Fieldwork/travel risk assessments (within Australia)

• 64-001 Fieldwork & travel in Australia OHS documentation guidance
• Fieldwork/travel in Australia risk assessment form
• 64-003 Fieldwork in Australia emergency contact and information form

What to do with the forms?

1. As part of the preparation and planning for fieldwork or travel, consult 64-001 fieldwork in Australia OHS documentation guidance to check whether the type of fieldwork/travel being conducted requires a risk assessment and whether to request 64-003 emergency & contact information forms from participants.
2. For fieldwork/travel activities that require a risk assessment, use the Fieldwork/travel in Australia risk assessment form to document the risk assessment process.
3. Using the checklists provided in the risk assessment, consider the relevance of each question relating to the location, access to & from site, tasks being performed on fieldwork and first aid needs. Tick the box of any item that is relevant to your fieldwork/travel activities.
4. For any hazards identified in the checklist, a ‘Safety control measure’ must be implemented. One page 3, list the specifics of the hazard identified in the checklist in the ‘hazard(s) description’ column and the actions that are to be taken to reduce the risk of the hazard occurring in the ‘safety control measure’ column.
5. Name the person responsible for implementing each listed 'Safety control measure' and the date by which is must be completed by that person.
6. List any Personal Protective Equipment that will be supplied to persons undertaking the fieldwork/travel.
7. List any Personal Protective Equipment that the fieldwork participants are expected to supply themselves.
8. Present the completed risk assessment document to the supervisor who is organising/responsible for the fieldwork/travel activities.
9. Supervisor to review the hazards listed and safety controls to be implemented. If the supervisor is happy with the items listed and accepts overall responsibility for ensuring that they are implemented, the supervisor signs the document which the authorises the fieldwork to proceed.
10. Send a copy of the completed risk assessment and listed safety controls to all participants in the fieldwork/travel activity so they are aware of the hazards, the actions being taken to reduce risks and most importantly, the know of any items they must supply themselves.
11. After the fieldwork activity has been completed, use the 'risk assessment review' section to review the effectivity of the safety controls used and make note of any safety improvements that could be done for the next similar fieldwork activity.

Filing and retention of the risk assessment document

Completed Fieldwork/travel in Australia risk assessment forms are to be filed in Chapter 6.4 of the applicable department/unit OHS Documentation Folder.

Completed 64-003 emergency & contact information forms should be carried on the fieldwork activity by the applicable supervisor or team leader so that they can be referred to in an emergency situation. Upon returning from the fieldwork activity these forms are to be disposed of in a confidential waste bin - DO NOT dispose of via normal waste.

The completed risk assessment form needs to be retained in the applicable department/unit OHS Documentation Folder for five years, after which it can be disposed of via a confidential waste bin.

FAQ’s about fieldwork risk assessments

Email your question to the MSE OHS Unit: mse-ohs@unimelb.edu.au, and responses will be posted here.

Q. I am doing the same fieldwork activity many times a year, do I need to do a risk assessment each time?

A. No, a fieldwork risk assessment can cover the same activity being repeated on multiple occasions so long as it is exactly the same activity at the same location. The risk assessment for these types of fieldwork activities is valid for 365 days from the first date. However, if any activities change, the location changes, or an OHS incident occurs during a previous fieldwork activity, the risk assessment must be reviewed and amended to account for the changes or newly identified hazard(s).