lmted you should therefore For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 16

17 gve careful thought to your requrements and not pack more equpment than s completely necessary. All wnterng personnel wll be ssued from Operatons Supply Chan Logstcs, a box 75 x 38 x 41cm n whch to pack breakable tems and a soft ktbag for clothng. These contaners wll reman the property of BAS and wll be retaned when your possessons reach Cambrdge at the end of your tour. In addton you may consgn a bag contanng sks and/or a snowboard. Personal boxes must NOT contan any pershables, freworks, aerosols, batteres etc and lquds such as shower gel shampoo should be securely sealed n leak-proof packagng. As a gude, any materal that has an orange warnng label on the orgnal packagng s hazardous and may not be transported. As the cargo s shpped through the tropcs, heat-senstve materal should not be shpped, but rather hand carred south. Cargo packng dates are usually around the end of July for RRS James Clark Ross and the end of August for RRS Ernest Shackleton (contact Operatons Supply Chan Logstcs (SCL) (cargo@bas.ac.uk) for routngs and precse dates). You should delver your personal belongngs to the BAS SCL Store by dates advsed by Operatons Supply Chan Logstcs. All boxes must be accompaned by a full lst of contents and be clearly labelled wth your name and staton. An electronc copy of the contents should also be suppled. Unmanfested cargo wll not be accepted onboard shps. Scentfc cargo All scentfc cargo must be delvered to the BAS SCL Store by the publshed packng date unless specfc arrangements have been made n advance wth Operatons Supply Chan Logstcs. All cargo must be accompaned by a cargo packng note gvng a full descrpton of cargo ncludng hazard data nformaton and stowage condtons f approprate. Cargo wll not be accessble onboard shp unless t has been exceptonally desgnated as Wanted on Voyage and approved as such by Operatons Supply Chan Logstcs n advance. Scentfc cargo s only transported by ar to Rothera or Halley on an exceptonal bass, and must frst be approved by the Operatons Delvery Team. You should contact the Operatons Manager by the mddle of July for authorty f you thnk you mght have an exceptonal justfcaton to shp cargo by ar. Further detals concernng cargo movements are ncluded n the Operatons Supply Chan Logstcs Shppng Gude and ndvdual staton Vstors Gudes. Northbound cargo Your Staton Leader wll supply you wth more nformaton regardng northbound cargo for return from Antarctca. Essentally the same procedures apply as for southbound cargo. Your possessons should ft nto one of the suppled cargo contaners as descrbed above. You may hand carry non-hazardous tems up to the baggage allowance for your route home. Be aware that ths may not be the same allowance as for your journey south. You may send personal belongngs north as manfested shp s cargo. Your Staton Leader, Staton Support Manager or Chef Offcer wll provde you wth case numbers, advce on packng and a full lst of your possessons wll be requred on the Bll of Ladng whch wll be submtted to UK Customs. After clearng UK Customs and beng dscharged from the vessel, all cargo wll be transported to Cambrdge. Personal cargo may then be collected from Cambrdge or delvered to your nomnated address; transport costs for delvery from Cambrdge wll be charged to ndvduals, as wll any mport charges leved on dutable goods ncluded n your personal belongngs. Note: It s not possble for ndvduals to collect cargo from the docksde. Your cargo wll therefore not be avalable untl the shp has returned to the UK, and cargo has been dscharged and transported to Cambrdge. Images: Top: Unloadng cargo from RRS Ernest Shackleton at Rothera Reserach Staton. Bottom: A decent camera s certanly recommended and most cope well wth the cold. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 17

18 Travellng to and from Antarctca How do I get there? Most people travellng to Antarctca wll stage through the Falkland Islands, Punta Arenas or Cape Town (Halley only). These are known as the Gateway Destnatons. Those travellng on other routes wll be ssued wth separate nstructons but the prncples shown below wll apply. BAS organses transport from BAS Cambrdge to the departure arport. If you do not wsh to use ths transport you wll need to make your own arrangements to get to the arport, but may then reclam reasonable expenses ncurred dependng on your fundng arrangements. Please note we cannot refund nternal UK flght costs. BAS wll arrange all your travel from the UK arport onwards, as well as any accommodaton and transfers requred durng your journey. Please note that you wll need to pay for any meals whlst travellng to your Gateway Destnaton; f you are enttled to do so, you may make a retrospectve clam, so keep your recepts. What nformaton can I expect to receve from BAS? There wll be a travel element to your Pre-deployment Tranng. At ths brefng you wll be gven the dates that you are lkely to travel and advsed of any acton you wll need to take before you leave. Approxmately two weeks before your planned departure date you wll receve your travel confrmaton detals from the Polar Operatons support team. You are requred to confrm recept of your travel documents, rase any queres and fnalse any UK travel arrangements. Travel dates can be changed at short notce for operatonal reasons. You should allow seven days leeway n any plans you make pror to leavng for Antarctca and after your planned return date. MOD flghts to the Falkland Islands A twce-weekly chartered flght operates from RAF Brze Norton n Oxfordshre.The flght tme s 22 hours, wth a refuellng stop on route. You may be asked to leave the arcraft but wll not be allowed out of the transt compound or n some cases you may have to stay onboard. Commercal flghts to South Amerca and the Falkland Islands BAS routes a large number of people on commercal flghts to Chle from the UK, normally from London Heathrow. Your travel onward to Antarctca mght be routed from ether Punta Arenas or the Falkland Islands whchever s operatonally approprate. To Punta Arenas: You wll stage through Santago to Punta Arenas, where you wll normally be accommodated for a mnmum of one nght. To Falkland Islands: You wll stage through Santago, where you wll have an overnght stop pror to proceedng to the Falkland Islands on the once-weekly commercal flght. Hotel accommodaton and arport transfers n Santago wll be provded at BAS expense. Commercal flghts to Cape Town Those travellng to Halley wll normally fly drectly from London Heathrow to Cape Town. Commercal flghts to other destnatons Exceptonally, you may travel to another Gateway Destnaton. Your travel arrangements wll be forwarded to you and transfers and accommodaton arranged as approprate. The prncples shown for other routes as shown above wll apply. What facltes are avalable at the Gateway Destnatons? You wll be met at the arport and transferred to your accommodaton. Ths may be n a hotel, on a B&B bass, or onboard a shp. Anyone for whom there are dfferent arrangements wll be notfed n advance. If you are accommodated at any Gateway Destnaton onboard a BAS shp, all your meals wll be provded onboard. You may eat elsewhere at your own expense. You wll be gven further nformaton about your Gateway Destnaton at Pre-deployment Tranng. Gateway Destnaton: The Falkland Islands (FI) The BAS offce n Stanley wll arrange and pay for your transfers and accommodaton n FI. Your accommodaton wll be full board (.e. breakfast, lunch and dnner). You wll normally stay n Stanley n bed and breakfast accommodaton, wth lunch and evenng meals provded at a specfc restaurant. You may arrange to eat elsewhere but ths wll be at your own expense. Computer and telephone facltes are avalable at the BAS offce and n most Bed & Breakfast facltes at your own expense. The Falkland Islands has ts own currency (pounds and pence). On the Islands ths s nterchangeable wth UK currency but you cannot use Falkland Islands currency elsewhere. There s no ATM on the Falkland Islands but UK cheques are generally accepted n the man shops and credt and debt cards are accepted n most stores. Gateway Destnaton: Punta Arenas The BAS-apponted agent, Agunsa, wll arrange and pay for your transfers and accommodaton n Punta Arenas whch wll be provded on a B&B bass. The local currency s Chlean pesos and n some establshments US dollars are also accepted. Internatonal ATMs are avalable n the town. You may be accommodated on a BAS shp, n whch case your accommodaton s full board; f you wsh to eat elsewhere (.e. not on the shp) you may do so at your own expense. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 18

