ISO 31031 – What Does The New Safety Standard Mean For Our Industry?

David Gregory
November 2024 will see the launch of a new international standard ISO 31031 – Risk Management for Youth & School Trips. This new international standard can be used to either complement other exisiting standards for school trips, or replace them entirely.
ISO 31031 offers a clear and comprehensive framework which enables schools and organisations to benchmark against an international standard, rather than regional standards and improve their planning processes, more effectively assess risks and set clearer expectations when working with external providers.
The presentation will cover core details of the new standard, provide a self-assessment tool against which schools and providers can assess their current systems and processes and an experiential workshop activity for participants to collaborate and explore ways in which they can implement the new standard and gain the buy-in of their school or organisation.
An author and keen educational researcher, David has written two books and writes a blog on all sorts of experiential education and risk management topics and hosts an occasional podcast on experiential education.
About David
David’s been an outdoor educator for over 24 years and has worked throughout Australia and internationally as an instructor, teacher and program director. David’s developed and run both short and long stay residential outdoor programs for secondary schools and consulted on operational and risk management practices and is the Founder of Xcurison Safety, a training and software business focussed on help schools plan for an manage complex trip risks.
David’s work has been strongly influenced by the need to provide great opportunities for students to develop and grow through real world experiences and at the same time, ensure each program is effectively managed through a strong culture of safety.
David is also a founding member of the Outdoors New South Wales Risk Management and Critical Incident Response Team, a voluntary group which provides support to schools and outdoor education providers in the event of an incident.
David’s an avid snow skier, mountain biker and hiker and is always up for a new challenge or adventure.