Staff and students often travel overseas on university business and the University is committed in ensuring that this takes place as safely as possible. The guidance below and linked offers advice and tools to assess the individual circumstances of your trip, but ultimately you are responsible for ensuring the adequate measures needed are taken before you go and that you make sensible decisions once you’re abroad. Some of the risks you face in your destination country will be similar to risks you face in the UK, but might be more difficult to deal with because of language, cultural or procedural differences; other risks, like natural disasters or political instability, might also be completely new to you. Please follow the guidance below and seek further advice if needed.
Safeguarding Work Away
The University's main source of advice for staff and students planning to travel is available on Safeguarding Work Away. The information has been designed to assist students, staff and others who are required to complete a risk assessment as part of preparations to study or work away from Cambridge and, therefore, focus specifically on the safety aspects of study or work away. The guidance below summarises key points from those pages, but staff and students are advised to also consult the more detailed guidance on Safeguarding Work Away.
Students
All postgraduate students are required to apply for permission to work away. General information about working away is available on Postgraduate study page or via departmental guidelines (for example, for undergraduate work away).
All postgraduate students applying for work away are required to upload a risk assessment to the application. This is to ensure that risks have been considered and where possible mitigated. For those working away for less than two weeks and not required to apply for leave to work away, please note that a risk assessment is still mandatory.
Useful links for students:
Overview for Individuals travelling - health and safety for those working away
Link to University Policy to Safeguard Students Studying and Working Away for more detailed guidance
Video on identifying risk: Working Away from Cambridge
Further Information on Completing the Risk Assessment
Please contact your Department’s Postgraduate Office for the appropriate risk assessment form.
Staff
Staff travelling on University business should refer to the folllowing pages for information on identifying and managing risk and for the relevant requirements.
- Overview for Individuals travelling - health and safety for those working away
- Further Information on Completing the Risk Assessment
- All staff undertaking international travel is advised to watch the video: Working Away from Cambridge
Authorising travel
Heads of Department or any person whom a Head of Department has delegated the responsibility of reviewing risk assessment for work away should refer to this section of the Safeguarding Work Away website for additional guidance. The Safeguarding Work Away information includes links to general travel advice including country specific Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice and links to British consulates and embassies.
Pre-departure training
A one hour video (on Moodle, sign in with RAVEN) Course: Working Away from Cambridge will give you knowledge and skills to ensure you assess all risks involved with your travel plans and allow you to complete a full and comprehensive risk assessment for review by your PI, Manager or Head of Department within your own department
Further guidance, including case studies and the latest in-country advice, can be found in the CRISIS24.
Watch our video on Personal and Data Security Abroad on the University Staff Hub to find out more about staying safe when travelling. Further guidance and training on personal security abroad is being developed and will be launched later in the academic year.