The Field Research Safety Program focuses on providing specialized training, safety equipment and support to faculty, staff and students whose research has a fieldwork component.

 

pier

 

Before You Go

  1. Book an appointment with Student Health for a Travel Consult at least 4 weeks before your trip, and learn about recommended vaccines and prescription medicines based on your destination and activities. 
    Choose Schedule an Appointment, Travel Services, Travel Consult and follow the booking steps.
    Group consultations for field trips are also available. 
  2. The best practice is to develop a Field Safety Plan; a completed Field Safety Plan is required to borrow equipment from EH&S. 
  3. Complete training:
  4. If your field site is within the US, your US health insurance will be your primary medical insurance for any emergency treatment. If the field site is outside the US, your primary medical coverage will be the UC Travel Insurance. For travel outside of California, register your travel in the UC AWAY system to receive travel alerts from UC’s security partner Crisis24.  
  5. Students and volunteers must sign a Waiver of Liability.

sunset on santa cruz island

 

2024 UC Field Safety Leadership Retreat

Related information will be posted on the Event Website (training.ucr.edu/fieldworkleadership2024).

The retreat featured timely, challenging workshops with opportunities to discuss scenarios, practice skills, and plan for specific field projects and settings. 
Content from past events is compiled in the UC Field Safety Leadership Training Library

view of the beach with colorful flowers

 

Safe and Inclusive Fieldwork

The National Science Foundation (NSF) requires plans for safe & inclusive off-campus and off-site research, effective January 30, 2023. A written plan is required per the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) 23-1 for NSF-funded research; see NSF PAPPG (2023)

The plan must describe how the following types of behavior will be addressed:

  • Abuse of any person, including, but not limited to, harassment, stalking, bullying, or hazing of any kind, whether the behavior is carried out verbally, physically, electronically, in written form; or
  • Conduct that is unwelcome, offensive, indecent, obscene, or disorderly.

 

Action Required: PI/s need to sign and submit a plan to the Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) before SPO will approve the proposal being submitted to NSF. Contact SPO for additional information on this plan.

Additional resources & training is available to promote safe and inclusive field experiences. The UC Fieldwork Toolkit Leadership Training Series features topics on preventing harassment in the field, creating safe learning environments, promoting safe fieldwork culture for diverse researchers, and more. 

Contacts

Jamie Bishop

Jamie Bishop

Field Safety Coordinator

o. (805) 893-8894

bishop@ucsb.edu

Eric Hessell

Eric Hessell

UC Consortium Dive & Boat Safety Coordinator

o. (805) 893-4559

eric.hessell@ucsb.edu