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 and Wellbeing team at healthsafety@sussex.ac.uk.

Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS)

The Medical School is run in partnership between the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton.

BSMS students

BSMS students who 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 the University of Brighton Personal Accident and Travel Insurance section on SharePoint 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 processes, outlined below.

Inclusive Staff Travel

Guidance for Inclusive Staff Travel

Guidance has been developed to help ensure that all staff can travel on University business safely, confidently and inclusively.

We recognise that travel can present different experiences and challenges for people, and individual circumstances may create the need for additional considerations when travelling within the UK or overseas. The following guidance provides practical information to help staff and managers identify, discuss, and manage any potential risks before travel takes place, while ensuring that individual circumstances are considered respectfully and confidentially. Whether travelling for teaching, research, professional services activities, conferences or other University business, staff can use this guidance to better understand the support available and the steps that can be taken to make travel as safe, accessible and inclusive as possible

HS G913 Guidance for Inclusive Staff Travel

The resource brings together advice, tools and sources of support to help staff plan travel, assess potential risks, access reasonable adjustments where needed, and obtain reliable information about their destination.

It is intended to support open conversations between travellers and their managers, promote informed decision-making, and help create a culture where all staff feel supported to undertake work-related travel.

Prompts for line managers and supervisors

Line managers and supervisors have an important role in helping staff feel prepared and supported when travelling for work. A simple conversation before and after travel can help identify concerns, ensure appropriate support is in place and capture learning for future trips. Whilst the Guidance for Inclusive Staff Travel includes a checklist to support these conversations, some prompts are provided below:

Before travel

Offer a pre-travel discussion, giving the member of staff an opportunity to raise any concerns, individual circumstances, accessibility needs or support they would like considered.
Check the risk assessment is appropriate and up to date, including the Overseas Travel Safety and Security Risk Assessment (OTSSRA) form for overseas travel where required.
Discuss practical arrangements and support, including reasonable adjustments, communication/check-in arrangements and what to do if circumstances change or the traveller needs assistance while away.
Avoid making assumptions or requiring disclosure of personal information. Staff should only share information they feel comfortable sharing and that is relevant to supporting safe travel.

During travel

Maintain agreed contact/check-ins with the traveller, proportionate to the nature and level of risk associated with the trip.
Make sure the traveller knows how to access help, including appropriate University contacts, emergency assistance and travel security advice through Crisis24.
Respond to any incidents, concerns or changes in risk, considering whether additional support, adjustments or changes to travel arrangements are needed.
Respect confidentiality, particularly where a member of staff has shared personal information to support their safety or wellbeing while travelling.

After travel

Offer a post-travel discussion or feedback session to check how the trip went, whether the member of staff experienced any difficulties and whether the arrangements and adjustments put in place worked effectively.
Check on wellbeing and signpost to support where appropriate, including the University’s Staff Wellbeing Hub and other relevant support services.
Capture feedback and lessons learned, including anything that could improve arrangements for the individual or other staff undertaking similar travel.
Review the risk assessment where travel will be repeated, taking account of the traveller’s feedback, any incidents or issues and whether existing control measures or reasonable adjustments need to change.

After your travel: feedback and support

Your experience can help us make work-related travel safer and more inclusive for everyone. After your trip, we encourage you to share feedback, particularly about any unexpected issues, barriers or concerns, or arrangements that worked well. Your feedback can help us:

improve travel guidance and support;
identify new or emerging risks; and
share relevant learning to help future travellers prepare.

Please email the Health Safety and Wellbeing Team to share feedback about your travel or to arrange to meet with one of the team to talk things through: healthsafety@sussex.ac.uk. You do not need to disclose personal information or protected characteristics to provide feedback. Where learning is relevant more widely, it will be shared appropriately and without identifying individual travellers. The aim is to learn from staff experiences and continually improve the safety and inclusivity of work-related travel.

If your experience has affected your wellbeing, or you experienced discrimination, harassment or another concern, support and reporting options are available:

Institute for Development Studies (IDS)

IDS staff

As an independent organisation separate from the University of Sussex, the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) insures its staff and runs its own travel safety and risk assessment process.

