Field research is integral to many of the research programs at UMCES.  Your field activities may take a day or they could involve extended lengths of time.  They may take you to urban or to wildland environments, a few miles from your office or across the globe.  Regardless of your field activities or where they occur, everyone needs to be prepared in order to stay as safe as possible.

Planning and preparation is the absolute most important aspect of practicing safe field research and should NEVER be neglected.  Furthermore, planning and preparation should always occur BEFORE you leave.  Never wait until you’re in the middle of an emergency before you try to decide how to respond.  Proper planning can help save both time and lives.

The first step in the planning process is to complete a written risk assessment.  The risk assessment will you identify potential risks, required safety gear, and important training.

Our Online Field Safety Training Course also helps to guide this planning process.