Over the 2023-2024 academic year, a committee in UTK EEB worked on field safety. This involves things like avoiding snakebite and traffic accidents (see Richard Conniff’s memorial to fallen naturalists) but also social factors. I am putting some information from this here to help others access it, but note it is a team effort.
We went through a set of readings. Some relevant ones in this area include:
- Demery & Pipkin (2020): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-020-01328-5
- Rudzki et al. (2022): https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/2041-210X.13970
- Blonder (2022): https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bes2.2031
- Clancy et al. (2014): https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0102172
To help with this, several of us made a checklist. It is below. Feel free to adapt it for your own use.
Work travel checklist
Discussions to have before going
Introductions between all participants
Comfort levels with risk, activities
- Discussing criteria for deciding when/if to end fieldwork; students (everyone) should be empowered to speak up about conditions and expectations
Health needs, accessibility needs, safety needs of all participants, medication needs
Financial arrangements: how paying for things works in the field: who is paying for what and how
Housing arrangement discussions
Personal space, downtime, bathroom needs / procedures
Bathrooms: people should use the one they feel most comfortable with; it is no one on the team’s role to police others’ bathroom use. Note that various locations may have different policies; it is up to individuals to assess these for themselves.
Culture, language, and etiquette of the location, especially internationally
Weapons in the field
People you will encounter in the field will be armed (and think about PTSD)
Note UTK firearms policy if any participant may be considering carrying
UTK policies for weapons (e.g. knives, pepper spray): UTK Student Code of Conduct. Carrying a knife in the field can be useful if allowable
Note policies of various places about firearms (GSMNP does not allow firearms, for example)
Discuss safety in general
Possible hazards at site
- List the ones possible: could be human factors (civil unrest), wildlife, falling branches, driving risks, etc.
To resolve months in advance
Vaccination requirements
Research permits for site
Import permits
Chemical permits: look at EHS policies for chemical safety
Visas (note that participants may be citizens of different countries leading to different requirements)
State department guidelines for various countries
California travel warnings for certain states
LGBTQ travel advisories for non-US travel: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/lgbtqi.html
Travel insurance: https://cge.utk.edu/intlsos/ if university-sponsored travel (ask EEB for funding if you are paying on your own)
UTK travel authorization form (extra steps if international; https://cge.utk.edu/travel/)
Have discussion about health needs, accessibility needs, safety needs of all participants, medication needs
For air travel, documentation required for boarding (think about how equipment and chemicals will be shipped)
Request travel advance from the department
At least a month in advance of field work
Daily communication plan established
Hazard plan for each site established
Consider all hazards, including but not limited to automobiles (wear seat belts!), landslides, flooding, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, extreme heat, wildfires, civil unrest, protests, animals, plants, diseases, racism, sexism
Recreational hazards: swimming in ocean, ziplining, rafting, etc.
Field research letter from the department
Notify residents near the field site about plans, get permissions if possible - in letter, email, phone, or go door to door
Check if site or travel route has a recent history of incidents - for example, is it a possible sundown town? What places are not safe to stop for gas?
- Check for short term events that may cause risks, delays, etc.: anything from a parade to roads washing out to an event that could get heated
Assess need for satellite phones or other communication devices that work without cell service [Update Oct 2, 2025: satellite messaging from cell phones is becoming available. Recent iPhones can send messages or ask for help, and T-Mobile has a service (included with some T-Mobile plans, but also available for $10/month for people on other plans) that lets users send messages, use maps, and even video chat over satellite.]
Appropriate field clothing (footwear, sun protection)
Make sure there are enough vehicles (UTK fleet: https://fleetmanagement.utk.edu/)
Get book of receipts (for buying things that don’t usually come with receipts)
Have protocol for saving receipts of all kinds
Consider travel advance, especially for longer trips.
Mileage logbook
List of emergency contacts, including:
Local contact info for emergency assistance (911 isn’t global); International SOS card https://cge.utk.edu/intlsos/
Contacts of others on the trip
UTK assistance:
Travel office
Title IX office (for harassment): https://titleix.utk.edu/
Workmans’ compensation (for getting coverage for injuries during work/travel): https://riskmanagement.tennessee.edu/workers-compensation/
Before leaving
Project specific equipment: personal gear, safety gear (hard hats, gloves, etc.), scientific equipment, sharpies, baggies, etc. Spell them all out as a separate checklist specific to this activity.
Cell phones charged
Chargers
Sufficient water (0.5-1 liters per person per hour in the field)
First aid kit on board (comprehensive, not just bandaids. Handle sprains, pain, deep cuts, etc.)
Sunscreen
Car magnets
Food/snacks
Hygiene products
Hand sanitizer
Soap
Toilet paper, trowel for digging hole (when allowed in the field)
Tampons/pads
Personal medication (brought by each individual)
Allergy medication
Painkillers
Digestive medications
Flashlights (spare batteries?)
Emergency tool kit (pliers, hammer, rope, screwdriver, pry bar, etc)
GPS
Signaling device (Garmin InReach, Motorola Defy Satellite Link, or similar) if going to an area without good cell coverage
Trip plan (let someone know where you are, when you’ll be back, how often you’ll check in)
Handling problems when or after they arise
Reach out to the head or associate heads
Title IX (for sexual harassment, stalking, or similar): https://titleix.utk.edu/
Office of Equity and Diversity (racism, sexism, accessibility): https://oed.utk.edu/
Office of Environmental Health & Safety (emergency response, safety issues): https://ehs.utk.edu/
Ombudsperson (confidential advice): https://ombuds.utk.edu/
Office of Research Integrity (authorship conflicts, responsible conduct of research): https://research.utk.edu/research-integrity/
NSF hotline: https://oig.nsf.gov/contact/hotline
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Citation
@online{o'meara2024,
author = {O’Meara, Brian},
title = {Field {Safety}},
date = {2024-05-08},
url = {https://brianomeara.info/posts/fieldsafety/},
langid = {en}
}