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A Guide to Going South with British Antarctic Survey Cover: Divers on the Support Boat Preparing for a Dive Around Rothera Research Station

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A Guide to Going South with British Antarctic Survey Cover: Divers on the Support Boat Preparing for a Dive Around Rothera Research Station A guide to going south with British Antarctic Survey Cover: Divers on the support boat preparing for a dive around Rothera Research Station. Director’s foreword Season 2021/22 Hello everyone going to Antarctica in 2021/22 You are about to go to one of the most awesome and beautiful places on Earth. It is also one of the safest on the planet at the moment since there is currently no Covid virus there. Last year our Operations staff worked extremely hard to keep everyone safe from Covid and some of you who went south last season probably endured two weeks quarantine before boarding RRS James Clark Ross to sail all the way to Antarctica. With all those precautions, which followed the excellent protocol developed by the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programmes (COMNAP), our stations remained Covid-free and safe. Covid reached one isolated Antarctic station via the Chilean navy but was contained. This coming season Covid is still somewhat affecting our preparations and we have to be careful during training in Cambridge and while travelling south, either on the ship or via the Falklands. The Covid situation changes quite quickly so we all have to be flexible and adapt to variable conditions. This coming season is also extremely busy and challenging. This is the first visit of RRS Sir David Attenborough to Antarctica. For the first time the ship will be visiting stations, being tested in ice, testing ship systems and supplying the Thwaites project in West Antarctica. There will be a big push on completing the exterior of the Rothera Discovery Building to ensure that it is snow-tight by the end of the season, and there are science projects to support from each station, as well as maintaining the stations and their services. For those of you wintering you are about to undertake an amazing adventure that you will remember for the rest of your life. The winter experience is a unique one, with incredible skies, beautiful snowy scenery, and some interesting bad weather! The winter trips are often the highlight for winterers. So have a great season but stay safe. Remember that our normal medical evacuation pathways to expert hospitals are severally restricted. You need to be very safety-conscious in everything you do, from activities outside to relatively simple tasks in the station – please take extra care this year and avoid a medevac. Most of all, enjoy being in such a special place. Give your best, work as a team and enjoy your time in Antarctica. Professor Dame Jane Francis Director, BAS i For more information, please visit: www.bas.ac.uk 3 Checklist This handbook contains a great deal of information, and you cannot be expected to absorb it all immediately. Please carry it with you when you go south as a source of reference. We have created a checklist of the most important things to remember before you leave home. Medical Page Have you completed medical and dental checks? 6 Have you had the necessary immunisations, and do you have the vaccination 6 certificates? Finance Are your financial and administrative affairs in the UK properly arranged? 7 Clothing Have you been fitted for your BAS-issue clothing? 9 Cargo Have you delivered any cargo for shipping to Cambridge in time for packing dates? 12 Do you have receipts for goods to be re-imported? 9 Communications Does your family understand the communications system? 20, 21, 26 Travel Do you have your passport (in date to six months after end of tour) and any visas 7 you may need? Do you have your tickets and travel guidance? (Please note this will be sent two 13 weeks before travel) Have you confirmed receipt of flight details? 13 Do you have sufficient money for use en route? 13 If you are travelling on a BAS vessel do you have the original copy of your Personal 17 Survival Techniques (STCW ’95) certificate with you? Other Have you obtained any permits needed for your work? 8, 24 i For more information, please visit: www.bas.ac.uk 4 Contents 3 Director’s foreword 22 Health and safety and medical issues Your health and safety 4 Checklist What do we need from you? 6 Basic preparations A few key terms and definitions in BAS Health matters Safety Management Passports and visas Training Financial affairs Medical cover Voting Personal health Making a will 24 Environmental protection Bad news whilst you are away 26 Communications and media 8 Packing for the Antarctic Sponsorship and endorsement What NOT to take to Antarctica Social media What to take to Antarctica Unaccompanied personal belongings 29 Human Resources policies 13 Travelling to and from Antarctica 30 Further information How do I get there? 