What should a university travel risk assessment include?
- Last reviewed
- 6 min read
- For universities
The short answer
A university travel risk assessment should record the foreseeable hazards of the destination, the journey, the accommodation and every planned activity, who could be harmed, the controls in place, any risk that remains and who has approved it. Sector guidance from USHA expects it to be written by a competent person, proportionate to the risk, shared with participants and updated after the trip. Your own university sets the form, the risk tiers and the approval route, so start there.
Key takeaways
- Routine travel such as a UK conference can usually be covered by a simple procedure, while overseas research, supervised off-site courses and travel to unstable destinations need a detailed written assessment.
- A suitable assessment names the author and date, lists hazards and controls, and states what further action is needed, who will do it and by when.
- Include contingency plans for illness, transport disruption, extreme weather, theft or loss, changes in political stability and changes in leadership ratios.
- FCDO advice is a key input, and travel against it can invalidate insurance, so universities usually require extra review before approval.
- Dynamic risk assessment on the ground is useful but does not replace emergency and contingency planning done in advance.
Does every university trip need a written risk assessment?
Not always, and the level of detail should match the risk. The Higher Education Sector Guidance on Health and Safety in Fieldwork and Travel, published by the Universities Safety and Health Association (USHA) in 2018, says that for routine arrangements such as individuals attending business meetings and conferences within the UK, a simple procedure in the institution's fieldwork policy should be sufficient. It says detailed written assessments are likely for supervised off-site courses, research projects overseas and travel for teaching or recruitment in destinations showing instability.
Universities usually turn this into tiers. For example, the University of Oxford's Faculty of Law requires its longer risk assessment form for all fieldwork and for medium and high-risk travel. Whatever your tiers are, check them before you plan, because the form and the approver are set locally. Our university field trip planning guide shows where the assessment fits in the timeline.
What hazards should the assessment cover?
USHA recommends covering all relevant risks together in one document rather than scattering them across separate forms. Its example hazard checklist is a good starting frame for a trip abroad.
| Area | Examples to consider |
|---|---|
| Travel | Getting to the destination and moving around near the field site, including night travel and hired vehicles. |
| Activity | The specific tasks, equipment, manual handling, work near water, and inherently dangerous activities such as climbing, diving or caving. |
| Personal security | Terrorism, crime, aggression from members of the public, and sensitivities of the research in that location. |
| Accommodation | Fire, carbon monoxide, electrical safety, and whether staff can be close to students. |
| Environment | Extremes of weather, sea or water courses, landslide, rough terrain, hazardous plants and animals. |
| Health | Disease prevalence, foodborne illness and distance from medical facilities. |
| People | Competence and fitness of participants, supervision levels, lone working, poor behaviour and inability to summon help. |
Include risks to other people who could be affected as well as to the group itself, such as members of the public or host communities.
What information makes an assessment suitable and sufficient?
USHA says the assessment should be undertaken by a competent individual, usually the person responsible for the fieldwork, and should record foreseeable hazards and significant risks, the control measures that are in place or will be, and any significant residual risk. To be suitable and sufficient it should also state what further action is needed before the activity proceeds, how and by whom it will be taken, and the timescale.
- Author and date: every assessment should record who wrote it and when it was produced or updated.
- Contingency plans: responses to illness, changes to leadership ratios, changes in activities or political stability, extreme weather, transport delays, and theft or loss of money or equipment.
- Residual risks: state them plainly so that participants give informed consent and have realistic expectations.
- Sign-off: a named person at the right level, with a countersignature where your policy requires it.
How does destination advice feed into the assessment?
Check FCDO travel advice for every country on the route and record what it says on the date you assess. FCDO shows areas where it advises against all travel in red and areas where it advises against all but essential travel in amber, and the advice can apply to a whole country or only parts of it. Sign up for email alerts so that you hear about changes before departure.
USHA adds that FCDO advice reflects the government's ability to deliver consular services, so read it in that context and, for less stable destinations, add sources such as in-country contacts.
Who approves it, and does the trip need approval before booking?
Most universities require approval before bookings or insurance applications. The University of Edinburgh's School of Social and Political Science tells students they may not travel for research or study until their travel risk assessment is approved, and that travel without approval is not covered by the university's travel insurance. At Oxford's Faculty of Law, assessments for travel where the FCDO advises against travel must be reviewed by the University Safety Office and approved by the head of department.
Ask your safety office where the escalation thresholds are. Our university travel policy checklist covers what a policy should specify.
When should the assessment be reviewed?
Treat it as a live document. USHA says the assessment should be revised throughout the fieldwork so that it stays relevant, and reviewed after any incident or near miss with lessons recorded. It accepts that some dynamic risk assessment, where leaders respond to changing circumstances on the ground, is likely to be needed, but says this should not substitute for adequate emergency and contingency planning.
Re-check FCDO advice in the week before departure, and update the assessment after the trip so the next group starts from what actually happened.
How Roamly can help
Roamly supplies the itineraries, accommodation and transport details that a risk assessment depends on, and provides risk assessment support for university trips through its consulting service. Our free travel risk assessment tool gives you a structure to start from. Approval and legal responsibility stay with your institution. Contact us to talk through a trip.
Sources
- USHA: Higher Education Sector Guidance on Health and Safety in Fieldwork and Travel (2018)
- GOV.UK: About FCDO travel advice
- University of Oxford Faculty of Law: Assessment of risk for travel and fieldwork
- University of Edinburgh SPS: Fieldwork and travel risk assessment
- HSE: Application of health and safety law outside Great Britain
- GOV.UK: Foreign travel insurance
General guidance only, checked against the sources above on 30 October 2026. Entry rules, airline policies and official advice change, so confirm the current position with the linked source before you travel.