Outdoor and Remote Field Research
Remote areas, domestically or internationally, are defined as:
- At least 30 minutes away from emergency medical services, or
- With limited communications, and/or
- Isolated areas with difficult access
UC Berkeley provides an excellent resource material for remote field researchers and group leaders: http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu/field-safety
If you are doing your work in a field:
- Have you thought about allergies, infectious diseases, or poisonous plants or animals you might get exposed to?
- Do you have all the extra prescriptions, medications, or first aid materials you might need?
- Do you have information about the emergency medical or evacuation resources that are available to you?
This Field Safety Plan, that helps field researchers think through the details of their upcoming field research and better plan for it, is currently used by UCB and UCSC.
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) also provide excellent Environmental Health and Safety Notes for field activities.
Heat Illness Prevention and Treatment:
Work in hot environments can result in heat illness, a group of medical conditions caused by the body’s inability to cope with heat. Heat illness includes heat cramps, heat exhaustion, fainting, and heat stroke. UC Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) has developed training on heath Illness prevention and treatment:
http://ehs.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/lines-of-services/field-safety/69HeatIllness.pdf
Other Useful Resources:
UC:
- UCB Safety Guidelines for Field Research
- UCSC Scientific Diving & Boating Safety Program
- UCSC Wilderness Medicine Courses
- Buidling a Wilderness First-Aid Kit
Mosquito-borne Diseases:
Mental health, sexual harassment, managing existing medical conditions:
- University of Michigan’s Resilient Traveling: Helping develop psychological resilience in students going on overseas experiences
- “Nature” article on sexual harassment in the field (July 2014)