Conducting safe and inclusive fieldwork

Safe and inclusive working environments for off-campus or off-site research

As of January 30, 2023, NSF requires a “Plan for Safe and Inclusive Field/Vessel/Aircraft Research” or PSI-FVAR* for all proposals that propose off-campus or off site research.

This document certifies that the organization has a plan in place regarding safe and inclusive working environments at the time of proposal submission.
We recognize that there is overlap between this Plan for Safe and Inclusive Field/Vessel/Aircraft Research and the EH&S Field Operations Safety Manual. Because OSP will need to see a project-specific PSI-FVAR in an eGC1 before submitting a proposal to NSF, PIs should plan on having a separate PSI-FVAR that can be separated from a more comprehensive Field Operations Safety Plan.
Please feel free to use the below template and modify as appropriate for your own proposals:
- PSI-FVAR Template
If you are looking to create a Code of Conduct of your own, please see the below examples for your reference.
- Code of Conduct Example #1 – Example provided courtesy of the Bermuda boundary Layer Experiment on the Atmospheric Chemistry of Halogens (BLEACH), PI Becky Alexander, UW Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science
- Code of Conduct Example #2 – Example provided courtesy of the Marine Conservation and Ecology Group, PI Tim Essington, UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
- Fieldwork Code of Conduct – Anthropology (tamu.edu)
- Field Code of Conduct | The Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences (yale.edu)
- COF_Network_Groups_Code_of_Conduct.pdf (agu.org)
- UW School of Oceanography Code of Conduct (washington.edu)
- Additional resources for creating your own Code of Conduct can also be found at Codes of Conduct (carleton.edu)
NSF has also provided an FAQ for Safe and Inclusive Working Environments for Off-Campus or Off-Site Research that can be found here.

NSF policy references

*Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 23-1) Chapter II.E.9 — Safe and Inclusive Working Environments for Off-Campus or Off-Site Research
- It is NSF policy (See Chapter XI.A.1.g.) to foster safe and harassment-free environments wherever science is conducted. NSF’s policy recognizes that a community effort is essential to eliminate sexual and other forms of harassment in science and to build inclusive scientific climates where people can learn, grow, and thrive. Accordingly, for each proposal that proposes to conduct research off-campus or off site, the AOR must complete a certification that the organization has a plan in place for the proposal that describes how the following types of behavior will be addressed:
  - Abuse of any person, including, but not limited to, harassment, stalking, bullying, or hazing of any kind, whether the behavior is carried out verbally, physically, electronically, or in written form; or
  - Conduct that is unwelcome, offensive, indecent, obscene or disorderly. This plan should also identify steps the proposing organization will take to nurture an inclusive off-campus or off-site working environment, e.g. trainings; processes to establish shared team definitions of roles, responsibilities, and culture, e.g., codes of conduct; and field support, such as mentor/mentee support mechanisms, regular check-ins, and/or developmental events