Students working with IDS

University of Sussex students working with IDS as part of their studies (Postgraduate Researchers or Masters students) who are travelling abroad are required to complete an Overseas Travel Safety and Security Risk Assessment (OTSSRA) form as part of the ethics approval process. This includes students travelling to their home country for research. They must follow IDS internal arrangements including authorisation and insurance. For further details, please contact Linda Waldman.

Off-campus working in the UK

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. Please note this is a non-exhaustive list – contact the Health, Safety and Wellbeing team if you are unsure whether a risk assessment is required.

Risk assessments should be completed using the standard University risk assessment template, available on the risk assessment webpage alongside guidance on how to complete it. A copy of any risk assessment form should be retained by the local health and safety coordinator.

If travelling by personal car or driving a minibus, please consider the driving at work requirements.

Laboratory work within another institution:

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 criminal activities, individuals with a history of violence or aggression.

Personal safety:

Interviewing or visiting subjects in prison or detention centres, or within individuals' homes.

Work involving lone working.

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

Natural hazards: e.g. extreme weather, fire.

Physical hazards and high-risk activities:

Transporting heavy equipment and manual handling.

Activities that are strenuous and/or physically demanding.

Dangerous activities, e.g. climbing, diving, caving.

Hazardous flora or fauna

Hazardous plants and animals (toxins, poisons, animal attack, etc.).

Activities that increase the risk of exposure to local endemic pathogens from contaminated water, food and vector-borne disease.

Activities that increase the risk of exposure to infectious diseases: human or zoonotic.

Staff or PGR and Masters students travelling abroad

Staff or Postgraduate Researchers travelling 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 who choose to study or work remotely as part of the University’s flexible working arrangements.

Guidance on when students would need to complete an OTSSRA form is detailed in the guidance document HS G902 Guidance on the overseas travel safety and security risk assessment (OTSSRA).
Part 1 of the OTSSRA form is required for all travel overseas on University business (this includes research or study). These can be signed off 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 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) 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 health and safety coordinator for record keeping.

A copy of any risk assessment or OTSSRA form should be retained by the local health and safety coordinator.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Advice

The FCDO issues advice on threats from natural causes, disease, conflict and unrest across the world. Where FCDO 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 FCDO warning against all or all but essential travel, sign off 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 FCDO 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 FCDO 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 Health, Safety and Wellbeing training page.

Points to consider:

listing the primary contact details of any partner organisation
listing your accommodation locations in the country and 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. Risk assessments should be completed using the standard University risk assessment template, available on the risk assessment webpage alongside guidance on how to complete a risk assessment.

Laboratory work within another institution involving hazardous chemicals, biological agents, radiation and/or 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, and individuals with a history of violence or aggression.	Natural hazards e.g. extreme weather, volcanology, glaciology, fire. And/or physical environmental hazards, e.g. open cast mines, offshore drilling rigs, semi-submersible platforms, etc
The use of photographic or recording equipment in regions where this may put you at risk.	Transporting heavy equipment (manual handling).	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 FSCO guidance.	Activities that increase the risk of exposure to infectious diseases human or zoonotic.	Lone working including interviewing or visiting research participants in their home.
Bringing samples back into the UK excluding paper records and data.	Hazardous flora or fauna, plants or animals.	Dangerous activities e.g. climbing, diving, caving.

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 off within Schools or Divisions via line management and logged with the local health and safety coordinator for record keeping.

A copy of any risk assessment or OTSSRA form should be retained by the local health and 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, notably:

staff who 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 are available from the US Office for Human Research Protections. Additional guidance is available from the research governance webpage.

Export controls

For information on import and export of materials, please refer to the GCGC overseas travel and export control webpage .

Ethics approvals

Research projects that are submitted for ethics review and require international travel will be asked to submit an Overseas Travel Safety and Security Risk Assessment (OTSSRA) form as part of the ethics application to ensure that safety concerns have been addressed during the planning stage. The OTSSRA form for travel to higher risk areas will still need appropriate authorisation before the travel takes place. The Research Governance and Integrity webpages provide information about the ethics approval process.