19 Gateway Destnaton: Cape Town The BAS-apponted agent n Cape Town, ALCI, wll arrange and pay for your transfers and accommodaton n Cape Town whch wll be provded on a B&B bass. You may be accommodated on a BAS shp, n whch case your accommodaton s full board; f you wsh to eat elsewhere (.e. not on the shp) you may do so at your own expense. The local currency s South Afrcan Rand. ATMs are avalable n the man tourst centres. How wll I travel onwards from the Gateway Destnaton? You can normally expect to have at least one nght s accommodaton at your Gateway Destnaton before departng for Antarctca. However, due to the unpredctablty of the weather n Antarctca, last-mnute changes can occur, partcularly durng the early part of the Antarctc season. You should be prepared to ether move quckly or spend several days watng! Most BAS staff wll travel onwards from the Falkland Islands or from Punta Arenas to Antarctca usng BAS transport. Those travellng to/from Rothera can be routed ether by ar or by sea. All other BAS personnel wll normally travel to/from ther Antarctc destnaton by sea. BAS arcraft BAS Dash 7 flghts from the Falkland Islands or Punta Arenas to Rothera take approxmately 4-5 hours. BAS shps If you are not travellng nto Antarctca by ar, then you wll normally travel to your destnaton on ether RRS James Clark Ross or RRS Ernest Shackleton. There are exceptons and f you are one of these, you wll be notfed as early as possble. If you are travellng by shp on any leg of your journey you wll be requred to complete a Personal Survval Technques (PST / STCW 95) course pror to your departure. Human Resources wll confrm the detals. A copy of your PST certfcate should be sent back to Operatons Delvery and HR and you MUST carry the orgnal document wth you onboard when you deploy. How wll I travel home from Antarctca? Travel from Antarctca wll be by shp or BAS arcraft, normally to the Falkland Islands or Punta Arenas (Gateway Destnaton). Those travellng from Halley wll normally return through the Falkland Islands. We am to get you back to the UK as soon as practcable after your arrval at the Gateway from Antarctca, ether by MOD flght to RAF Brze Norton (from Falkland Islands only) or by commercal arlne nto London Heathrow. You wll have the opton to make your own arrangements to travel home from your Gateway Destnaton. More detals wll be gven at your Pre-deployment Tranng and n the own arrangements travel gudance notes ssued n September. Image: Routes taken by BAS shps and arcraft to the Polar Regons. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 19

20 Lvng n Antarctca Lvng on shps You may travel on BAS shps ether n transt to or from a staton, or as part of a scence cruse. Shortly after jonng the shp, you wll be gven a brefng on the shp s layout, safety, securty and emergency procedures and the plans for the comng work perod. Please read the booklet that s n your cabn as soon as you jon the shp. Ths wll tell you everythng you need to know about safety and the shp s routne. Ths booklet s avalable on the nternet for RRS Ernest Shackleton at: and for RRS James Clark Ross at: The Master has overall authorty onboard. Any of the shp s crew wll be pleased to explan the operaton of the shp and the routnes. It s possble to vst the Brdge and Engne Room n small groups after frst obtanng permsson. Otherwse, you must not enter restrcted areas. All non-crew members on the shps are desgnated as Specal Purpose Personnel, SPP. Ths means legally you are a marner, wth a job to do on the shp. Ths may be your scence work or f you are just n transt, t refers to any work you do n support of the BAS Antarctc msson. Ths may nclude gash dutes, cargo work, boat work, pantng, maybe even carpentry and engneerng. Therefore whlst n transt, (unless you are currently workng on scentfc data collecton/support see Scence Cruses) you may be requred to provde galley and general assstance. All jobs are subject to your own work onboard, ablty and competence. Tranng for work wll be gven and no-one wll be asked to undertake dutes whch they are not competent to do safely. If you feel unable to do certan work safely please nform the Kng/Queen Fd or Crewman gvng you nstructon and alternatve work wll be found for you or extra tranng gven. Sde benefts to assstng the shp s staff are that t helps pass the tme on a long passage and engenders a postve bond wth your colleagues n the marne crew. BAS nomnates one person from the SPP onboard to act as Kng/ Queen Fd. Ths person acts as the lason between the Master and SPP. Kng/Queen Fd wll assst wth any questons you may have. Job rotas and socal events are also co-ordnated through hm/her. For scence cruses the Prncpal Scentst acts as lason wth the shp staff. Staff should expect to share cabns. You wll be expected to keep your own cabn, workng and lvng areas clean and tdy. There s a weekly nspecton of the shp by the Master. The shp s crew operate a round-the-clock watch system, and at any tme there wll be people sleepng. Whlst socal events are held, care must be taken to lmt dsturbance and nose levels and you should consder the mpact of your actons on other people. All shps ptch and roll. You must take care when movng about the vessel. Remember the salor s maxm One hand for yourself, one for the shp,.e. hold onto the ralngs when movng about the vessel. Make sure that everythng s properly secured before leavng port, and that portholes are securely closed. Seasckness remedes are avalable from the shp s doctor. Ask whether any have sde effects e.g. drowsness n whch case you may be lmted n what you do whle takng them. Durng rough weather deck areas may be placed out-of-bounds and restrctons must be strctly adhered to. BAS should be advsed of any specal detary requrements as early as possble. Vegetaran and specal detary food can be made avalable, f we are advsed n tme. Both shps have a gym and sauna for general use and carry a selecton of books, DVDs and games to pass the tme. If you are Image: Deployment of the benthc sledge from RRS James Clark Ross on a snowy mornng n Marguerte Bay, Antarctca. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 20

