FIELDWORK CHECK LIST
Arrangements
Pre-Planning
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Access and travel to/at/from location.
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Accommodation on site.
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Fitness and Training of Leaders and participants.
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Health, prophylaxis, fitness, special needs/incapacities/first aid
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Staff - responsibilities, delegation, competence, staff-student ratio
Adequate supervision
Arrangements for deputising.
Information, instruction, training and experience
General precautions
Clothing and footwear requirements.
Food and drink requirements, inc. emergency rations and fuels.
Personnel Protective Equipment requirements
Local contacts at field site
Identification of local health services at field site
UK contact
Emergency arrangements - inc. evacuation, names and addresses of
participants, their next of kin and GPs. (appendix)
Communication arrangements - on site, with base and in field, language
difficulties.
Insurance cover and liabilities, group and individual.
Equipment arranged.
Safe systems of work devised and understood.
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Done
Not Done
2. Hazards of Activity
It is not possible to cover all sites and eventualities, but the Appendix
provides some details of specific hazards from the following sources :
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Climate - rain, snow, mist/fog, UV, high and low temperatures,
seasonality.
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Terrain/Location - uplands, lowlands, tropics, marine, coastal, inland
waters, woodland, urban, roads/railways, underground.
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Biological - farm stock, flora, fauna, microbiological, food/drink.
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Chemical - pollution
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Mechanical - machinery, plant, tools, equipment.
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Electrical - generators, equipment, circuits.
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Human activity - farming, forestry, excavations, military, waste disposal,
recreation.
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Work procedures - boats, diving, height, cooking/heating, vehicles,
sampling, hazardous substances.
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Work abroad - vehicles, catering, local factors, and health.
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Transport - modes, choice of routes.
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General - lone working, health, fitness, behaviour, sampling, clothing,
high places.
3. Fieldwork Risk Assessment
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Must be carried out for all proposed fieldwork activities. In an evaluation
of the likelihood of a hazard causing harm, combined with the severity of
its effect. Certain well-known hazards can be eliminated or the risks
adequately controlled using generic assessments.
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Where a specific risk exists for which there is no ready control, a full
assessment must be carried out.
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For all risks, adequate risk control measures must be in place. These
may involve more than one precaution, e.g. Lone working only to be
carried out in specified location; individual permission to be given; no
undergraduates; known itinerary; check in times; and good
communications.
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Training may be needed as a risk control measure. This may be general
or specific, but must be suitable and sufficient.
4. Effects on locality
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Minimisation of pollution, waste and disturbance. Follow general
principles :
DO NOT disturb environments more than necessary
DO NOT collect specimens UNLESS really necessary
DO NOT hammer away indiscriminately
DO NOT disturb animal and plant communities more
than necessary
DO NOT leave litter
DO NOT smoke where there is a risk of fire
DO NOT disturb livestock
DO NOT damage walls, fences, stiles, etc.
5. Organisation and Conduct
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All necessary notifications have been made and permissions obtained for
access, type of work, sample taking, etc.
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Ethical approval (both at site and UoE)
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All necessary documentation is available.
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Transport arranged.
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Catering arrangements.
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Day to day conduct and working practice (management,
responsibilities, numbers and group working, roll-call, headcount,
reporting, social activity).
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Equipment and maintenance arranged, including personal protective
equipment.
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Emergencies (plan, location and communication with local emergency
services, information to the University, consulate and relatives).