An activity/ environment-specific risk assessment is also required for research involving hazardous activities - see the Hazardous Activities section for more information.

Insurance

Review the University's travel insurance information as early as possible in your planning to ensure you have insurance in place before you travel. Travel must not be undertaken without University insurance in place.

Finance

Information on finance and expenses is available to support the planning of your travel.

Staff planning field trips for undergraduates

School templates for planning a field trip can be found by clicking on the links below:

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

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

A copy of any field trip plan should be retained by the local health and safety coordinator.

Undergraduate students travel abroad (other than for field trips, placements or the Study Abroad programme)

Unaccompanied students must complete an Overseas Travel Safety and Security Risk Assessment (OTSSRA) form when travelling on University of Sussex business. This includes travelling for research or attending a conference.

Guidance on when a student needs to complete an OTSSRA form is available here: HS G902 Guidance on the overseas travel safety and security risk assessment (OTSSRA).

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

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, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has issued a warning against all travel or all but essential travel.

Laboratory work within another institution:

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 criminal activities, individuals with a history of violence or aggression.

Personal Safety:

Interviewing or visiting subjects in prison or detention centres, or within individuals homes.

Work involving lone working.

The use of photographic or recording equipment in regions where this may put you at risk.

Natural Hazards: e.g. extreme weather, fire.

Physical Hazards and High Risk Activities:

Transporting heavy equipment and manual handling.

Activities that are strenuous and/or physically demanding.

Dangerous activities e.g. climbing, diving, caving.

Hazardous flora or fauna

Hazardous plants and animals (toxins, poisons, animal attack, etc).

Activities that increase the risk of exposure to local endemic pathogens from contaminated water, food and vector-borne disease.

Activities that increase the risk of exposure to infectious diseases: Human or zoonotic.

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 FCDO guidance

Distance Learning students travelling to a third country that is not their home or the UK may need to complete an OTSSRA form. Please also see additional guidance on when an OTSSRA form needs to be completed.

A copy of any risk assessment form should be retained by the local health and safety coordinator.

Undergraduate Study Abroad programme

Please refer to the University's guidance on Studying Abroad for more information.

Undergraduate placements

Please refer to the University's guidance on placements to find out how to apply.

Sporting events and Student Union activity

Please contact the Students' Union and/or the appropriate Student Union Officer.

Travel with children

Staff should not have direct childcare responsibilities whilst working. This includes staff working as researchers, even if externally funded.

In exceptional circumstances, children are permitted to accompany their parents/carers on trips for work off campus, but the parent/carer must make suitable childcare arrangements for the child/ren for the periods of time that the staff member is actively engaged in work activity.

In practical terms, this means that a child/ren may travel with a staff member and stay in the same accommodation e.g. in the same hotel, but the child/ren must not accompany the staff member during times that work is being done e.g. attending a conference, surveying and sampling, running focus groups etc.

In order to support work-life balance and ongoing development of University staff, the University has developed a small fund to allow for employees with caring responsibilities to claim for additional costs incurred for caring-related services when attending pre-approved work events, such as conferences, training or career development events as part of the employee’s role. Visit the Carer support policies page for guidance and more information about the carers fund process.

Where there is a requirement for a child/ren to accompany their parent/carer on a work trip the parent/carer must ensure the following:

The travel authorisation process is followed and the risk assessment for the trip must reference the presence of the child/ren and detail any risks to the child/ren resulting from the transport and accommodation.
Costs associated with the transport and accommodation of the child/ren are funded either via a research grant or via the parent/carer themselves.
Suitable travel insurance for the child/ren is obtained including consideration of costs associated with the potential cancellation of travel due to the child/ren (e.g. due to ill health).
The parent/carer must make arrangements for the provision of suitable childcare. (This is not the responsibility of the University).
For grant funded research, childcare costs must be clearly identified in the grant application and the internal costing document.

Health and Safety

Travel on University business and off-site working