21 travellng for more than a few days, you are advsed to take some lesure tems wth you, especally your own choce of readng. If you have an electronc book lke a Kndle, Pad or laptop, download your books, moves or musc before you leave home. Many people get dehydrated on shps; you should drnk plenty of water and may wsh to take a skn mostursng cream. Soft and alcoholc drnks are avalable from the shp s bars, whch are run on a tck sheet system. The shp s Bond (shop) sells toletres and souvenrs as well as drnks and cgarettes usng a chtty system. Any expendture wll be taken drectly from your personal account. You wll not requre money whlst onboard. A small cash advance can be obtaned from the Master pror to arrval at a port as long as your credt or debt card detals have prevously been left wth the Personal Accounts Manager. Smokng on shps s restrcted to certan areas. These wll be descrbed durng your famlarsaton brefng. Smokng nfrngements wll not be tolerated, fre s the greatest danger aboard shp. If you are travellng on a Royal Fleet Auxlary (RFA) or other non-bas shp, you wll come under ether Royal Navy or other operatng regulatons. These dffer from those on BAS shps. You wll be nformed separately about the rules and requrements that you must adhere to whlst onboard such shps. Scence cruses Scence cruses typcally last two-to-sx weeks. Scentfc work on shp durng the cruse frequently contnues 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, wth personnel workng 12- hour shfts. A Prncpal Scentst (PS) for the cruse wll assume responsblty for cruse personnel. He or she wll nomnate watch leaders for each shft who wll co-ordnate requests between the scence and shp operatons. Gudelnes for Cruse Partcpants are at: All Personnel must have completed an STCW 1995 Personal Survval Technques course to sal on BAS shps. You are requred to send a copy of the certfcate to BAS. The orgnal certfcate must be taken wth you to the shp. BAS wll organse ths tranng for ts own personnel. Safety shoes and a helmet must always be worn whlst workng on deck. Addtonal personal protectve equpment (PPE) must be worn as approprate. For health and safety reasons, flp flops are only permtted for use wthn cabns. Shps laboratores are small and usually shared by dfferent projects. It s mportant for everyone to be consderate of other users and work n a tdy manner. All laboratory regulatons and gudelnes apply as they do n the UK. However there are extra rsks n shp laboratores and the shp-specfc Laboratory Code of Practce and Cruse Rsk Assessments should be thoroughly read before undertakng any laboratory work onboard. The Code of Practce and the Rsk Assessments for the cruse are avalable n the shps laboratores. Shp Safety Management System There s a Shp Safety Management System n place n lne wth BAS polces. Whlst you are onboard you are part of ths system and should report anythng you thnk s unsafe, as well as accdents, ncdents and near msses. Reportng near msses s partcularly mportant as ths helps us plan for safer operatons and may prevent serous accdents n the future bg or small report them all. It cannot be overemphassed that shps can be dangerous places and all rules and nstructons from the crew must be followed. Any suggestons for mprovng safety onboard are welcomed and should be passed va the Kng/Queen Fd to the Safety Offcer or by completng one of the anonymous Safety Report Cards. Internet The bandwdth on the shps s very lmted, you should not expect to surf the web as you mght at home. Other aspects of ths wll be covered n the Communcatons brefng durng Pre-deployment Tranng. Images: Top: RRS Ernest Shackleton at the Brunt Ice Shelf, Antarctca, for relef of Halley Research Staton. Bottom: RRS James Clark Ross on a scence cruse n the Bellngshausen Sea. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 21

22 Lvng n Antarctca contnued Lvng on statons Each staton has a Staton Leader (SL) who s present each summer and has overall authorty on the staton. A Wnter Staton Leader (WSL) s apponted as the deputy and wll act as the SL s representatve durng the wnter. Accommodaton and work routnes vary between the BAS statons. When you frst arrve on staton you wll be gven an ntroducton and tour of the facltes. Incomng personnel are provded wth tranng before they are allowed to undertake feld actvtes or use boats or vehcles. Ths tranng bulds on that receved over the precedng summer, ncludng at the Antarctc Pre-deployment Tranng Course and/or Wnter Teams Tranng Week. Techncal and support staff generally work a structured fve or sx-day week, whereas scence and operatonal staff may work dfferent hours as projects or workloads requre. There are tmes, for example when dschargng cargo, when personnel may be requred to work shfts to ensure effcent operatons. However, t s ntended that there should be adequate tme n each week for personnel to undertake recreatonal and socal actvtes. It s mportant that everyone s aware that ther lesure hours may not concde wth those of personnel workng on other projects. Do not get upset f others are playng whlst you are workng. Staff should expect to share accommodaton on statons. At Rothera and Halley meals are normally provded by professonal chefs, but at other statons all personnel take turns to cook. Vegetaran food s avalable on all statons. There are communal tasks to be undertaken at all BAS statons. The tasks dffer from staton to staton, however you wll be expected to take part n domestc dutes on a rota bass. These tasks nclude washng up, dealng wth waste and general cleanng (especally at the weekly scrubout ). You may also be requred to assst n other dutes such as staton mantenance, cargo handlng, staffng of feld huts, actng as nght watch and assstng wth flyng operatons. BAS has always beleved that everybody who lves on a staton should take equal responsblty for ts daly mantenance. In addton, staff wll probably be co-opted nto some scence support work at some pont n ther tour. Ths could nclude depot work, feld flyng support, boatng/feld work support, as well as drect scence support tasks. Each staton runs ts own bar facltes wth a lmted supply of alcoholc drnks. The partcular system wll be explaned to you on arrval, but all operate on some varaton of ether the tck sheet or pre-supply systems, wth payment deducted from your personal account. You should not take personal supples of alcohol onto the staton. Please read and observe the Staff Notce gvng BAS polcy on alcohol and drugs. Other purchases (such as postcards etc.) can also be made through your personal account. You wll not requre money on staton. All statons operate a polcy of no smokng wthn staton buldngs. All shps and statons supply UK-standard 230V 50Hz AC power through standard Brtsh three-pn sockets and are equpped wth ample computers for personal or work-related use. All statons operate an energy conservaton plan to reduce fuel use. All your electrcal equpment must be PAT tested before you use t on staton. Ths can be done on arrval but t wll save you tme f you get t tested beforehand. The electrcan wll endeavour to get your equpment back to you as soon as possble but please don t expect an mmedate turnaround. If you need to use anythng straght away, get t tested before you arrve. As on shps, there are washng machnes and dryers at the statons. Washng powder s provded. Morale and behavour of staff Mantanng morale depends on all team members beng consderate, frendly and productve. It s recognsed that statons and shps wll not always be completely harmonous. When ths does happen, work can suffer and grevances may lead to unpleasant confrontatons and uncomfortable envronments. Collectvely we am to prevent morale breakng down. Relatonshps, both pre-exstng or those that develop durng servce south, are not uncommon wthn our communtes. Couples have a responsblty to ther communty to avod ndscrete behavour. Staff n supervsory postons are requred to exercse the hghest level of ntegrty and confdentalty when dealng wth nformaton learnt about others durng the course of ther dutes. Recreaton There are many opportuntes to learn and take part n recreatonal actvtes n Antarctca, partcularly for those people stayng on BAS statons. However, t s mportant that you understand that BAS has a 24-hours-a-day duty of care towards you whlst you are lvng n Antarctca. Ths apples whether you are a member of the BAS staff, a contractor or a vstor from another research centre. Therefore, t s necessary for BAS to take the same approach to recreatonal actvtes as t does to the work programme. You wll not have the same freedom to go and do whatever you lke n your tme off as you would n the UK. We have establshed sets of regulatons and undertaken rsk assessments for recreatonal actvtes and those wshng to take part must follow these. Most of these are common sense and are no dfferent to the precautons that you would take n the UK. If n any doubt, you should consult your Staton Leader who wll ensure that you have the advce, nformaton and safety equpment that you requre. Lvng n the feld Ths secton s prmarly amed at those personnel who wll be lvng and workng off staton for extended perods. BAS employs feld safety specalsts (Feld Gudes) to ensure that off staton actvtes are carred out safely and effcently. The majorty of feld work s undertaken usng tents but small feld huts are used at some locatons. It may be necessary to share wth a member of the opposte sex and f ths s lkely to cause For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 22

