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Field Operational Planner

Use the Field Operational Planner to create a customized field safety plan for university-sponsored global research or classroom field trips.
 
Whether you are planning a field trip for research, or travelling out of the country for instructional purposes, it is important to identify risks and have an action plan to address those risks before you leave your home campus.
 
The Planner is intended to address possible risks specifically associated with field research, teaching and foreign operations. The system was developed to assist you in the creation of your own customized field/foreign operations plan, helping to be safe and better prepare you and your staff for potential issues or complications.
To successfully complete your plan, you will need to know the answers to questions such as:
  • Who is going on the trip, their contact information and their emergency contact person
  • Where you are going, who are the local contacts and where is the nearest hospital
  • The diseases endemic at your field locations
  • Is there civil unrest along your travel route?
  • Is the country, region or city on the State Department list of countries and regions with current travel warnings? (Special Travel Insurance may be required. Contact the Risk Services Office.)
  • How will people travel to the field site(s); and between or around the field locations? (Who will drive, what is the vehicle insurance coverage?)
  • What kind of transportation will you be using? Will you be flying and/or using a boat or other watercraft?
 
Give your department administrator a copy of your plan and checklist before you go. Send a copy of your plan and checklist to Risk Services for review and recommendations for organizing a safe and productive trip. If you need assistance with creating a Field Operations Plan, have questions about the program, or the Field Protocol Worksite Planning Checklist, contact Risk Services.