The Riskiness of Hot Air Balloon Flight - Assignment Example

Risk Assessment of Hot Air Balloon Executive Summary The advent of technology has not only enhance the operations in business world, but has also given birth to number of new activities and sports. Travelling in Hot Air Balloon has also become obsession for many people. Nowadays, there are only few people who are risk taker and majority of the people are risk averse. Therefore, in order to start up the activity of Hot Air Balloon as a business, it is essential to minimize risk so as to attract more and more people. The safer the activity is, the more popular it will become in eyes of its customers. This report focuses on this important subject matter, which is covering the riskiness of Hot Air Balloon Flight and presenting measures in order to minimize the riskiness. During vacations, people like to enjoy almost every other available activity, Hot Air Balloon Flight has also become a point of consideration for many travelers and tourist. It can be more popular only when it gets more and more safer. The chances of error and number of accidents must be as low as possible in order to rank oneself as a reputable Hot Air Balloon Company. This report has been divided into four major parts, each of which covers individual aspects of Hot Air Balloon Flights. Assessment # 1 Risk Context Statement Nowadays, there are many sports and activities which are becoming center of attraction of adventurers and travelers. Some of the most common activities include surfing, skydiving, paragliding, traveling in Hot Air Balloon etc. All of these activities have some risks associated with them. Legal jurisdictions have made it compulsory to assess the risk. There are various strategies which need to be implemented in order to avoid any uncertainty or unpleasant situation. Number of events of Hot Air Balloon take place every where all year round. The activity of Hot Air Balloon which will be discussed in this paper primarily is “Dubai Hot Air Balloon Flight”. Further information for this events is being mentioned in the subsequent section of this paper. i. Description of Activity and Location Hot Air Balloon is one of the most popular adventure activity. Modern balloon technology and training systems assure that it is unlikely for people to get wounded in a Hot Air Balloon accident. Despite of that, since Hot Air Ballooning is an adventure activity and all types of adventure activity do carry some level of risk. Dubai Hot Air Balloon Flight is an event which takes place in Dubai all year long. People from all over the world come to Dubai to enjoy the glitz and glamour of this city. Along with this, they also prefer to enjoy the Hot Air Balloon early morning expedition through which they can enjoy the sightseeing of desserts through bird’s eye view (Viator, n.d.). The duration of this flight is approximately 5 hours. The highlights of this early morning activity include the following. It provides them the opportunity of waking up early in the morning and enjoying the sun rise by being on this one hour Hot Air Balloon Flight trip which takes them deep into the heart of dessert. It provides them opportunities to take photos from such rare scenes as well as unforgettable views. Along with this, a personalized flight certificate is given to every passenger which has the signature of Pilot-in-Command (Viator, n.d.). ii. Legal Requirements of Legal Jurisdiction In 2010, General Civil Aviation Authority published a report which included all the necessary legal requirements to be followed by the agencies operating the activity of Hot Air Balloon. The Operational Directive stated requirement for the flight operations of commercial Hot Air Balloon, monitoring of flight data, wind speed limitation, balloon launch surface and contingency planning for accident/ emergencies or any other incidents. The snapshot of compliance requirement of the report included: a) GPS system must be implemented by all operators before the commencement of the commercial operations. b) All the GPS flight data is to be stored digitally and securely for 24 months. c) The wind speed for the launch of Hot Air Balloon must be at utmost of eight knots that is, 4.1 m/s. d) The data for the wind speed must be recorded in an area which is unobstructed. e) Operators are required to cross the wind speed in qualitative manner by using helium balloon if there is any changeable appearance in localized launch. f) Hot Air Balloon operators need to develop emergency notification procedure in order to alert the Al Ain ATC in case of any emergency (UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, 2010). iii. Macro, Micro and Risk Management Context Along with its huge attraction to travelers, Hot Air Balloons also comprise of some level of risks. The risks in Hot Air Balloon Flight occur both