23 problems t should be rased n advance. Food comes n the form of expedton style ratons and these provde around 3,500 klocalores per person, per day. Input nto the feld s usually by Twn Otter arcraft, but may be by shp for northern pennsula or sland projects. Poor weather can result n several days beng spent n the tent, known as le up. Books, games and meda storage devces wth speakers/headphones help to pass the tme. Chargng wll generally be usng a solar panel or a small generator. Some projects may only be provded wth a solar panel for chargng comms equpment, so power requrements should be consdered n advance of deployment. Feldwork advce Plans can change at short notce due to weather or operatonal constrants. The more flexble your approach, the more you wll acheve Be prepared to use any tme of day to get the project completed. Don t waste good weather Your Feld Gude may rule that travel or work s unsafe at any tme. The safety of personnel and equpment wll take precedence over project completon You may not get on wth your work colleagues all of the tme. Patence and tolerance are just some of the essental qualtes requred for lvng and workng n the Antarctc Communcaton n the feld Feld partes have a daly rado sched back to base usng HF (hgh frequency) rado. Irdum satellte phones are used as a backup to HF rado and for data transfer. HF s the preferred method of communcaton as t s free. The Irdum phone can be used for personal calls and these must be pad for by the ndvdual. Irdum phone account cards are avalable from the staton Comms Manager and these should be acqured pror to deployment nto the feld. Lmted work and personal emals can be sent from the feld but these should be kept to a mnmum and lmted to text only, t s not possble to send attachments to/from feld emal accounts. More nformaton on comms matters wll be gven on staton pror to deployment. Tme dfferences Durng the Antarctc summer, Halley and Rothera are three hours behnd GMT (as are the Falkland Islands), KEP and Sgny are two hours behnd and Brd Island s on GMT. Other conventons apply n wnter months. Computng Internet access Each Antarctc staton and shp has access to the nternet and the Cambrdge network, va a satellte lnk. The connecton s lmted and shared by everyone on the staton/shp. The nternet s avalable on most BAS corporate devces. Busness systems are prortsed over general web surfng. Internet access from personal devces may be possble f the ste Communcatons Polcy allows. It should not be assumed that you wll be able to connect to the nternet from your personal devces. Some web applcatons are restrcted, ncludng but not lmted to Skype, onlne gamng and streamng. Do not expect to be able to do everythng onlne that you can do at home, whlst at one of the statons or onboard BAS shps. Images: Top: On the balcony of Bransfeld House, Rothera Research Staton. Bottom: A feld camp on Adelade Island, Antarctc Pennsula. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 23

24 Lvng n Antarctca contnued Emal BAS employees wll receve a NERC emal address and t s recommended that you use ths address as t works most effcently across the nternet connecton. Webmal can be used, but s very slow and neffcent over the satellte lnk. Non-BAS employees can also have ther emal accounts lnked to the BAS emal system. Please contact the IT Helpdesk (helpdesk@bas. ac.uk) to arrange ths before gong south. Note that ths opton s only avalable to accounts that can be accessed usng IMAP and s lmted to a sngle account per person. Please ensure you export a copy of your emal contacts from your current emal system pror to gong south. If not, you may have dffculty locatng them whlst south. Telephones Phones are avalable for makng personal calls at each of the statons and shps. A phone card must be used for outgong calls. Further detals can be found n your pack. The phone system lnks to the system n Cambrdge (va the satellte lnk) and therefore all calls made from staton/shp orgnate as f beng made from Cambrdge. It s best to fnd a callng card of your choce pror to arrvng on staton/shp. Personal devces Each staton and shp has PCs and prnters for general use. Many people take personal laptops and moble devces, whch are regarded as nsecure and must be checked by IT staff to ensure they meet BAS securty polces pror to beng connected to the network. Local usage polces apply to each staton. It should not be assumed that you wll be able to connect to the network/ nternet from your personal devces. At present all personal moble devces (Phones, Pads, tablets, Kndles etc.) are restrcted from accessng the nternet whlst south. Electronc communcaton and Informaton Securty Polces For gudance regardng employees responsbltes for nformaton securty, electronc communcaton, and moble devce use please see the followng Share ste: ntranet/legreg/nfosec/polcy/pages/ndex.aspx, or contact Adam Hodges, BAS Informaton Securty Manager. Onlne bankng Many people access onlne bankng from moble devces. Restrctons to the use of personal moble devces mean that t s very unlkely that you wll be able to access your onlne bankng from these devces whlst vstng a BAS shp or staton. If you need to access your onlne bank, ensure that you get a chp and pn devce, that can be used wth the full web verson of your onlne bankng system, pror to gong south. Alternatvely make arrangements to set up telephone bankng. Network hardware It s forbdden to attach any type of networkng devce to the BAS physcal network,.e. a wall port, at any of the statons and shps. Network devces nclude, but are not lmted to: routers, swtches, wreless access ponts and also nclude creatng wreless hotspots from laptops. Support Wndows 7 Enterprse s the supported corporate operatng system. Computng support for personal laptops s secondary to BAS scence and busness. Support for operatng systems other than Wndows 7 wll be on a best endeavours bass and cannot be guaranteed. Operatng systems Full network resources wll be avalable (optonally) to laptops runnng Wndows 7 Enterprse 64-bt. A subset of servces such as prntng and access to network fles may be avalable at certan stes f runnng Wndows 7/8 Home or Mac OS. Wndows XP should no longer be connected to the network. Ant-vrus All PCs, ncludng Macntosh and Lnux, must have ant-vrus protecton whch s regularly updated. For Wndows machnes; n the event that you have no ant-vrus software or are usng a freeware product, then Sophos ant-vrus wll be nstalled. Ths wll be removed when you leave BAS. Mac and Lnux users must brng ther own software. Personal frewalls Wndows 7 must be run wth the frewall and UAC enabled. Thrd party frewall software such as Zonealarm can cause problems wth corporate software. Wndows Patchng It s essental that Wndows machnes are kept up-to-date wth securty patches. Ensure your computer s up-to-date before you go south. If you wll be on staton for more than four weeks, patch management software wll be nstalled by the Communcatons Manager. Ths wll be removed when you leave BAS. Namng conventon All PCs ncludng personal, scence, vstor and contractor machnes must comply wth the BAS hostname conventon whle connected to the BAS network. A member of IT staff wll confgure ths. Lnux We recommend Lnux frewalls are enabled and that fle systems should not be shared on the network except n specal cases (cleared wth IT staff). DHCP should be used. OpenOffce s recommended to handle Wndows Offce document formats. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 24

