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Field Safety Program

CU Field Activity Safety Plan

CU Field Safety Guidelines

Scope

The Field Safety Program at Carleton University is designed to identify and assess both existing and potential hazards associated with off-campus field work, which may pose uncommon risks compared to individuals’ daily activities. This encompasses off-campus field activities within the country and abroad. The program emphasizes the role and responsibilities of supervisors in identifying hazards, performing risk assessments and implementing controls.

Applicability

This program is applicable to all university personnel including staff, students, postdoctoral research fellows, volunteers, interns, and faculty engaging in off-campus research activities including but not limited to, data collection, sampling, analysis, academic field trips, and academic courses. Such activities may occur across various disciplines including the Departments of Biology, Geography and Environmental Studies, Environmental Science Program, and Northern Studies, among others.

Activities covered by the program include:

Definitions

A remote site is delineated by both distance and accessibility, referring to an off-campus location situated beyond approximately one hour’s travel time from access to definitive treatment for illness, injury, or other unintended consequences. If within Canada, it will be a Domestic remote site, while outside of Canada would be an International remote site.

Definitive treatment denotes the most suitable course of treatment for a patient, as determined by a medical professional, following consideration of all available options (e.g., surgery for internal bleeding, casting for a broken bone, suturing for a deep laceration).

Domestic field activity pertains to off-campus field operations conducted within Canada. This includes the domestic research expeditions, field courses and field trips.

Field Activity refers to any work or task conducted outside of a traditional office setting, usually in a natural environment or an on-site location for the purpose of data collection, observation, testing, research or academic learning.

International field activity refers to all off-campus field activities happening outside of Canada.

Domestic non-remote site is a site within Canada where it takes less than an hour to seek definitive treatment.

Field course is a dedicated academic course where a significant portion of learning happens outside of the classroom, often involving extended periods of hands on research and observation in a relevant natural or social environment.

Field trip is a shorter, more focused excursion usually taken as a part of a regular class to visit a specific location to supplement classroom learning.

Roles and Responsibilities

The “workplace” includes any land, premises, location or thing at, upon, in or near which a worker performs work for the employer. Under this definition, the field site is considered a workplace under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, RSO 1990, c O.1., thereby re-affirming the supervisor is accountable for the health, safety and well-being of participants engaged in field activities The Act stipulates that employers must provide workers with a workplace free from recognized hazards that could cause death or serious physical harm, of which the employer knew or ought to have known. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to conduct a risk assessment for all field activities prior to the activity. In instances where hazards cannot be eliminated, particularly in remote sites, the supervisor is required to formulate risk reduction and mitigation plans.

Field Safety Pre-planning

Commencing pre-planning activities 6 to 8 weeks before the departure date is recommended. A detailed risk assessment must be performed for each field activity and the relevant documents completed. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to identify and mitigate the risks related to the activity, site or equipment, and ensure that all participants have completed the appropriate training in advance, as deemed necessary by the supervisor. It is also important to take into consideration the time required for obtaining permits or visas. Some sites in Canada also require special permits for access and/or research. Consult the CU Field Safety Guidelines to facilitate planning and risk assessment. The CU Field Safety Program requires the participants to complete the following documents.

1- Field Activity Safety Plan

2- Field Activity Participant Information Form (one form per participant)

3- Informed Consent Form (one form per participant)

The Field Activity may also require approvals from the in-house compliance committees or permits for land access or handling of endangered species. These may include an Animal Care Committee approved protocol, Biohazard Committee approved permit, Indigenous land access permit or Northern Territory permits etc. It is critical that the supervisor collects all the relevant information and acquires the permits before submitting the CU Field Activity Safety Plan for approval.

CU Field Activity Safety Plan

The CU Field Activity Safety Plan is a tool to assist researchers in collecting and documenting the necessary information and approvals pertaining to their field activities. This plan serves as both a guidance document for researchers and a reference document for the relevant parties at Carleton University in the event of an emergency. Should researchers already possess a similar document, developed in collaboration with another institution or an industrial partner, this document may be appended to the CU Field Activity Safety Plan, provided that sections A, B, C, S, and T are completed, and subsequently submitted for approval to the Departmental Chair and the Dean. For all insurance related matters contact risk@carleton.ca.

Some important considerations for completing the CU Field Activity Safety Plan are:

Field Activity Safety Plan Review and Approval

The completed CU Field Activity Safety Plan should be sent to the Department Chair and the Dean at least two weeks prior to departure, for review and approval. The approved form should then be sent to Environmental Health and Safety at ehs@carleton.ca.

Hazard and Risk Analysis

Field activities can present a variety of hazards, which may be associated with the site, tasks, travel, equipment, weather, human factors, etc. To effectively identify these potential hazards for the planned field activity, please refer to the Appendix A of CU Field Safety Guidelines. Appendix B of the guidelines should be consulted for the risk assessment and the determination of residual risk, which will aid in the completion of Section J of the Field Activity Safety Plan.

Resources

CU Field Activity Safety Plan (more user friendly version is under development – stay tuned)

Sample CU Field Activity Safety Plans (coming soon)

Responsible Conduct of Research Policy

Carleton University’s Travel Registry

Hazard Assessment and Control Tool

International SOS

Emergency out-of-country medical coverage

Global Affairs Canada emergency information

Field Activity Participant Information Form

Field Activity Informed Consent Form (contact risk@carleton.ca for the form)

Wilderness First Aid Training

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