33 Contact information What information can I expect to receive from BAS? 35 BAS offices and research stations What facilities are available at the Gateway Destinations? Gateway Destination: The Falkland Islands Quarantine in gateways Travelling home from Antarctica 16 Living in Antarctica Living on ships Living on stations Morale and behaviour of staff Recreation Living in the field Time differences Communications Family and Friends Liaison Personal accounts i For more information, please visit: www.bas.ac.uk 5 Basic preparations Health matters Medical examination – Everyone who travels predeployment-prep/intro-guidelines- and-forms/ with BAS to the Antarctic must pass a strict medical-guidelines-and-forms). medical examination. The purpose of the medical Dental check – You must ensure that you have is to determine whether you are physically and a thorough dental check before leaving the UK mentally fit for the arduous nature of Antarctic and that a letter from your dentist confirming service. your dental fitness is supplied to BAS. Your Covid-19 makes the need for medical own dentist should carry out this check. With examinations, dental checks and declaration of worldwide travel restrictions likely to still be in any medical conditions even more important. place during the 2021-22 season BAS will likely You are putting yourself and your colleagues at not be able to return people to station if they risk if you don’t declare pre-exiting conditions. have to leave station for dental treatment. As the medicals are often completed many Confidentiality – Medical records are retained months before travelling south, it is vital that you by BASMU. BAS does its utmost to maintain the report any subsequent medical problems to the confidentiality of medical information. However, BAS Medical Unit (BASMU) before departure, as there may be safety, welfare or operational while in transit or while on BAS ships and implications, personnel additional to the medical stations. staff may sometimes be involved. The final decision rests with the Senior Medical Officer at BASMU. Immunisation – Prior to departure from the UK, you must be well in date with the following Please refer to the BASMU document ‘Medical immunisations, which are freely available from aspects of living and working in Antarctica’ for your GP: more information (www.bas.ac.uk/for-staff/polar- Image: Rothera Research Station, Rothera Point, Adelaide Island, Antarctic Peninsula. i For more information, please visit: www.bas.ac.uk 6 • Diphtheria,Tetanus, Pertussis (DTP or Revaxis and NI situation can be obtained from the BAS Polio) Personal Accounts Manager. • Meningitis ACWY You should consider giving someone you trust • Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) Power of Attorney to enable them to act on your behalf and deal with all matters concerned Covid-19 vaccination • with your affairs. You need to arrange this via a Please refer to BASMU document ‘Immunisation solicitor. You should inform your bank that you Policy’ for more information: www.bas.ac.uk/ are going to be away. for-staff/polar-predeployment-prep/intro-guidelines- You may also have to inform insurance and-forms/medical-guidelines-and-forms. companies, particularly with regard to life, health Ensure that you have a record of your and home insurance policies. This is particularly immunisations with you when you leave for the important for those who will be wintering. Antarctic. A BASMU doctor may wish to see this. Voting Passports and visas There are no arrangements for you to vote Please ensure that your passport will be in date in general or local elections whilst you are in throughout your stay in Antarctica plus at least Antarctica. If you wish to retain your entitlement an extra six months after your planned date of to a vote the only way to do so is by arranging return, including time for any subsequent travel. a ‘proxy’ vote before you leave the UK. Please This is vital. You cannot renew your passport contact your District Council for more once you have left the UK, nor can you travel on information. a passport with less than six months’ life on it. We have been advised that those travelling Making a will through South Africa must have at least two It is always prudent in terms of personal affairs adjoining pages clear of all immigration stamps to have a will in place. You are strongly advised for use by South African authorities. to make a will if you haven’t already done so. You are responsible for obtaining any necessary visas. UK citizens do not require visas for travel Bad news whilst you are away to South Africa, Chile, Uruguay or the Falkland You should take the opportunity to discuss with Islands. your friends and family the possibility that there Citizens of other countries, and UK citizens may be bad news from home whilst you are in travelling elsewhere, should check their visa the Antarctic. requirements well in advance of travel.
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