Field Work Safety Assignment

COURSE GUIDE

ASSIGNMENT 4 (30 marks)

FIELDWORK SAFETY REPORT

DUE BY DATE: by Friday 25TH October 2015

This assignment incorporates the following two topic areas:

· Prepare Plans & Quality Assurance Procedures for Environmental Field Work Activities – Week 11

· Determine Fieldwork Safety requirements & Implement Appropriate Risk Management & Control Strategies – Week 12.

This assessment task is divided into two parts and requires you to:

a) Plan and prepare for a field work activity (Part A)

b) Identify field work safety requirements and prepare a risk assessment, a set of emergency procedures and a safety briefing for your field activity (Part B)

Two field work scenarios are provided below:

· Soil sampling and collection

· Surface water sampling and monitoring

CHOOSE ONE SCENARIO ONLY (EITHER SCENARIO 1 OR 2).

Answer parts A and B for the scenario you have chosen.

OR

Choose an Alternative Scenario

If you choose to select this option you must email me a project proposal to be checked by me. Your proposal must answer the following questions. You must answer Parts A and B of the assignment as per the other scenarios.

PROJECT PROPOSAL

1. Name and Location of Sampling Site

2. Nature of Sampling Site

· Farm

· Lake

· Wetland

· River or Stream

· Parkland eg. Parks Victoria Site

3. Type of field work

· collection of soil samples

· surface water quality monitoring and sample collection (for chemical analysis)

· surface water quality monitoring and sample collection (for biological analysis)

· groundwater monitoring

· vegetation survey

4. Number of Sampling Sites

1. Duration of Fieldwork – 1 day, 2 days, one week

2. Time of Year (month) – eg. January, June, November

PROJECT BRIEF

Part A

Plan and prepare for a field work activity

Your brief is to determine the requirements that you will need to effectively undertake this fieldwork in a professional and safe manner. Factors you will need to consider are:

· Staffing Considerations

· Field Work Logistics

· Transport selection / booking vehicles

· Estimated travelling times - to, from and between sites

· Estimated times for meal breaks

· Accommodation

· PIT stops and meal breaks

· Liaison with internal contacts such as academic and technical staff

· Arranging site access - liaison with external contacts such as private landholders /parks rangers

· Type of sampling involved

· Field Equipment requirements (specific to type of sampling being undertaken)

Identification, packing and loading of equipment

Requirements for sample collection, preservation, storage and transport

Resource Materials on planning and preparing for field trips are available on the DLS

Part B

Prepare a Risk Assessment for your field activity

Your next task is to prepare a risk assessment, a set of emergency procedures and a staff safety briefing for your field work activity. Factors you will need to consider are:

· Type of site

· Identification of hazards associated with sampling at the site

· Assessment of risk associated with these hazards

· Implementation of risk control measures

· Risk Management Strategies

· Emergency Procedures

Resource Materials on how to write a field trip risk assessment and emergency procedures

will be available on the DLS.

REPORT

Your report should contain the following:

· A detailed explanation of the field work logistics involved for your activity – include a timeline or Gant Chart

· Explanation of the requirements for sample collection, preservation, storage and transport

· Include a checklist of equipment requirements for the field work activity

· Provision for sample delivery to the RMIT laboratory

· A comprehensive risk assessment for your field work activity

· A set of emergency procedures for your field activity

· A dot point list of topics that you would cover in a safety briefing session to staff undertaking this field work activity

HINT

Your answers need to be specific to the scenario chosen. Using the information provided on the blackboard site, apply your knowledge in answering each of the above aspects (in relation to your scenario). Ensure that your answers are relevant to the scenario chosen. If you wish to submit a draft (1 draft only) of your report, I am happy to look at this prior to your final submission.

FIELD WORK SCENARIOS

FOR BOTH SCENARIOS: · Depart from RMIT City Campus La Trobe Street · Return to RMIT City Campus by 5.00pm · Assume that the Environmental Science twin cab ute is available for your use · You have two weeks to organise the sampling event

SCENARIO 1 – SOIL SAMPLING AND COLLECTION

Your supervisor has asked you to organise a field trip to collect top soil samples (0-10cm) from two properties (farms) in Little River, Victoria. The travelling distance between the two sites is 5km.

It is your job to plan and prepare for this field activity, taking into account staffing, transport, equipment, safety and other considerations. Several staff members are available to undertake this field work with you.

The fieldwork is to be undertaken in mid-July.

Sample Collection – refer diagram below

Sample collection will involve measuring out four transects at each site, then constructing four quadrats (10m x 10m) in 20 metre intervals along each transect (total of 16 quadrats per site).

A total of 50 soil plugs will be collected from each quadrat using a plug auger. ie, 25 plugs from each 10 metre x 5 metre section (half quadrat). The top soil will be sampled using a zig zag pattern (refer diagram). The soil plugs collected at each quadrat are to be transferred to clearly labelled paper bags (separate bags for each quadrat).The soil samples will be stored in plastic crates for transportation back to the laboratory. Your supervisor would like the sampling completed in one day and the samples delivered back to the Environmental Science soil laboratory (city campus) by 5.00pm that afternoon for air drying.

Site 1

Is a field where sheep graze at regular intervals? The property has an electric fence and entrance gate. The property is situated on a treeless plain where it can be very windy. Eastern brown snakes inhabit this area. Spray control programs for serrated tussock (an environmental weed) are regularly conducted on this property.

Site 2

As for Site 1 except that there are no electric fences or gates surrounding this paddock. A section of this paddock contains rocky (basaltic) outcrops.

Site 1 Sampling Site Little River

Site 2 Sampling Site Little River

Reference Photo - Sampling top soil inside a quadrat

Soil Sampling – setting up transects and quadrats

SCENARIO 2 – SURFACE WATER MONITORING

Your supervisor has asked you to organise a field trip to conduct water quality monitoring at two Parks Victoria sites in the South Morang area (in Melbourne’s northern suburbs). The travelling distance between the two sites is 5km. It is your job to plan and prepare for this field activity, taking into account staffing, transport, equipment, safety and other considerations. Several staff members are available to undertake this field work with you.

The fieldwork is to be undertaken in late October.

Sample Collection and Water Quality Monitoring

Field work will involve:

a) the collection of surface water samples for nutrient analysis - total phosphorus and nitrates

b) the in-situ (on-site) measurement of the following water quality parameters – temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity and dissolved oxygen.

Your supervisor would like the sampling completed in one day and the samples delivered to the Environmental Science cold room (city campus) by 5.00pm that afternoon.

Refer to videos on:

· water sample collection

· sample preservation techniques

· use of multi-parameter field meters

Site 1

Site 1 is a disused quarry. The water in the quarry is sourced from rainfall and the leaching of groundwater. The water depth is approximately 8 metres.

Site 1 Disused Quarry South Morang

Refer to Video of Mother in Law’s Leap

Site 2

Site 2 is a pond in a constructed wetland. The wetland treats urban stormwater from a local housing estate. The water depth is approximately 1 metre.

Site 2 Wetland Pond

Refer to Video of Tanunda Wetland Ponds

School of Applied Sciences

Document: Study Guide PUBH1369 Author: Dr Neale Jackson Save Date: 26/06/2015 Page 1 of 7