Risks from work, teaching or study undertaken away from the College need to be assessed and controlled to the same standard as work in the College. The key responsibility for this lies with the person in charge of the trip. He or she is responsible for ensuring appropriate precautions are planned, put into place and followed. Some high risk activities will require formal approval from the Head of Department before travel. There may also be a requirement for health clearance. 

The College Off Site Working Policy gives full details of other responsibilities and requirements for safe off site working. The Travel Flowchart outlines the procedures to follow for Off Site working.

This page summarises the guidance on what precautions are needed for the three categories of off site work - attending meetings or conferences, hosted research and fieldwork. The flowchart at the foot of the page offers a step-by-step guide to the travel process.

Meetings & Conferences

Off site meetings and conferences usually present no significant health and safety risks. However, if held abroad , there may be health or security risks that need to be addressed. The basic health and safety requirements for travel to meetings or conferences are:

Emergency contact information: Anyone attending a meeting or conference must leave information with their department on their expected date of return and how they can be contacted when away.

Health advice and clearance: If travelling abroad, advice on vaccinations and other travel health precautions must be obtained from the College Occupational Health Service. If travelling to a tropical country (e.g. sub-Saharan Africa, south-east Asia, Oceania, central or northern South America) then each person must obtain health clearance from the College Occupational Health Service before travelling.

Security: If travelling abroad, the Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) travel advice page for the countries to be visited must also be checked for security advice. If visiting potential 'hotspots', the checking process should continue right up to the day of travel, since it is possible that the situation may change quickly.

Risk assessment: A documented risk assessment for attending a meeting or conference is not required unless:

• The FCO advises against travel to the destination.
• The FCO advises that there are significant security risks from your intended means of transport at your destination.
• The trip will involve staying in non-standard accommodation e.g. other than hotels, conference venues, colleague's home.
• You intend to undertake potentially hazardous work related activities during your trip e.g. fieldwork.

Hosted Research

Hosted research has the same basic requirements as for conference travel - emergency contact information should be lodged with your department and, if the visit involves foreign travel, Occupational Health and FCO security advice obtained and followed.

Additionally, if the visit will include involvement in hazardous research activity, then assurance must be obtained from the host institution that appropriate health and safety arrangements are in place for the visit. There may also be implications if there is an intention to to bring research samples from the host institution back to the College.

Fieldwork

Fieldwork involves exposure to a wide variety of risks. For this reason, a rigorous risk assessment needs to be undertaken, documented and approved prior to the work commencing.