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Field Trip Safety and Emergency Preparedness Guidelines

Ensure safety and responsibility on field trips with these best practices: emergency procedures, first aid training, insurance, risk reduction measures, and SOP adherence to protect yourself and your department. Are you prepared for the unexpected?

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Field Trip Safety and Emergency Preparedness Guidelines

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  1. Field Trip Safety Responsibility, liability, and best practice Barbara Tewksbury Hamilton College

  2. Being prepared for emergencies • Does the rest of the world know where you are? • Make sure that others on the trip know route and contact info • Leave an itinerary, participant list, and contact information with a campus office • Designate a second-in-command who has all info that you have

  3. Being prepared for emergencies • Do your students know what to do in an emergency? • Provide all participants with written instructions for emergency procedures • Critical if the group will not be together at all times • Especially critical when working outside the US

  4. Being prepared for emergencies • Can you get help in an emergency? • Know whether your field area has cell coverage or not. • Rent a satellite phone and have 2-way radios if cell coverage is limited. • If you are out of the US, be sure that everyone knows the emergency call number/s.

  5. Being prepared for emergencies • Are you ready for a medical emergency? • Are you or any participants trained in first aid? • If you have not had first aid training, get some. Some departments now require this.

  6. Being prepared for emergencies • Are you ready for a medical emergency? • Carry medical info/emergency contact forms for all participants • Ask participants to inform you of any potentially life-threatening medical conditions

  7. Being prepared for emergencies • Do your students have health insurance? • In states not requiring health insurance for college students, some departments require proof of health insurance to participate in field trips • For foreign field trips, build the cost of supplemental health insurance into the trip cost

  8. Being prepared for emergencies • Do you know what your institution requires you to do if an accident, injury, or illness occurs? • Most institutions have specific reporting requirements • Be sure that you know your institution’s policy.

  9. Reducing risk in the field • Are your students adequately equipped? • Describe field conditions, and provide an equipment list • Check critical field gear before departure • For short trips, bring a bag of extra gear that you can loan • Ban sandals

  10. Reducing risk in the field • Do your students know the potential risks and how to mitigate them? • Provide a document outlining risks • Discuss risks, unacceptable behavior, and consequences of behavior that endangers self or others • Have students sign a statement acknowledging that they understand the risks and the consequences for violating the rules

  11. Reducing risk in the field • Van safety – follow your institution’s policies • Many ban/limit use of 15-passenger vans • Many require certified drivers • Many limit the # of hours a person can drive in a day • Many prohibit private vehicles or require signature on waiver of liability

  12. Reducing risk in the field • Van safety • Require students to wear seat belts, and check before driving off • NEVER drive through the night • Be certain that everyone is accounted for before driving off

  13. Reducing risk in the field • Field safety • When working outside hailing distance, have students work in 3s • In an emergency, one stays with injured, one goes for help • Be sure that students carry flagging tape to mark a route for emergency personnel • Require students to wear hard hats when working near a high wall

  14. Reducing risk in the field • After-hours safety • Alcohol and drugs are the biggest culprits in after-hours incidents • Many undergraduate institutions have policies stating that field trips are “dry” and drug-free and that students will be sent home at their own expense for violations • For overnights, stay where trips to town can be controlled

  15. Protecting yourself and your department • Do you have standard operating procedures (SOPs)? • Find out what the policies are – most institutions at least have vehicle policies and study abroad policies • Ask the appropriate offices, not just your departmental colleagues • Help develop a department field trip SOP if you don’t have one

  16. Protecting yourself and your department • Do you follow the rules? • It is very risky to be casual about following SOPs, rules, and policies • If something happens, and you were not following the rules, you would be considered negligent • Follow the rules. Period.

  17. Protecting yourself and your department • Do you carry personal liability insurance? • You may be sued personally as well as professionally. The institution’s insurance will cover the latter but not the former • Consider a personal liability policy beyond the minimum

  18. The litmus test • Ask yourself, “Would I want my son/daughter on a field trip that is run the way I run my trips??” • If yes, great! If not, hmmmm...you have some changes to make!

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