Field Safety

• Field Work Safety Policy (Updated November 1, 2020)
• MIOSHA Heat Stress Guidance documents - In line with federal OSHA's National Emphasis Program (NEP) focused on heat hazards, MIOSHA has adopted a State Emphasis Program (SEP) to help identify and reduce exposures to indoor and outdoor heat-related hazards.
• OSHA Cold Stress Guide - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) developed the cold stress guide to educate and advise employers on how to evaluate and control employee exposure to cold work environments.  
• OSHA Fact Sheet - Protecting Workers from the Effects of Heat
• Duke Safety Guidelines for Fieldwork
• Aquatic Work Hazards (Updated December 8, 2020)
• Physical and Environmental Hazards (Updated December 8, 2020)
• Michigan Department of Community Health - Michigan's Five Most Common Ticks

Documents

• Field Safety Policy - This acknowledgement form is to be completed annually by faculty and staff who lead field trips.
• Fieldwork Safety Plan (Updated December 8, 2020) - This form is to be completed for each field trip excursion. The plan should be submitted to the department chair at least one week prior to departure.
• Veit's Woods Safety Plan Template (Updated December 8, 2020) - This version of the fieldwork safety plan is to be used when utilizing Veit's Woods for fieldwork and trips. The majority of the document is already filled out for your convenience and requires only a few edits to complete.
• Neithercut Woodland Safety Plan Template (Updated September 13, 2023) - This version of the fieldwork safety plan is to be used when utilizing Neithercut Woodland for fieldwork and trips.  The majority of the document is already filled out for your convenience and requires only a few edits to complete.
• Example Veit's Woods Safety Plan (Updated December 8, 2020) - This example of a Veit's Woods Fieldwork Safety Plan demonstrates the level of detail and information that is expected to be relayed by your Veit's Woods Safety Plan. The prefilled sections of this example are the same as the prefilled sections in the Veit's Woods Safety Plan Template. This document is also a good reference when filling out fieldwork safety plans for other locations.
• Field Trip Health Information Form (Updated March 2019) - The purpose of this form is to gather information that may be needed in the event of an injury or accident during field activities. The information will be given to first responders in the event of an injury and kept confidential. All field trip participants are required to complete and submit the form prior to participating in field work activities. It is the sole responsibility of the participant to inform the Field Trip Leader of any serious health issues that could affect participation in the field activity. Students should contact Student Disability Services to request accommodations.
• Accidental Personal Injury Report - This form should be used to report student injuries.
• Informed Consent for Participation in Field Trip - This form is required for students participating in class field trips.  It is permissible to use one informed consent form per class (with multiple field trips per class), provided a description of all of the various trips is provided to the students.
• Waiver of Liability and Release- This form is required for volunteers participating in field trips.
• Proposed Educational Trip Form - This form is to be completed for each field trip excursion. The form should be submitted to Risk Management at least one week prior to departure.
• Safety Gear Checklist - This checklist is a guidance document to discuss suggested items that might be needed on a field trip.
• Land-Based Travel Itinerary - This form is used to supplement the fieldwork safety plan. The itinerary lays out specific remote excursions that are planned and is filed with a responsible party at a home base location who is aware of the day's schedule and activities. This person can call for assistance when the field team does not return by the expected time.
• Water-Based Travel Itinerary - This form is used to supplement the fieldwork safety plan. The itinerary lays out specific boat trip excursions that are planned and is filed with a responsible party on shore who is aware of the day's schedule and activities. This person can call for assistance when the field team does not return by the expected time.
• SCUBA Dive Itinerary - This form is used to supplement the fieldwork safety plan. The itinerary lays out specific details of the scheduled dives that are planned and is filed with a responsible party on shore who is aware of the day's schedule and activities. This person can call for assistance when the SCUBA team does not return by the expected time.
• Electrofishing - The purpose of this form is to serve as a daily safety checklist to complete before electrofishing.