25 Feld use Laptops n the feld wll need a seral port or a USB-to-seral adapter and drvers. Ths wll allow the ICT Engneer to set up the Irdum Data Package. Ths system s for offcal use and lmted personal use. Contact the staton ICT Engneer for further nformaton. Drver/recovery dsks Anyone travellng south wth a computer or devce should brng all the drver dsks wth them. Recovery dsks are essental n the case of a rebuld. BAS ICT Helpdesk: Tel: Emal: helpdesk@bas.ac.uk Communcatons Emal, web access and telephone communcaton (supplementary materal wll be gven at Pre-deployment Tranng) For most people, the usual form of communcaton s va emal between the Antarctc faclty and the rest of the world. Whlst the varous satellte connectons provde the potental for a 24/7 servce, t should be noted that weather condtons can and do affect ts operaton. Ths may mean that the servce s nterrupted or unavalable at tmes. All shps and statons have telephones. It s not possble to use normal moble telephones n the Antarctc or South Georga, but some moble phones wll work n Stanley and others wll work f you buy the local SIM card. The only moble satellte phones that work n Antarctca are Irdum phones. Shps and statons receve a daly newspaper by emal. Ths conssts of about four A4 pages of news headlnes and summares. Arletters We recognse that not all your contacts have access to computers and emal. Therefore, there s a faclty to send and receve messages by post. These can be emaled to Cambrdge whch wll then be posted on to your contact, whose address must be ncluded at the top of the page. Your contacts should post ther message (clearly marked Personal Message on the envelope) to Cambrdge from where t wll be scanned and emaled to you. Post Each staton s able to receve and send normal post durng the southern summer. Please note that the opportuntes for dong so are nfrequent and f you are gong to Antarctca for a short tme you may get home before the post arrves. Shps personnel may send post when the shp s n port. Statons use ether Brtsh Antarctc Terrtory or South Georga and South Sandwch Islands stamps, whch are avalable on staton. Post s taken out on the frst avalable shp or arcraft and dspatched, normally through the Falkland Islands. Postal rates for letters, postcards and parcels are avalable on staton. Anyone wth an nterest n stamp collectng wll have the opportunty to buy the wde selecton of stamps and frst day covers avalable at the statons and from the places through whch you transt. Your contacts wll be sent shps tnerares and contact addresses to enable them to send mal for personnel onboard or for transfer to statons. All letters and small packages should be sent va armal. However, the route may be tortuous and post may be delvered out of sequence. Parcels wll normally be treated as surface mal and may take many weeks to arrve. If you are deployng to Halley, your post should be sent to BAS Cambrdge to be forwarded under BAS arrangements. Famly and Frends Lason BAS has a 24-hour responsblty for personnel n the Antarctc. Your contacts can call Human Resources at any tme. Outsde offce hours there s always a member of Human Resources on call va BAS Recepton ( ). Both personnel n the Antarctc and ther contacts wll be dealt wth sympathetcally and confdentally at all tmes. Your contacts detals are taken from your personal detals form. Please ensure that you complete all the nformaton that s requested on ths form and remember to tell Human Resources f any detals change. Personal accounts (supplementary materal wll be gven at Pre-deployment Tranng) There are no bankng facltes on the shps or statons. Instead, Personal Accounts are provded for all personnel to cover any expendture ncurred whlst south. It s therefore mportant that you make sure that you have completed a Personal Account Undertakng before leavng. Each person travellng south wll have an account set up for them. Any purchases made at the staton or on a shp wll be put aganst ths account. For BAS employees and AEP staff each month s expendture wll be deducted from your salary the followng month. For vstors you are requred to regster card detals wth WorldPay n order for us to take payment of your account balance at the end of your tme n the Antarctc. The WorldPay system s used to take all payments of personal account balances for those people not employed by BAS. All vstors and AEP staff are requred to regster card detals wth WorldPay pror to travellng to the Antarctc. For AEP staff these detals wll only be used should there be a remanng account balance at the end of your employment whch cannot be deducted from your salary. Statements of your account are sent out before any payments are taken. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 25

26 Health and safety and medcal ssues Your health and safety Your safety s our frst prorty. We are commtted to provdng you wth a safe and healthy vst to Antarctca. But how do we acheve ths? We can t make Antarctca a safe envronment; that would be mpossble. Our focus has to be safe people wth the rght sklls, experence and equpment, makng the rght decsons at the rght tme. Health and safety management at BAS Health and Safety s not an ntellectual exercse to keep safety managers n work. It s a matter of lfe and death. It s the sum total of everybody s contrbuton to safety management that determnes whether the people we work wth lve or de (Excerpt from the Pper Alpha Investgaton). The above statement seems serous but s very pertnent to the BAS operaton. We cannot work n a manner where health and safety s done by someone else or s seen as just gettng n the way. At BAS you wll fnd a postve and open culture where health and safety s recognsed by all staff to be fundamental n all we do. For ths reason, BAS s health and safety record contnues year-onyear to be frst-rate. What do we need from you? BAS needs you to take a postve and proactve atttude to your and your colleague s health and safety. We need you to understand your responsbltes and work professonally at all tmes. Please act n a manner that ensures the health and safety of yourself and others. Please follow the safety nformaton, nstructons and any tranng you have receved when you carry out your dutes wth BAS: Only use equpment and vehcles that you have been traned and authorsed to use Queston anythng you are asked to do f you thnk t s unsafe. If t looks unsafe, t probably s Thnk before attemptng to lft a heavy load, can you get help or a machne to assst wth the lft? Follow the BAS Safe Operatng Procedures when they apply Take responsblty for your personal health, e.g. wear sun cream, take regular exercse and use the recreatonal opportuntes avalable, f drnkng alcohol, drnk responsbly and never whlst on duty Always wear the approprate safety clothng and polar clothng, and equpment ssued to you Report all accdent, ncdents, near msses or anythng you feel s unsafe (AINME) A few key terms and defntons n BAS Safety Management Rsk Assessment A management tool and method of dentfyng hazards, quantfyng rsks, plannng safety controls and settng actons for mprovement. Safe Operatng Procedures (SOP) A formally documented step-by-step gude to ensure more complex work actvtes are carred out safely and effcently; often a SOP wll be n place for hgher rsk actvtes. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Assessment A method of assessng those workplace hazardous substances whch pose a rsk to your health. The assessment then mplements the best controls to protect your health. The standard controls often seen at BAS are fume cabnets or dust extracton, safe storage, PPE, good hygene and tranng and awareness. Accdent, Incdent, Near Mss and Envronment (AINME) Reportng The BAS onlne reportng tool. All staff and vstors are requred to report accdents, ncdents and near msses. You wll fnd the BAS AINME system va your local ntranet. Health & Safety Intranet An onlne resource where you wll fnd current health and safety nformaton. Health and safety documents are also kept locally. Personal Protectve Equpment (PPE) Is a term used for all the equpment you generally wear or attach yourself to, to offer some form of safety control. Hard hats to sun hats, mukluks to steel toe caps all come under ths category, ncludng polar clothng. Remember the best safety tool you have s your head, use t wsely! Image: Travellng n the feld usng skdoos and sledges. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 26

27 Tranng All personnel travellng south requre tranng n order to work safely. You MUST attend the approprate Antarctc Pre-deployment Tranng Course and frst-ad tranng. Job-specfc tranng may also be requred, and further tranng takes place on shps and statons. Tranng s an ongong process. We recognse that even people wth extensve polar experence can refne ther technques through revson and refreshment. Hence, you may be requred ether to repeat courses at regular ntervals or to undertake more advanced tranng. Medcal cover In order to provde a hgh standard of medcal care for personnel n the Antarctc, there are doctors and small surgeres onboard both BAS shps and at Rothera, Halley and KEP. Each doctor s supported through a telemedcne lnk and 24-hour medcal cover wth the BAS Medcal Unt (BASMU). Sgny and Brd Island have advanced frst ad support. The medcal servce n the Antarctc s lmted by the avalablty of staff and facltes. The doctors undergo extensve specal tranng before deployment, but there are no specalst hosptal facltes or Intensve Care Unts, and only lmted surgcal facltes. Crcumstances may arse where condtons cannot be treated on staton. Evacuaton wll be undertaken where possble, but ths wll be dependent upon the tme of year, weather and logstc capablty. Personal health Antarctca s, n general, a clean, healthy envronment. However, the prevalng condtons do expose personnel to a number of hazards wth whch they may not be famlar. These can lead to medcal problems, but are avodable f proper precautons are taken. They nclude: Hypotherma Cold njury Sunburn and snow blndness Dehydraton Carbon monoxde posonng Further nformaton on all the above, and other condtons, s gven n KURAFID, the BASMU frst ad manual. Images: Top: Abselng s part of the BAS feld tranng course, held n Derbyshre. Bottom: Adjustng nstruments hgh on a meteorology mast at Halley Research Staton. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 27

