Fieldwork Safety Page 7 of 7 This is the Mandatory Operational Code of Practice for Field Safety produced by the Field Studies Council. FSC OPERATIONAL CODES OF PRACTICE No. 1 : FIELD SAFETY Appendix 5 : Marine and Estuarine Shores including Sanddunes 1. Field Safety All requirements for fieldwork safety given in the main body of FSC OCoP No. 1: Field Safety apply to fieldwork carried out in these habitats and therefore must be fulfilled and complied with. 2. Coastal Habitats Coastal habitats are perhaps different to all others [with the exception of mountain areas] in that a number of factors, which may individually impinge on other habitats, frequently occur simultaneously on shores. This combination has a synergestic effect in terms of potential risk which can be further exacerbated by the fact that weather conditions can change and deteriorate very rapidly. The importance of detailed site specific information being known to and acted upon by tutors is paramount as is the judgement and experience of the tutor in being able to assess and respond appropriately to rapidly changing circumstances. 3. Site Access / Egress Points and Routes These are liable to change after severe weather events involving high winds or, more generally, during or after the winter period. It is recommended that, after any such weather and before any groups are taken there, all marine shore sites used by a unit are visited by staff [who are familiar with them] to assess any changes. The Fieldwork Site Information must then be amended as appropriate. If visits [as described in 3.2 above] are not possible before a group is taken to a site, the tutor must carry out an assessment of any changes as the group approaches or arrives at the site. The tutor must be prepared, in the light of any changes, to modify the intended activity up to and including the immediate removal of the entire group from the site. 4. Tides FSC staff must be familiar with all the tidal regimes of all the shores that they work on, including the high and low slackwater periods. They must appreciate the nature of tidal movements in particular the rate of tidal rise on the various regions of a shore and they must be aware of the practical implications of this for the shores that they use especially when a large tidal range is involved. At the course planning stage, tutors must determine the times and heights of high and low water of the shore that they intend to use. They must use this information in combination with their knowledge as given in 4.1 above to determine the nature and timings of any activity that they intend to undertake. It is recommended that work should be undertaken on a falling tide and that extreme care must be taken with regard to continuing to work near the low water mark after the tide has turned. On some shores there is the potential risk of being cut off from a safe egress route by a rising tide. This particularly so in the following situations : Mud shores dissected by creeks and hollows. The mud in such areas is frequently too soft to- enable them to be crossed at any time. The creeks may be deep. Once such creeks are filled by a rising tide, route finding off a mud shore can be impossible because of the danger of drowning as a result of failing into a deep creek or becoming, trapped in the mud. Sandy shores, in addition to the hazards noted for mud shores, can have areas where the sand is firm when dry but becomes thixotropic when covered by a rising tide with the resultant hazard of a person becoming trapped and drowning. Thus a route which provided safe access on a falling tide may become extremely dangerous if used for egress during a rising tide. Steep, broken rocky shores. Safe routes off such shores may be limited by the topography. If such routes involve cross a gully, rising water combined with wave action may result in the gully becoming impossible to cross. Knowledge of local site conditions and a policy of leaving such shores well before the possibility of getting cut off is realised are imperative. 5. Currents On some shores, tidal movements and wave actions can produce strong currents capable of carrying a person away. On such shores, entry into the water above knee height must be forbidden and, in extreme cases, all entry to the water must be forbidden. 6. Wind Shores are invariably more windy that inland. Tutors must be aware of the hazards which can result. They must act accordingly [see also sections 5. and 6. of FSC 0CoP No. 1]. Wind chill can contribute to the onset of hypothermia even on a sunny day. Wind chill can mask an awareness of the onset of sunburn. The risk of sunburn is increased because of the reflection of UV light from the surface of the sea. Wind combined with high temperatures in sunny weather can increase the risk of dehydration. Students must be encouraged to drink fluids. Winds can cause a loss of balance. In the extreme, it can blow a person off their feet. Appropriate advice must be given to students and precautions taken when working or walking on rocky shores or cliff tops where injuries resulting from a wind-induced fall could be severe or fatal. Wind or past wind conditions may also increase the risks posed by waves and sea ground swell [see 7 below]. 7. Waves Wave height is the result of wind speed and direction in combination with fetch [the distance of open water over which the wind is blowing and can therefore act on the water to produce waves]. Basically, wave height increases with increasing wind speed and increasing fetch. Wave action on a shore is a reflection of the shore's topography. In general, a given wave will break and expend all its energy very rapidly on a steep shore. The same wave would roll gently up a long flat shore breaking and expending its energy gradually. Past and possibly remote weather conditions can produce an underlying background water movement, the so-called ground swell. The result of the above is that waves on one shore may produce splash and spray but be perfectly safe to work on, whilst at exactly the same time another shore may be exceedingly dangerous because of the risk of a person being knocked off their feet or swept away by waves. The tutor must set a bottom limit on the shore beyond which no student must be allowed to descend. This limit may be well above the height of the highest wave break point and should if necessary be determined by watching the shore for some considerable period of time before any attempt is actually made to go onto the shore. 