This page is part of the LTER Field Safety Toolkit. The toolkit provides relevant training, documentation, reporting, and readings that help us address barriers and challenges in the field.

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Field Safety Plans/Manuals
LTER Examples
Other documents
Reading list

Field Safety Plans/Manuals

A field safety plan serves as a tool to document your hazard assessment, communication plan, emergency procedures, accident and incident reporting and training.  This plan should identify hazards, as well as precautions and actions taken to address and mitigate those hazards. 

The National Science Foundation (NSF) requires plans for safe & inclusive off-campus and offsite research, effective January 30, 2023.

Compiled list of points that should be on all LTERs field safety plans

  • Points of contact
  • How to plan and communicate about a visit to the site
  • Emergency response and nearest hospital/medical facility
  • How to access medical care
  • Reporting officers
  • How to access mental health care (if available via LTER site or home institution)?
  • Accommodations at field station/site
  • access to commodities
  • what to bring with you to be comfortable/safe
  • Bathroom protocols?
  • Potential sources of danger (& probability of encounter?)
  • Weather protocols (flash flood, heat stroke, lightning, etc)
  • Standardized (if these symptoms/conditions, then x) to take out guess work 
  • Faunal protocols (snakes, livestock, bears,…)
  • Stalled vehicle protocols- who to report? Access help (part of points of contact)?
  • Basic vehicle safety protocols? Such as changing a flat, avoiding certain areas after rain, how to jumpstart a vehicle?

Credit: P.J. Aphalo

LTER Examples

The LTER Broadening Participation Committee has collected and curated field safety plans, codes of conduct, and other relevant documentation across the network in one accessible document. If you would like to find examples from other field sites reach out to our Molly Phillips and we will get you in contact with the right person.

Other Documents relating to Field Safety 

There are many other helpful documents that can assist in creating a healthy and safe culture that will depend on the individual needs and challenges at a particular field site that cover topics such as:

  • Housing
  • Transportation
  • Hiring
  • Mentoring
  • Local Information

Safety Plan and Codes of Conduct Resources and Examples from other organizations:

researcher up to her armpits in marshwater

Credit: Franco Tobias

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Updated