28 Envronmental protecton It s a prorty for BAS to mnmse our effect on the envronment. We am to acheve the hghest standards for our own envronmental performance, set a good example to our peers and lead on Antarctc envronmental polcy ssues. All of our actvtes are assessed for ther potental mpact before they are allowed to proceed. There are many day-to-day measures that all personnel need to take to mnmse ther own mpact on the envronment of Antarctca and South Georga. Waste management See Waste Management Handbook (Internal access va BAS Intranet: envronment/antarctca/waste-management-antarctca/pages/default. aspx) Everybody s responsble for mnmsng the quantty of waste they produce, and for the proper dsposal of ther own waste. Before departng for Antarctca, remove as much packagng as possble (e.g. cardboard or plastc packagng from toletres etc.) BAS already makes extensve use of reusable packagng materals. Where practcable, use rechargeable batteres. Do not drop ltter, ncludng tea-bags and cgarette ends, on land or over the sde of shps. All BAS waste, except for untreated sewage or wet food waste, s removed from Antarctca. Open burnng or buryng of waste s prohbted. Waste s separated at source nto dfferent categores for re-use, recyclng or dsposal. It s reduced n volume as far as practcable, securely packed and correctly labelled for safe transport. Partcular attenton must be pad to the correct packagng and labellng of hazardous waste. Most types of waste, ncludng steel and alumnum cans, paper, cardboard, plastcs, batteres, prnter cartrdges, empty fuel drums, and large scrap metal, are sent for re-use or recyclng. We currently acheve a recyclng rate of ~88% for all our Antarctc wastes. Soon after arrvng on shp or staton you wll be gven a tour of the faclty and the waste management system wll be explaned n more detal. Detals of waste dsposal procedures are gven n the BAS Waste Management Handbook and should be followed closely. Protect Antarctc wldlfe Do not feed, handle or dsturb brds or seals, or approach too closely for photographs (stay at least 5m from wldlfe). Walk slowly around them and reman quet Do not use vehcles, boats, or arcraft n a way that wll dsturb wldlfe Do not collect samples of plants, eggs, bones, rocks, meteortes, or fossls. No recreatonal samplng Do not walk or drve over extensve areas of moss or lchen Do not brng non-natve anmals, plants or seeds to Antarctca Prevent lght polluton swtch off external lghts and close blnds Respect protected areas Know the locaton of protected areas and any restrctons on entry nto them If you are permtted to enter a protected area, carry the permt and management plan wth you, and pay partcular attenton to the condtons of the permt Do not remove, destroy or damage Hstorc Stes or Monuments or the artefacts wthn them Do not buld carns Prevent polluton If nvolved n refuellng actvtes, follow the establshed procedures. Never leave refuellng unattended. Report any splls mmedately to the Staton Leader Do not pollute lakes or water courses (ths ncludes urnatng!) Do not pant or engrave names or grafft on rocks, buldngs or other structures Do not collect souvenrs of bologcal (e.g. plants), geologcal (e.g. fossls) or human orgn Do not flush anythng (other than pee, poo and loo roll) down the tolets on statons or shps Take only envronmentally bengn toletres no mcroplastcs n scrubs or toothpastes, avod harsh chemcals Reduce energy use BAS s commtted to reducng the amount of fossl fuels t uses to power shps, arcraft, vehcles, and staton electrcty and heatng systems. The prmary fuels used on the statons are marne gas ol (desel) and avaton fuel, whch are used for both heatng and electrcty generaton. Ths means that the statons produce more than twce the amount of CO 2 than they would by consumng the equvalent amount from the UK electrcty grd actual value based on 2016 data s 2.3 tmes more CO 2 than the equvalent energy used n the UK. We are workng hard to reduce the carbon emssons from energy generaton on our statons through a combnaton of solar hot-water heatng, new hgh-effcency generators, photovoltacs and wnd turbnes. However, the best way to manage and reduce energy use, and the assocated carbon emssons, s by staff workng n harmony wth these technologes and beng as energy effcent as possble. Everybody on staton can assst n mnmsng the quantty of fuel used and the related carbon emssons produced: Swtch off all lghts, computers and other equpment when not n use Unplug chargers when not n use and use USB chargers lnked to computers wherever possble Unplug laptop power packs when not n use Do not brng non-essental energy-usng equpment to statons Use the radators valves (TRVs) to control the temperature of the room you are n. A recommended bedroom temperature would be at settng 2 (18 C) whle a recommended lvng room temperature would be at settng 3 (20 C). Make sure the radators and radator valves are not blocked or covered by furnture or clothes. Remember to turn down the radator valve when leavng the room or turn t off completely when openng the wndow. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 28

29 Specal attenton needs to be gven to workshops wth electrc heaters. Do not leave electrc heaters on when there s no need.check frdge and freezer temperatures for overcoolng Only take bref showers (3-4 mnutes) don t leave taps runnng, only wash full loads of clothng and use tumble dryers only when necessary,.e. when no dryng space s avalable. Please report any leaks you see, no matter how small Avod unnecessary journeys n vehcles (skdoos and gators) Fresh water producton, hot water generaton and waste water treatment are a sgnfcant use of energy on statons. These may seem lke small measures, but wth everyone workng together these steps can soon add up to sgnfcantly large energy, carbon and cost savngs. Communcatons and meda Excellence n communcaton s an ntegral part of BAS s scence strategy. Through ts Communcatons & Publc Engagement Programme, BAS s commtted to explanng our scence and operatons to as wde an audence as possble. The programme ncludes meda relatons, educaton, publc engagement and publshng. The Communcatons Team works closely wth members of staff and ther collaborators to help them be effectve communcators. Recognsng the crucal role that meda play n shapng publc atttudes to scence, BAS runs a well-establshed meda relatons programme that ncludes vsts to Antarctca. All meda relatons are co-ordnated through the Communcatons Team. If journalsts contact you drectly please refer them to the BAS Press Offce n the frst nstance. The Press Offce wll bref you and help you prepare for ntervews. Your contacts are Lnda Capper (lmca@bas.ac.uk), Athena Dnar (amd@bas.ac.uk) and Sarah Vncent (sarnce@bas.ac.uk). BAS has an educatonal programme whch s co-ordnated through the Communcatons Team. We would encourage any support for schools or educatonal actvtes durng your tme wth BAS and ask that you contact us wth any detals so we can offer our experence and support and keep an accurate record of BAS staff nvolvement. Contact: Km Qunce (kyq@bas.ac.uk). Web dares, blogs and socal networkng webstes The avalablty of 24-hour nternet access has gven Antarctc staff the opportunty to keep n touch wth famles and frends and to reach out to the global onlne communty va socal meda. Whlst ths s a great way to communcate what BAS does through the personal experences of our staff, there can be ptfalls for authors. Please seek advce from your Staton Leader or the Press Offce. Sponsorshp and endorsement It s mportant to be aware that sponsorshp and product endorsement s a potentally senstve area. There are Government gudelnes that must be strctly followed. Sponsorshp comes n many forms from the support of meda or educatonal campagns (ether fnancal or n knd ) to practcal help from partnershps. For example, companes often offer free supples or equpment n exchange for publcty. Supplers of goods or equpment purchased by BAS often seek to publcse ther products n the trade press. The Press Offce must approve all text wrtten by these companes to ensure proprety and avod drect endorsement of products. Indvdual members of staff must not seek sponsorshp, product endorsement or offer publc relatons opportuntes wthout frst consultng ther Lne Manager and the Head of Communcatons. Images: Top: Solar panels on Bransfeld House at Rothera Research Staton, Antarctca. Bottom: Fllmng for BBC Horzon at Halley VI Research Staton, Brunt Ice Shelf, Antarctca. For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 29

