ABTA launches health and safety database
ABTA has launched a health and safety database in partnership with Argent Health and Safety.
The online database, first muted at its Convention in November, currently holds health and safety reports for 20,000 properties in the UK and abroad, but is expected to increase to up to 30,000 properties in the future.
Called the ABTA Resort Check, or ARC, it will help ABTA members check that the hotels in their portfolio offer high standards and minimal risks to their customers.
Available to both ABTA tour operators and travel agents, ABTA hopes it will achieve consistency in the standards of practice across the UK based travel industry.
ABTA head of business development Keith Richards said: “Introducing an industry-wide source of good quality health, safety and risk assessment auditing will reduce costs and duplication of effort and also offer the due diligence on health and safety issues which underpin the quality service ABTA stands for.”
Members will get access to
• Physical audit report, completed every three years
• Self-certification completed in intervening years
• Topline and individual health and safety ratings
• Downloadable reports
• Online training and support to hoteliers
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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