Important Health and Safety information
During the first week of our programs, field faculty and staff conduct extensive orientations, to inform students about the the area which they will be living.
We want all members of our community to be aware of the presence of certain bacteria in our environment so that we may take proper precautions. Some common viruses and bacteria that are present on the island include; giardia, leptospirosis, staphylococcus, and rat-lungworm disease. We insure that everyone will be educated on how to prevent and naturally treat each of these ailments.
Students must be aware that farms chores can be strenuous and will require the use of certain tools and equipment. Each tool has a specific function and misuse of tools can result in injury to ones self and others.We will instruct students on how to properly and safely use each tool, and continually remind them of being present and aware while using heavy and/or sharp equipment.
Student Emergency Contact forms are kept on file with program faculty. All students in our programs are required to maintain U.S based medical insurance during their program.
The Hawaii Institute of Pacific Agriculture abides by the safety guidelines set out by the National Association for Foreign Study Abroad (NAFSA). Key points from these guidelines are below:
The Hawaii Institute of Pacific Agriculture:
- Cannot guarantee or assure the safety and/or security of participants or eliminate all risks from the study abroad environments.
- Cannot monitor or control all of the daily personal decisions, choices, and activities of participants.
- Cannot prevent participants from engaging in illegal, dangerous, or unwise activities.
- Cannot assume responsibility for actions or for events that are not part of the program, nor for those that are beyond the control of the sponsor and its subcontractors, or for situations that may arise due to the failure of a participant to disclose pertinent information.
In study abroad, as in other settings, participants can have a major impact on their own health and safety through the decisions they make before and during their program and by their day-to-day choices and behaviors.
We take health and safety very seriously and expect our students to do the same. HIP Agriculture is available to support and assist students in their efforts to remain healthy and safe.
