Travel on University business and off-site working

Please select from the drop down menus below for information relevant to your travel. If your query does not relate to one of these options please contact the Health & Safety team.

Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS)

The medical School is run in partnership between the Universty of Sussex and the University of Brighton

BSMS Students

BSMS Students conduct fieldwork abroad must apply for insurance from the University of Brighton and will need to complete a University of Brighton Travel Application Form. The completed form is located in University of Brighton Personal Accident and Travel Insurance section on Share Point and submitted to the University of Brighton Insurance team. For further information please contact the University of Brighton Insurance Officer: insurance@brighton.ac.uk

BSMS Staff

BSMS staff are required to apply for insurance from the University of Sussex and follow university of Sussex process outlined below

Institute for Development Studies (IDS)

IDS Staff

The Institute for Development Studies is an independent organisation as such their staff are not covered under University of Sussex's arrangements.

Students working with IDS

Sussex University students working with IDS as part of their studies must get their Head of Schools approval for travel with an elevated risk (see below). They must also follow IDS internal arrangements for details please contact Linda Waldman.

Off Campus working in the U.K.

For off campus work in the UK a risk assessment should be conducted for hazardous activities. The table below gives examples of activities that may be considered hazardous and would require a risk assessment. These can be completed using the standard University risk assessment template.

A copy of any risk assessment form should be retained by the School Safety-coordinator.

Laboratory work within another institution involving

Hazardous Chemicals, Biological Agents, Radiation Electrical hazards

Work with any of the following groups:

Alcohol or Drug users, Protest movements, Persecuted or marginalised groups, Individuals engaged in activities which are criminal in the local region ,Individuals with a history of violence or aggression

The use of photographic or recording equipment in an area where this may put you at risk

Natural Hazards

e.g. Extreme weather, Volcanology, Glaciology, Fire

Transporting Heavy Equipment

(Manual Handling

Hazardous Flora or Fauna

Plants or Animals

Dangerous Activities

e.g. Climbing, Diving, Caving

Activities that increase the risk of exposure to infectious diseases

Human or Zoonotic

Interviewing or visiting subjects in their home or other work involving lone working.

Staff or PhD/Masters students Travelling abroad

Staff or postgraduate students traveling for University business (work, research or study) are required to complete an Overseas Travel Safety and Security Risk Assessment (OTSSRA form). This includes students travelling to their home country for research. It does not apply to students or staff that choose to study or work remotely as part of the University’s flexible working arrangements.

Guidance on completing this form is available here including details of when it applies to distance learning students. More detailed guidance on when you students would need to complete an OTSSRA form is detailed in Guidance document HS G078.
Part 1 of the OTSSRA form is required for all travel overseas on University business (this includes research or study). These can be signed of by supervisors or line managers.
Part 2 is only required where any part of the travel is to a region where advice is against all travel or all but essential travel. See FCO guidance below. Approval for this travel requires Head of School Approval.
OTSSRA forms should be signed off within Schools or Divisions via line management and logged with the local safety coordinator for record keeping.

A copy of any risk assessment or OTSSRA form should be retained by the School Safety-coordinator.

Foreign & Commonwealth Office Advice

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) issues advice on threats from natural causes, disease, conflict and unrest across the world. Where FCO advice is against all travel (Red region) or all but essential travel (Yellow region) then parts 1 and 2 of the OTSSRA must be completed.

Where there is an FCO warning against all or all but essential travel sign of for the OTSSRA form and approval for the travel must come from the Head of School/Division or any appointed deputy.

When completing part 2 of the OTSSRA form it is not expected to copy across the guidance from the FCO but to assess your travel plans and what steps you have taken to reduce the risk and mitigate the risk should issues occur.

Training in hazardous environments should be undertaken by all travellers to FCO red/yellow regions and or remote areas, this is available at no additional cost to Schools. Details of how to book a course can be found on the H&S training page

Points to consider

Listing the primary contact details of any partner organisation
Listing your accommodation locations in country as well as all your means of contact
Detailing your emergency evacuation plans (including rendezvous points if travel to the UK is likely to be disrupted and or border crossing locations)
Designating a check-in schedule with a named person in your School/Division and detailing what escalation will take place in the event that a check-in or check-ins are missed
Updating your next of kin and any will you may have in place
Listing the travel safety information you will check, the frequency of checks and at what points you will revise any travel plans
Vaccinations that are required
Detailing relevant prior experience in the region

Hazardous Activities
The table below gives examples of activities that may be considered hazardous and would require a risk assessment due to specific hazards, this is in addition to a general travel assessment for the region and is based on the activities undertaken. These risk assessments can be completed using the standard University risk assessment template