at micro and macro level. Balloon festivals are becoming more and more common these days which have lead to increased chances of collisions and traffic. A balloon which is flying in the air cannot see another balloon over it, therefore there are huge chances of collisions and accidents. Statistics of Accidents or Incidents of Hot Air Balloon A review which took place in USA, United Kingdom and Australia demonstrated the statistics which indicated the results of accidents due to Hot Air Balloon Flights. Selected results have been shown in graphical form. Source: (Brisbane Hot Air Ballooning , n.d.) Source: (Brisbane Hot Air Ballooning , n.d.) Source: (Brisbane Hot Air Ballooning , n.d.) Key Points of Graphical Representation Key points that are extracted from the graphical information mentioned prior includes: As pilots gain more and more experience, there becomes statistically less chances of accidents. Out of all the fatal injuries, almost 80% occurred due to fall following a wire strike. Pilots having experience of 600 to 800 hours are less likely to face any accident as compared to the pilots having less experience (Brisbane Hot Air Ballooning , n.d.). Assessment # 2 Risks Associated to Hot Air Balloon Flight Since it is one of the most popular adventure activity, there are number of risks associated with the flight of Hot Air Balloon. Several risks associated with several features are mentioned below. a. Risks Associated with Activity No matter if it takes place in Dubai or anywhere else, the activity of Hot Air Balloon is indeed a risky activity and in this regard, it is not acceptable to every other person to enjoy the adventurous activity of Hot Air Balloon. Due to such riskiness of this activity, the per head charges of Hot Air Balloon Flight is also always very high ranging from $125 to $500, depending upon the location and other variables. b. Risks Associated with Location The location which is selected for the purpose of Hot Air Balloon Flight is usually the one having no mountains, plateaus and hills. A plain ground kind of location is most suitable for Hot Air Balloon activity. Dubai is the best place for this activity due to large area covering desserts. In this regard, there are minimal amount of risks as far as location as concerned however flying Hot Air Balloon in mountain areas can be highly risky. c. Risks Associated with People People having specific age and health condition can travel in Hot Air Balloon. It can be risky for those people to travel in Hot Air Balloon who have some sort of allergies, chronic problems, blood pressure problem or palpitation problem. Also, people exceeding from the age limit of 55 can also be a cause of concern of Hot Air Balloon Operator. d. Risks Associated with Equipment Hot Air Balloon are filled with Liquefied Propane Gas (LPG) therefore, therefore there are huge concerns of fire explosions in the air due to combustion in areas where there is less amount of oxygen. e. Risks Associated with Physical Environment Hot Air Balloon is that activity which can be undertaken only in certain weather conditions. The weather of Dubai is mostly dry therefore it is also another supportive element for launching Hot Air Balloon Flight in Dubai. Therefore, the risks pertaining to the weather condition for Hot Air Balloon is not high in Dubai which is another facilitating feature for this tourist city. Assessment # 3 Suitability of Hot Air Balloon Activity for Tour Group Members There are many issues related to the people who can travel in Hot Air Balloon Flight. Only those people who fulfill the health related criteria can travel in Hot Air Balloon. Many health experts have given their opinion regarding this and many have restricted people of some certain health condition from traveling in Hot Air Balloon. The largest number of people that can be accommodated in one Hot Air Balloon is 12 passengers. It is mandatory for all passengers to sign release prior to taking flight in Hot Air Balloon. This criteria is standard for almost all of the reputable Hot Air Balloon Companies (Hedding, 2010). In our report, the group of people which were allotted for this activity included: 4 people ages ranging from 60 to 70, (1 female and 3 male) 2 people, ages exceeding from 75 (both females, having health problems) 4 children ages ranging from 6 to 10 years, (one of them having severe peanut allergy and other having chronic asthma) 6 people, ages ranging from 35 to 40 years, (3 female, one of which is pregnant and 3 male) 4 people, ages ranging from 16 to 18 (2 female and 2 male) As per the criteria mentioned by Hedding (2010), it is strictly prohibited for pregnant ladies to travel in Hot Air Balloon. As mentioned prior, people exceeding from the age limit of 55 cannot travel in Hot Air Balloon due to unapparent health problems. As far as children are concerned, irrespective of their age limits, they can travel in Hot Air Balloon only if they have height greater than 4 feet. Babies and toddlers are not allowed on the flight of Hot Air Balloon. Children having any sort of allergies or asthma problems cannot travel in Hot Air Balloon as their condition might get worse in an open air where there is relatively less oxygen. It cannot be an enjoyable journey for those people who have claustrophobia or are afraid of heights (Hedding, 2010). Therefore, out of all those people mentioned above only the following can travel in Hot Air Balloon. 