Field safety standard
Nothing on the line is worth an injury
This standard applies to every method in the lab. Read it with the method's own field manual before mobilising, and brief it at the tailgate meeting each morning.
Stop-work authority
Anyone, any time, no justification needed.
Minimum crew
Two people in radio or visual contact.
Kit on every vehicle
Trauma kit, AED, fire extinguisher, 20 L water.
Equipment handling
Transmitter current and electrode potentials
Treat every IP/ERT and CSEM electrode as live. Switch off and confirm zero volts at the takeout before touching a spread; ground the transmitter frame; use insulated gloves rated for the output voltage.
High-power loops and capacitor banks
TEM/TDEM transmitters store enough energy to injure after shutdown. Wait for the bleed lamp, short the terminals, and never break a loop while current is flowing.
Antennas, reels and towed arrays
Two-person lifts over 20 kg. Cable reels get a locked brake. Towed GPR arrays travel with a spotter and a marked exclusion zone behind the tow vehicle.
Radio-frequency exposure
Stay outside the manufacturer's minimum standoff for RIM/BHR and GPR transmitters while keying. No one works forward of a transmitting horn antenna.
Batteries and generators
Vent lead-acid banks, transport lithium packs in fire bags, refuel cold engines only, and keep CO-producing generators at least 10 m downwind of the recording tent.
Site access and permits
- · Written landowner or operator permission for every line before mobilisation, carried in the field.
- · Buried-services clearance (utility plan plus a locate scan) before any electrode, stake or drilled hole.
- · Daily check-in and check-out with a named base contact; satellite messenger where there is no cell coverage.
- · Borehole work: collar barricaded, winch load-tested, no one under a suspended probe, gas test before entry work.
- · Marine and airborne mobilisations follow the vessel or aircraft operator's own safety case, which takes precedence.
- · Traffic-managed corridors get cones, signage and a high-visibility banksman for the whole occupation.
Weather risks and stop limits
| Risk | Stop limit | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Stop when thunder is heard within 30 s of a flash (≈10 km). | Disconnect antennas and long wires, leave the spread, shelter in a hard-topped vehicle, and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder. |
| Heat | Above 38 °C or WBGT 28, halve production and rotate crews hourly. | 1 L water per person per hour, shaded rest, buddy checks for confusion or cramping. |
| Cold and wind chill | Suspend below −25 °C effective, or above 40 kt for loop and airborne work. | Layered dry clothing, warm shelter within 15 minutes of any station, no lone working. |
| Rain and flash flood | No work in dry washes or low ground with rain forecast upstream. | Move to high ground, leave the spread in place, re-survey electrode contacts after the event. |
| Poor visibility | Stop airborne AEM and vehicle-towed acquisition below operator minima. | Park up, mark the array, report the stand-down to base. |
First aid response
Electric shock
Isolate the source before touching the casualty. Start CPR and use an AED if unresponsive. Every shock, however minor, is a hospital referral — arrhythmias can be delayed.
Burns
Cool with clean water for 20 minutes, cover with a non-adherent dressing, do not break blisters.
Crush or fall injury
Do not move a suspected spinal injury. Control bleeding with direct pressure, then a tourniquet high and tight if it is life-threatening.
Heat stroke
Any altered consciousness with hot skin is an emergency: cool aggressively with water and airflow while evacuating.
Snake, insect and animal
Immobilise the limb below heart level, mark the bite site and time, evacuate without exertion.
At least one certified first-aider per crew, with a documented evacuation route and the nearest trauma centre confirmed before work starts.