Laboratory work within another institution involving, Hazardous Chemicals, Biological Agents, Radiation Electrical hazards	Work with any of the following groups: Alcohol or Drug users, Protest movements, Persecuted or marginalised groups, Individuals engaged in activities which are criminal in the local region ,Individuals with a history of violence or aggression	The use of photographic or recording equipment in regions where this may put you at risk
Natural Hazards e.g. Extreme weather, Volcanology, Glaciology, Fire	Transporting Heavy Equipment (Manual Handling	Hazardous Flora or Fauna Plants or Animals
Dangerous Activities e.g. Climbing, Diving, Caving	Activities that increase the risk of exposure to infectious diseases Human or Zoonotic	Interviewing or visiting subjects in their home
Bringing Samples back into the UK Excluding paper records and data	Work in areas with a significant likelihood of there being unexploded munitions Recent conflict zones and or mined areas	The use of transportation that is specifically listed as dangerous in FCO guidance

Where these hazardous activities are carried out with a partner organisation it is appropriate to request a copy of their risk assessment and confirm that you will follow instructions from the partner organisation.
Risk assessments should be signed of within Schools or Divisions via line management and logged with the local safety coordinator for record keeping.

A copy of any risk assessment or OTSSRA form should be retained by the School Safety-coordinator.

Visas and Access
Prior to travel you must check and confirm that you meet any entry requirements to the country or countries that you will be visiting.

Staff that are in the UK on a visa must ensure that this travel does not violate the terms of their visa
Students that are in the UK on a student visa must ensure that this travel does not violate the terms of their visa

Research Approvals from Host Governments

Specific countries require approval and or a license to conduct research with human participants. Details of which countries require this and how to apply is available from US Office for Human Research Protections. Additional guidance is available from research governance.

Export Controls

For information on import and export of materials please refer to the GCGC international travel pages.

Staff Planning fieldtrips for undergraduates

School templates for planning a fieldtrip are available below

If your School does not have a template listed please discuss with a School representative which template you should use. Fieldtrip assessments should be signed of within Schools or Divisions via line management and logged with the local safety coordinator for record keeping.

For undergraduate fieldtrips consideration should be made as to student activities outside of organised learning and potential hazards.

A copy of any fieldtrip plan should be retained by the School Safety-coordinator.

Undergraduate Students Travel Abroad (other than for Fieldtrips, Placements or the Study Abroad Program)

Unaccompanied students must complete an Overseas Travel Safety & Security risk assessment form (OTSSRA) when travelling on University of Sussex business, this includes travelling for research or attending a conference. Please see the section above for guidance on how to complete an OTSSRA form.

Further guidance on when a student needs to complete an OTSSRA form is avaiable here HS G078 When to complete an OTSSRA form

Students on a managed field accompanied by University staff do not need to complete an individual OTSSRA form and should be considered as part of fieldtrip plan (see the above section on fieldtrips)

Distance Learning Students

Distance Learning Students conducting fieldwork in their home country are not required to complete an OTSSRA form. They are however required to complete a risk assessment if;

They are conducting any activities that may be considered hazardous (see table below)
They are undertaking work in a region or regions where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has issued a warning against all travel or all but essential travel.

Laboratory work within another institution involving, Hazardous Chemicals, Biological Agents, Radiation Electrical hazards	Work with any of the following groups: Alcohol or Drug users, Protest movements, Persecuted or marginalised groups, Individuals engaged in activities which are criminal in the local region ,Individuals with a history of violence or aggression	The use of photographic or recording equipment in regions where this may put you at risk
Natural Hazards e.g. Extreme weather, Volcanology, Glaciology, Fire	Transporting Heavy Equipment (Manual Handling	Hazardous Flora or Fauna Plants or Animals
Dangerous Activities e.g. Climbing, Diving, Caving	Activities that increase the risk of exposure to infectious diseases Human or Zoonotic	Interviewing or visiting subjects in their home
Bringing Samples back into the UK Excluding paper records and data	Work in areas with a significant likelihood of there being unexploded munitions Recent conflict zones and or mined areas	The use of transportation that is specifically listed as dangerous in FCO guidance

Distance learning students traveling to a 3rd country that is not their home or the UK may need to complete an OTSSRA form. Additional guidance on when an OTSSRA form needs to be completed is available here HS G078 When to complete an OTSSRA form

A copy of any risk assessment form should be retained by the School Safety-coordinator.

Undergraduate Study abroad Program

For information on the University of Sussex's study abroad program please see the details available here

Undergraduate placements

Information on how to apply for placements is available here

Sporting events and Student Union Activity

Please contact the Students Union and or the appropriate Student Union Officer

Health and Safety

Travel on University business and off-site working