Policy, Protocols & Compliance
Clear, field-tested systems to help you operate safely, ethically and legally – wherever you work in the world.
Practical Systems Built for the Realities of Fieldwork
Effective policies protect people, clarify responsibility, and guide confident decision-making under pressure. But too often, they’re written for audit checklists, not actual use.
Crux Outdoors helps organisations review and build operational systems that stand up, both in the boardroom and in the field. We specialise in simplifying complex policies, aligning documentation with frontline delivery, and ensuring that your protocols are compliant, defensible and realistic.
We support clients who operate in remote or high-risk environments, run programmes with duty-of-care responsibilities, or require independent support to meet legal, safeguarding or sector-specific standards.
How We Support You
Full review and audit of existing documentation and systems
Creation of new policies and operational protocols aligned to your needs
Safeguarding policy development and escalation planning
Emergency action plans and incident response structures
SOPs tailored to field conditions, staff roles, and client profiles
Advice on UK legal compliance, insurance frameworks, and international obligations
Simplified, field-adapted versions of key documentation
Integration of policies into staff training and operational delivery
Case Studies
Nomadic School Expeditions – Full Operational Protocol Overhaul for Cross-Border African Routes
The challenge
Nomadic School Expeditions delivers ambitious overland school trips through multiple African countries, including Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi. With differing local laws, inconsistent healthcare access, and complex ground logistics, their operational protocols were patchy — built up over years by different staff, with no centralised or current framework.
The company needed a full review and rewrite of their risk, medical and emergency protocols to ensure legal defensibility, partner accountability, and practical clarity for expedition leaders in remote areas.
Our solution
Crux Outdoors began with a detailed audit of their existing policies and incident logs, cross-referencing them with ground realities and feedback from recent leaders. We interviewed UK-based managers, in-country partners, and leaders who had dealt with emergencies on the ground.
We then built a centralised suite of operational protocols, including:
A flexible medevac and emergency framework for multi-country overland routes
Partner vetting and accountability guidance for local providers
A layered safeguarding policy aligned with UK standards but adaptable to local norms
Trip-specific SOPs for all major itineraries
Pre-departure briefing documents and leader handbooks
An internal escalation matrix to clarify who makes decisions when the UK office is asleep
We also delivered a training session for seasonal leaders, walking them through the changes with real-world scenarios.
The company now has a unified operational framework used across all teams. Leaders report significantly improved clarity in high-pressure situations. One season later, a serious injury incident in Malawi was managed using the new medevac flowchart — with the UK team able to track and support the decision-making in real time. The process became a model for future response planning.
TrekWise – Risk, Medical and Crisis Protocols for High-End Custom Expeditions
The challenge
TrekWise designs high-end bespoke expeditions for adult clients across the Andes, Central Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Their model relied heavily on the experience of individual trip leaders and local guides, but lacked standardised documentation or organisational protocols to guide consistent decision-making, especially in remote settings.
As they expanded, they needed to professionalise their systems to manage risk, define leader responsibilities, and strengthen legal and reputational protection.
Our solution
Crux Outdoors led a full ground-up development of TrekWise’s internal operations manual. We began with interviews across the business, from admin staff to trip leaders, and identified key friction points around incident response, insurance coverage, and grey areas in client-leader responsibility.
We produced:
A core safety and risk management policy, tailored to the bespoke nature of each trip
A crisis response framework outlining incident levels and communication trees
Leader SOPs covering altitude illness, medical delegation, and client decision boundaries
Pre-departure and post-incident documentation templates for operational consistency
A guide to international insurance and liability considerations, covering client disclosure, limitations of care, and regional medical evacuation providers
Support in briefing the team and integrating the new system into their client onboarding process
TrekWise now operates with a clear, centralised safety structure that supports consistency without limiting the flexibility of their custom itineraries. Their leaders have increased clarity on where their authority begins and ends, and the head office has oversight of field decisions when needed. Clients are better informed pre-trip, and the business is now positioned to scale with a defensible, professional foundation.
Our Services
Field Safety Audits & Consultancy
Recce & Site Assessments
Policy, Protocols & Compliance
Support for Film, TV & Media Productions
Destination Risk Briefings & Intelligence
Training & Leadership
Get in Touch
If your policies haven’t kept pace with your delivery, or if you need systems that actually support staff in the field, we can help.
We build documentation that stands up to scrutiny, and works under pressure. Whether you're looking for a full operational overhaul or a sharp, focused review, we’ll meet you where you are and bring clarity to what’s next.
