Field work means the collection of observations and data by students or staff outside UiO’s ordinary working and learning environment. Field work normally takes place in natural environments outside offices, laboratories, clinics, field stations and observatories that have their own HSE procedures. Ordinary business travel to meetings and conferences is not regarded as field work.
MN’s Guidelines for Field work supplement UiO’s HSE Procedures for field work (Norwegian). Their purpose is to clarify what is expected of the person responsible for fieldwork.
Training
Excursions and teaching in the field at MN must take place in safe surroundings and be conducted safely. Everyone at MN who will be undertaking field work must complete the online field safety course: HMS0504 for students and HMS0504A for staff. Find the relevant link for your role at MN on MN’s HSE training webpage. The course provides knowledge of how to act when taking part in, or preparing for, excursions and field work.
Field assistants must have completed either HMS0504 or HMS0504A.
Person responsible for field work
Who is responsible for field work?
For projects, the project manager is automatically the person responsible for field work.
For teaching-based field work, the course coordinator is the person responsible for field work.
Other roles
At some departments, there are dedicated engineers with specific duties related to field work, such as animal experiments in the field that require approval.
The person responsible for field work may delegate tasks to a field assistant, who must be familiar with the risk assessment for the relevant field work or field course.
Field responsible's tasks
- is responsible for the risk assessment;
- is responsible for ensuring that the field work is carried out in accordance with the procedure;
- may delegate tasks related to the field work;
- must ensure that field work participants make the necessary preparations; and
- must, where necessary, seek advice from suitably qualified specialist staff.
Risk assessment
All fieldwork must be risk-assessed in accordance with MNs: Risk assessment: practical work in laboratories and in the field; based on UiO’s procedure for risk assessment
The tasks are divided into two parts:
- Complete MN’s template for the risk assessment of fieldwork (xlsx)(Norwegian) and upload it to the online form; see the next point.
- Complete the online form (nettskjema)(Norwegian).
If the field work extends over a longer period and involves several trips — for example, monthly water sampling over two years — it is sufficient for the person responsible for the relevant field work to complete the form once per year. Select Field participant for subsequent field trips.
Examples of completed risk assessments: Link to follow once updated risk assessments are available.
For more extensive field work, or field work in countries for which the Norwegian authorities have issued a travel warning (regjeringen.no)(Norwegian), the Head of Administration must be informed.
Archiving
Risk assessments for field work are stored as responses in the online form. Online forms are automatically deleted after 12 months.
Field cards for everyone taking part in field work
Everyone taking part in field work, including the person responsible for field work, must complete a field card every time they go into the field. This enables us to know who is undertaking field work at any given time and to locate next-of-kin contact details quickly should an incident occur.
Staff and students are asked to complete the field card one week before planned field work, and as soon as possible for unplanned field trips in the local area. A field card should be completed once for each field trip; for example, if the field work lasts for two weeks, it only needs to be completed once.
Animal experiments in the field
All capture and marking of wild animals for scientific purposes (lovdata)(Norwegian) must be approved. The use of animals in experiments must also comply with the Regulations on the use of animals in experiments (lovdata)(Norwegian).
Contact PMSK (Personnel with Special Supervisory Responsibilities) for guidance.
Insurance in connection with field work
Insurance for students
Norwegian students and Erasmus students are covered for occupational injuries under the National Insurance Scheme.
Other international students are automatically covered by the services of the National Insurance Scheme if they have been resident in Norway for more than one year.
More information about student insurance
Insurance for staff
The Norwegian state is self-insured. UiO covers any loss or theft of equipment from its own funds.
If you paid for the journey using your UiO credit card, you have travel insurance for trips of up to 90 days’ duration.
More information about insurance for staff
Conditions
Full cover under UiO’s insurance is conditional upon all precautions described in the risk assessments being followed. Accidents and injuries related to leisure activities during fieldwork are not covered. Diving is not permitted during fieldwork, including during leisure time.
Insurance for participants who are neither UiO employees nor students
Personnel who do not receive a salary from UiO are not covered by UiO’s insurance. The person responsible for field work must ensure that participants in this situation have their own insurance cover, either through private insurance or through employment at another institution in the EEA.