Safety Office, Commissary Building
University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
Phone 519 888 4567 Ext. 33587
Fax 519 886 8082
Email: safety@uwaterloo.ca
Field work/field trips
Refers to any activity undertaken by members of the University in any location external to University of Waterloo campuses for the purpose of research, study, training or learning.
Lower-risk field work (field work risk management form not required)
Includes an activity taking place at another institution (e.g. university, hospital, library, government agency) that does not require vaccinations other than those routinely given in Ontario, and has no significant health, safety or environmental risk. Examples include:
- Supervised field trips/internships within Canada and USA
- Out-of-town trip to a university, government agency, non-governmental organizations (NGO), art gallery or museum
- Supervised sample collection or surveys
- Conference/meeting/workshop attendance
Higher-risk field work
Includes any activity that may cause personal harm or may negatively impact local environments, including buildings, or social or cultural norms.
A field work risk management form must be completed and approved prior to undertaking field work in any location external to the University that involves higher risk.
- Field Work Risk Management Form (PDF)
- Field Work Risk Management Form (Word)
- Safety in student abroad programs
Examples of higher-risk field work include, but are not limited to:
- Field work, field trips and internships outside Canada and USA
- Field work at industrial sites such as factories, mining operations and construction sites
- Activities that require specialized safety training and/or certification in the use of personal protective or safety equipment
- Field work at any international or remote location
- Travel to areas where immunization and/or significant health and safety precautions are required
- Work at sites with hazardous substances
- Overnight trips with undergraduate students
- Field work which by nature entails risk (e.g., travelling on water or ice, rock climbing, high altitude work, diving, working with dangerous flora or fauna or working in remote regions or habitats such as forests and lakes)