30 Human Resources polces BAS and NERC have a seres of polces that apply to the conduct of ts staff. Whlst they are amed drectly at NERC employees, they may also be taken to apply n sprt to contractors and vstors. Any person n serous breach of regulatons wll be removed from the Antarctc at the frst opportunty, regardless of ther afflaton, and the partculars handed on to ther own employers for consderaton. These polces are detaled n NERC Polcy Notces on the NERC ntranet and are avalable on all shps and statons or from Human Resources n Cambrdge. Before leavng, you should make sure you famlarse yourself wth polces on: BAS Alcohol and Drugs Polcy Research Councl Health Promoton Polcy Dscplnary procedures Grevance procedures Research Councl Equalty and Dversty Polcy Staton Leaders and Masters are sworn n as magstrates for Brtsh Antarctc Terrtory (BAT). They also have ultmate responsblty and authorty for all actvtes wthn ther faclty and assocated areas. All personnel should be aware that whlst they are terrtorally outsde the UK, UK law apples unless a specfc alternatve BAT statute s n force. Personnel may be prosecuted for any breach of the law as f they were n the UK and ether extradted or referred to a hgher court for tral. Fnal consderatons Ths handbook contans a great deal of nformaton, and you cannot be expected to absorb t all mmedately. Please carry t wth you when you go south as a source of reference. Do not leave t at home. At the back of ths handbook s a checklst of the most mportant thngs that you should remember before you leave home. If you can tck all the tems n the checklst, then you wll get your tour off to a successful start. A vst to the Antarctc s a great opportunty to experence a unque envronment, try new actvtes and make new frendshps that wll last a lfetme. BAS and ts staff n the Antarctc and the UK wll do everythng they can to ensure that you acheve your professonal and personal objectves whlst n the frozen contnent. Please make the most of your tme n Antarctca. You are very lucky to be jonng the small number of people who vst the contnent each year. Approach everythng wth a postve, optmstc and cheerful atttude and you wll have an experence to remember! Further nformaton The BAS publc webste offers a wde range of nformaton on BAS actvtes and scence regular dares from statons and shps are partcularly popular. BAS staff both at Cambrdge and on shps and statons have access to the nternal ntranet, whch holds much practcal gudance and lnks to the webstes of BAS groups, servces and resources. Publc ste: Intranet: Detals of BAS scence can be found n the publcaton Polar Scence for Planet Earth. Copes are avalable on all shps and statons and on the BAS webste and ntranet. BAS publcatons: The BAS Lbrary provdes access to the resources of the NERC Lbrary Servce and to onlne journals and web servces. The BAS Lbrary s a scentfc lbrary but also holds publc nterest tems. Holdngs are at Cambrdge and on the shps and bases. Enqures can be sent to: baslb@bas.ac.uk The BAS Archve Servce manages scentfc, logstcal and admnstratve records of all aspects of BAS s actvtes from the 1940s to the present day. These can be nvaluable n helpng staff to prepare for feldwork by fndng out what has been done n the past and can also provde recreatonal materal. The Archves database s not currently avalable onlne, but can be accessed n the Archves Offce, rooms Archves staff can also provde nformaton from the database remotely. Enqures can be sent to: basarchves@bas.ac.uk The Archves Servce s also responsble for records management wthn BAS, ncludng mplementng the NERC Records Management Polcy, wth the am of ensurng effectve storage, retreval and dsposal of both electronc and physcal busness records. The Archve Manager s the BAS Freedom of Informaton Offcer. The Polar Data Centre provdes data management support for NERC-funded polar scentsts; ths ncludes data and nformaton servces for operatonal support, scence delvery and long-term data management. BAS also holds collectons of rocks, fossls, zoologcal specmens and a herbarum. Enqures can be sent to polardatacentre@bas.ac.uk Data and collectons: The Mappng and Geographc Informaton Centre (MAGIC) provdes maps and other geographc nformaton to workers at BAS; a map catalogue s avalable onlne. MAGIC also hosts the Antarctc Place-Names Secretary (of the Antarctc Place-Names Commttee APC) who mantans a gazetteer and place-names maps for all UK approved names wthn Brtsh Antarctc Terrtory. MAGIC: mappng-and-geographc-nformaton APC: The Informaton, Communcatons and Technology (ICT) group provdes the computng and communcatons nfrastructure for BAS; ther wk ste provdes essental nformaton for new starters. ICT wk: For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 30

31 Checklst Have you delvered any cargo for shppng to Cambrdge n tme for packng dates? Are your fnancal and admnstratve affars n the UK properly arranged? Have you been ftted for your BAS-ssue clothng? Have you completed medcal and dental checks? Have you had the necessary mmunsatons, and do you have the vaccnaton certfcates? Have you obtaned any permts needed for your work? Does your famly understand the communcatons system? Do you have your contacts emal addresses? Do you have recepts for goods to be re-mported? Do you have your passport (n date to sx months after end of tour) and any vsas you may need? Do you have your tckets or flght detals letter? Have you confrmed flght detals wth the Polar Operatons Support Team? Have you arranged travel to the arport? Do you have suffcent money for use en route? Do you have an overnght bag packed as hand luggage? If you are travellng on a BAS vessel do you have the orgnal copy of your Personal Survval Technques (STCW 95) certfcate wth you? For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 31

