Ensuring the wellbeing, health and safety of our students and staff is our top priority, always and everywhere. The Department of Geosciences, therefore, introduced a Code of Conduct and Safety Instructions for Excursions, Mapping Courses and Fieldwork with students. This Code of Conduct applies to all our teaching activities outside the University premises.
This Code of Conduct does not replace any federal, state, or university laws and regulations, but, instead, should be regarded as a manual (Betriebsanleitung) to enable and support teaching staff to run successful and safe field courses.
This Code of Conduct takes into account that field teaching differs from regular classroom teaching in that it usually
- takes place in regions and under conditions that pose additional health and safety risks;
- involves participants that may be inexperienced and unfamiliar with local conditions and field activities;
- requires participants to work and live closely together, with reduced privacy, for a prolonged period of time;
- puts additional responsibilities on the staff who have a duty of care.
This Code of Conduct is based on three keywords:
- Safety should be considered at all times as field courses may involve additional risks.
- Respect for each other, the environment, and local hosts, laws and customs.
- Clarity in rules, grading regulations and assignments avoids misunderstandings, distrust and even safety risks.