8. Substrate Apart from other specific hazards given below, the general hazard on any shore is one of slipping or falling whilst walking. Advice is often requested on suitable footware. Ideally, the footware should provide support to the ankles. There does not appear to be a footware type which is ideal, in terms of the nature of the sole and the material from which it is made. in all circumstances. Obviously leather and hard plastic / rubber soles must be avoided, as must soles with well-worn or no tread pattern. Emphasis must be placed on great care being taken , if necessary crawling on hands and knees or shuffling across rocks whilst sitting down may be the safest method of moving. Running or leaping about must be forbidden. Wearing rubber gloves may help to prevent lacerations in the event of a fall, as well as keeping the hands dry and warm. Bedrock Often slippery when wet or covered by macro-algae or algal films. The likelihood of a person slipping and the severity of the outcome increases with the steepness of the rock. Certain rock types are friable [break or crumble easily]. This can present problems in terms of walking over such rock and in terms of the likelihood of a rockfall onto a party below. Although barriacle-covered rock can provide good grip to footware, the outcome of a fall can be increased because lacerations. Boulder/ Stones As for bedrock plus the increased probability of loss of balance and resulting injury because the boulders / pebbles move. Students must be advised to take care moving on such shores when other people are below them because of the risk of loose rocks being dislodged. Equally, people below a person who is moving must look out for falling rock. The throwing of stones must be forbidden. Shingle The throwing of stones must be forbidden. The loose substrate is difficult to move on quickly. Care must therefore be taken at the water's edge where there may be difficulty getting away from waves and the risk of being pulled into the water. This is particularly so on shingle ridges which slope steeply into the sea. A steep seaward side to the ridge also means that the water is usually deep immediately offshore. Students should only descend the seaward slope of such ridges if the tutor is satisfied as to prevailing sea conditions and any appropriate precautions which may be taken [see section 7 above], and students must not be allowed to enter the water under any circumstances. Sand The tutor must be aware of any areas of quicksand or thixotropic sand and strictly avoid them with groups. Windblown sand both on beaches and in sanddune systems can be extremely painful if it gets in eyes and behind contact lenses. Removal of such sand must be done extremely carefully, preferably by irrigation with sterile saline solution. Such casualties must be taken for medical examination even if the sand is successfully removed. The throwing of sand must be forbidden. Jumping down steep sanddunes must be forbidden because of the risks of sprains or bone fractures. Rabbit burrows on sanddunes present the risk of sprained ankles and wrists. Mud Apart from the risks posed by creeks [see 4.4.a. above] any bare mud is liable to. be soft and there is the risk of a person becoming trapped. Attempts to extract a trapped person must be done carefully. Unsuccessful attempts can quickly lead to exhaustion or deeper entrapment. Trapped parts of the body are liable to restrictions in blood flow which further reduces the ability to escape. When entrapment is very deep, compression of the chest may prevent normal breathing. The throwing of mud must be forbidden. 9. Dangerous organisms Crabs can give a powerful pinch with their claws and blennies are known to bite. Both are liable to hang on. Ticks may be present in sanddune vegetation. Adders are found on sanddune systems. Generally, they will detect and move away from large groups moving through the vegetation. The greatest risk is of a individual person stepping on an adder which is basking in amongst tall grass tussocks. In this situation, the snake will invariably strike. Students must also be forbidden from lifting up any large sheet material corrugated roofing sheets, timber sheets, black plastic sheeting, cardboard boxes. Adder frequently rest under such material. Contrary to popular belief, there is no serum for adder bites. The reaction is one of allergy and is treated as such. However, the severity of there action varies with the individual person and where they have been bitten. Keeping the affected limb below the level of the rest of the body may help in lessening the spread of the venom. First aid treatment must be that for shock although there must be an awareness that the shock may rapidly deepen. It is important to keep the casualty calm and provide reassurance [A normal adult will not die from an adder bite]. Medical attention must be sought immediately. Weever fish are occasionally encountered at low water on clean sandy shores. They will be buried apart from the head and back. Spines on the first dorsal fin and gill covers release a poison which produced an extremely painful sting to anyone stepping on the fish. Students must not be allowed to go barefoot in areas where weever fish may be found. Although immersion of the wound site in hot liquid is said to lessen the duration of the pain, it is unlikely that this will be a practical first aid treatment in a fieldwork situation. Medical attention must be sought immediately. Estuarine mud may harbour tetanus bacteria which enter humans through any small cut on the skin. As a general rule, all open cuts and sores must be covered and waterproofed when working in seawater. Human sewage effluent is a variable risk dependent on the proximity of effluent discharge points. Strandline material is a potential risk because any material may be concentrated at this location. Human sewage effluent, broken glass, sharp metal and syringes are all amongst the possibilities. Unless it is directly connected with an activity, students must be discouraged from handling strandline material If it is necessary, heavy duty gloves must be worn and it is recommended that any initial disturbance of the material is carried out using implements such as garden handrakes. 10. Other dangerous objects Students must not handle or open any containers which may contain chemicals or chemical residues. Although the risk is now much reduced, occasional items of explosive ordinance [bombs, sea mines, etc.] are washed up on shores or exposed on soft sediment shores. Any such suspicious object must not even be approached. The entire party must be removed from the area and the Coastguard informed. The Coastguard should also be informed if several identical chemical containers are visible as drift material on a shore. 11. Summoning Emergency Services If assistance from the Emergency Services for a casualty is required, it must be remembered that the Coastguard is likely to be more appropriate than the other Emergency Services in many circumstances in coastal areas. If advised that a helicopter is being made available, an attempt should be made to indicate the location of the incident and a suitable landing site [flat and free of overhead obstructions] by marking a large letter 'H' on the ground. The material used does not have to be brightly coloured, as long as it contrasts with that of the background. All members of the party must be moved to a safe position well away from the indicated location. If is not possible to move the casualty from the immediate vicinity of the marked location, care must be taken to cover their face whilst the helicopter is actually landing. Care should also be taken to ensure that there are no loose items such as clothing in the immediate area of the landing. Such items have been known to be sucked into the path of a landing helicopter with serious consequences. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Page 7 of 7