32 Glossary AINME Accdent, Incdent, Near Mss and Envronmental (Reportng System) AME Antarctc and Marne Engneerng Secton AMOS Asset Management Operatng System ASPA Antarctc Specally Protected Area AST Arborne and Survey Technology Secton AWS Automatc Weather Statons BASCam BAS Cambrdge BASMU BAS Medcal Unt BASnet BAS Corporate Communcatons Network BAT Brtsh Antarctc Terrtory Bergy bt Floatng ce between 1m and 5m above sea level BI Brd Island Bondu shelf ce Brash strps of broken sea ce Brze RAF Brze Norton BSS Buldngs Servces Secton BZ RAF Brze Norton CASLAB Clean Ar Sector Laboratory Cat sno-cat, snow tractor Comms Communcatons COSHH Control of Substances Hazardous to Health D7 Dash 7 arcraft Dngle good weather, blue skes DO Dvng Offcer Doo skdoo, snow bke DROMLAN Dronnng Maud Land Ar Network Drum lne a marked route on the ce shelf ERMS Electronc Record Management System ES RRS Ernest Shackleton FI Falkland Islands Fd a BAS employee down south FIDS Falkland Islands Dependences Survey FIG Falkland Islands Government Floes stretches of thck sea ce FOM Feld Operatons Manager FOWC Feld Operatons Workng Commttee FTA Fxed Term Appontments Gash waste/cleanng dutes GIS Geographc Informaton Systems Growlers mostly sub-surface ce less than 1m above water GSGSSI Government of South Georga and the South Sandwch Islands H Sgny H&S Health & Safety Hnge pont at whch the contnental ce floats to become shelf ce ICT Informaton and Communcatons Technology Secton IP Investors n People INMARSAT a satellte communcatons system ISM Internatonal Safety Management JCR RRS James Clark Ross KEP Kng Edward Pont (South Georga) Kng Fd the BAS lason representatve onboard shp Klatch (personal) belongngs LHR London Heathrow Arport LMIC Lne Management n Confdence MAGIC Mappng and Geographc Informaton Centre Mank, Manky wet and dark weather MOD Mnstry of Defence MOU Memorandum of Understandng MPA Mount Pleasant Arport, Falkland Islands NERC Natural Envronment Research Councl NOK next of kn North home country, normally UK OEA Open Ended Appontment Pack sea ce Pax Passenger(s) PI Prncpal Investgator PL Project Leader PNR Pont of no return (arcraft) POST Polar Operatons Support Team PPE Personal Protectve Equpment PSPE Polar Scence for Planet Earth R Rothera RA Rsk Assessment Relef resupply of a staton SCAR Scentfc Commttee on Antarctc Research Sched a programmed rado contact, fax or emal transfer SISB Scence and Innovaton Strategy Board SL Staton Leader Smoko tea break South the Antarctc SSSI Ste of Specal Scentfc Interest T&S Travel and Subsstence TOR Terms of Reference WSL Wnter Staton Leader X Stanley Z Halley. Also used n tme as reference to GMT (Zulu) For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 32

33 Index Accdents, ncdents and near msses (AIMNE)... 14, 21, 26 Aerosols Arcraft... 11, 19 Arletters Alcohol... 21, 22, 26, 30 Antarctc Act... 7, 8 Antarctc Pre-deployment Tranng Course... 5, 13, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 25, 27 Antarctc Treaty... 7, 14 Arctc... 9 Ascenson Island... 13, 18 Baggage allowances BAS culture... 4 BAS Medcal Unt (BASMU) 12, 13, 16, 27 BAS Vson and Msson... 4 Batteres... 16, 28 Brd Island... 11, 14, 23, 27 Bscoe, John... 6 Blood testng Borchgrevnk, Carsten... 6 Bransfeld, Edward... 6 Brze Norton... 18, 19 Bruce, Wllam Spers... 6 Cameras Cape Town... 15, 16, 18, 19 Cargo... 11, 16, 17, 20, 22 CCAMLR... 7, 11 Clothng... 14, 15, 17 Commercal flghts... 15, 18 Communcatons... 21, 23, 25, 29 Computers... 15, 22, 25, 28 Computng... 23, 24, 25 Confdentalty Contact lenses Cook, James... 6 COSHH Customs... 16, 17 Dash , 19 Dental care Dscovery Investgatons... 6 Electrcal supply Emal... 23, 24, 25 Envronmental protecton... 7, 28 Ernest Shackleton, ES, (see RRS Ernest Shackleton) Exploraton... 6 Falkland Islands... 6, 7, 11, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 23, 25, 28 Famly and Frends Lason... 13, 25 FIDS... 6, 7 Feld operatons... 11, 22, 23, 25 Fnances... 13, 25 Flghts... 15, 18, 19 Foregn & Commonwealth Offce (FCO)... 7 Fuchs, Sr Vven... 6 Glasses Grytvken Halley... 11, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 25, 27 Hazardous materals... 17, 26, 28 Health... 12, 13, 26, 27 Hstory... 6 Immunsaton Insurance Internatonal Geophyscal Year (IGY)... 6, 7 Intranet... 26, 30 James Clark Ross, JCR, (see RRS James Clark Ross) Kng Edward Pont (KEP)... 11, 23, 27 Kng/Queen Fd... 20, 21 Ktbag... 15, 17 KURAFID Law... 7, 30 Lcenses (see Permts) Medcal examnatons Medcaton MOD flghts... 18, 19 Moble telephones... 24, 25 Money... 21, 22 Morale and behavour of staff NERC... 7, 8, 9, 30 Newspapers...16, 25 Operatng procedure... 8, 26 Operaton Tabarn... 6 Packng... 14, 15, 16, 17 Packng dates Parcels Passport Permts... 8, 14, 28 Personal accounts Photography Polar Scence for Planet Earth... 9, 30 Post Power of Attorney Protocol on Envronmental Protecton... 7 Punta Arenas... 11, 15, 18, 19 Recreaton... 22, 26, 30 Rsk assessments... 21, 22, 26 Ross, James Clark... 6 Rothera... 11, 17, 19, 22, 23, 27 RRS Ernest Shackleton... 11, 17, 19, 20 RRS James Clark Ross... 11, 15, 17, 19, 20 Santary towels Santago Scott, Robert Falcon... 6 Shackleton, Ernest... 6 Shp Safety Management System Shp support work Sgny... 11, 23, 27 Skng and snowboardng Smokng... 21, 22 South Amerca... 13, 15, 18 South Georga... 6, 11, 14, 15, 25, 28 Sponsorshp Stanley... 11, 18, 25 Tax Telephone... 18, 24, 25 Tme dfferences Tranng... 5, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27 Travel... 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 25 Twn Otter... 11, 23 Vegetarans... 20, 22, 23 Vsas Votng Waste management... 14, 28 Watches Webste... 29, 30 Weddell, James... 6 Wlls For more nformaton, please vst our webste: 33

34 Feedback and further nformaton We welcome your feedback and comments on ths document. These should be addressed to: Head of Polar Operatons Brtsh Antarctc Survey Hgh Cross, Madngley Road Cambrdge, CB3 0ET, UK For further nformaton about BAS, please vst our webste: Publshed by Brtsh Antarctc Survey NERC All rghts reserved. 34

35 Arctc Ttle BAS offces and research statons Ocean Programme Leader: Dr Name Here Ttle Text Contact: Dr Name Here NERC Ny Ålesund Research Staton BAS Cambrdge Introducton Text Text GREENLAND North Pole Svalbard Iceland Brd Island Research Staton Kng Edward Pont Research Staton * BAS Stanley Offce Sgny Research Staton Rothera Research Staton South Georga Halley Research Staton South Amerca Falkland Islands Drake Passage Ttle Text Weddell Contact: Dr Name Here xxx@bas.ac.uk Sea Bellngshausen Sea Ronne Ice Shelf WEST ANTARCTICA South Pole EAST ANTARCTICA Fossl Bluff Feld Staton Sky-Blu Feld Staton Ross Sea Ross Ice Shelf Images: Top: Text. Bottom: Text. * Run on behalf of the UK Foregn and Commonwealth Offce and the Government For more nformaton, of South please Georga vst our webste: and the South Sandwch Islands

36 Brtsh Antarctc Survey (BAS), a component of the Natural Envronment Research Councl, delvers world-leadng, nterdscplnary research n the Polar Regons. Its sklled scence and support staff based n Cambrdge, Antarctca and the Arctc, work together to delver research that underpns a productve economy and contrbutes to a sustanable world. Its numerous natonal and nternatonal collaboratons, leadershp role n Antarctc affars and excellent nfrastructure help ensure that the UK mantans a world-leadng poston. BAS has over 450 staff and operates fve research statons, two Royal Research Shps and fve arcraft n and around Antarctca.