4 people, ages ranging from 16 to 18 (2 female and 2 male) 5 people, ages ranging from 35 to 40 years (2 female and 3 male) 2 children ages ranging from 6 to 10 years Assessment # 4 Risks Control Measures For every adventure activity, it is essential to assess the riskiness of the event and also to determine the preventive measures in order to minimize its riskiness. In order to do so, following measures are mandatory for Hot Air Balloon Flight. Safety Safety must be the foremost consideration for travelling in Hot Air Balloon. Since there have been a lot of cases of accidents and incidents of Hot Air Balloon therefore, Health and Safety can assist in examining the safe operation devices and equipments. Safety plan must be in place and there just be written guidelines in order to make sure that the trip is going to be safe. The pilot-in-command is the one who is directly responsible for the safety of all the passengers. Therefore, during any ballooning event it is the responsibility of pilot-in-command to take decision and guide all other activities (BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, n.d.). Insurance For both, the Hot Air Balloon company and the passengers, it is essential to make sure that the event is conducted under the coverage of a good insurance program. Even for passengers, it is necessary to ensure that event is conducted under a proper insurance program (BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, n.d.). Location An unobstructed area, covering a surface of 200 feet by 200 feet is suitable for Hot Air Balloon Flight. It mustn’t have any light poles, overhead power lines, fences etc which might become obstacle for the flight of Hot Air Balloon. It is better that the area must be grassy, fairly level and free of mud debris (BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, n.d.). Weather Consideration/ Time of Day It is better to conduct the Ballooning event in hours between the sunrise and sunset. Weather conditions such as lightening, rain and wind can be a serious concern of Hot Air Balloon. There mustn’t be any chances of rain within 50 miles of the Ballooning space and also no thunderstorms within 80 miles of the ballooning location. It can be better to disappoint people rather than putting their life in risk. Ceiling limitation and visibility must be considered at all times (BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, n.d.). Management Control Policy and Procedures Incidents and accidents which have occurred in Hot Air Balloon in past have derived several preventive measures for future. Hot Air Balloon Companies consider all the probable mishaps and make policies and procedures accordingly. Strict care is taken in order to ensure the safety of passenger. The equipments are also checked before the commencement of any trip. Qualified and certified pilot operate and guide the entire trip. Checking weather conditions is also necessary before commencing to fly (Kitchen, 2012). Works Cited BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, n.d.. BSA Hot-Air Ballooning Tether Guidelines and FAQs. [Online] Available at: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/Forms/hot-air_balloon.aspx [Accessed 9 September 2012]. Brisbane Hot Air Ballooning , n.d.. Hot Air Balloon Accidents. [Online] Available at: https://www.brisbanehotairballooning.com.au/faqs/education/144-hot-air-balloon-accidents.html [Accessed 9 September 2012]. Hedding, J., 2010. Hot Air Balloon Ride. [Online] Available at: http://phoenix.about.com/od/attractionsandevents/ss/Hot-Air-Balloon-Ride_2.htm [Accessed 9 September 2012]. Kitchen, R. E. a. C., 2012. Hot Air Balloon Tragedy Leads to Enhanced Safety Measures. [Online] Available at: http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ycn-11022462 [Accessed 9 September 2012]. UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, 2010. Operational Directive. [Online] Available at: http://www.gcaa.gov.ae/en/ePublication/admin/Library%20Pdf/Operational%20Directives%20(DIR)/2010/DIR%2001-2010%20Hot%20Air%20Balloons.pdf [Accessed 9 September 2012]. Viator, n.d.. Dubai Hot Air Balloon Flight. [Online] Available at: http://www.viator.com/tours/Dubai/Dubai-Hot-Air-Balloon-Flight/d828-3062BA [Accessed 9 September 2012]. Read More