Safety in the field
When in the field, researchers are responsible for their own safety (unless the host institution takes on this responsibility and accompanies the team out in the field). Host institutions have typically set up systems with a field activity book/whiteboard where researchers are asked to provide information on where they go, when they expect to be back and what kind of communications and safety equipment they are bringing. The host institution will monitor the field activity book/whiteboard, and take action if a group is not back in Ny-Ålesund at the time given in the registration.
Risk assessment and mitigations should follow the host institution’s routines.
Weapons and polar bears
Polar bear encounters should be considered a real possibility anywhere on Svalbard. Consequently, anyone travelling outside the settlement of Ny-Ålesund must be equipped with appropriate means of protection against polar bears (rifle and flare gun).
Rifle
Always bring a firearm and a flare gun with you if you travel outside of Ny-Ålesund. Half load the rifle at designated areas when leaving Ny-Ålesund. The rifle should always be carried with the “bolt open” when inside the Ny-Ålesund city limits.
Firing your rifle or flare gun outside of the shooting range in Ny-Ålesund is forbidden unless it is an emergency. At the shooting range, please remember to raise the flag to inform others about your activity. If an incident such as firing a rifle or a flare gun outside of the shooting range occurs, it must be reported to Kings Bay.
Rental of firearms
With basis in Norwegian legislation pertaining to firearms (The Firearms Act), the Governor of Svalbard has published revised Guidelines for firearms and protection and scaring devices against polar bears.
The guidelines in full are available here.
You can read additional information from the Governor here.
Kings Bay safety course
Kings Bay offers a polar bear safety course for everyone engaged in field work. You must pass this course (or similar courses from NPI or UNIS given in Longyearbyen) in order to be permitted to rent a firearm from Kings Bay. The certificate issued upon passing the mandatory test – the final step of the course – is valid for three years.
The safety course will be conducted the day after the arrival and has a duration of 4 hours.
Kings Bay AS do not provide polar bear guards
Sharing of safety information
Institutions and individuals are strongly encouraged to share information concerning safety, including the location of crevasses, polar bear sightings and avalanche dangers. Information should be posted on the whiteboard in the Kings Bay Service building.
Reporting of accidents and incidents
Incidents and accidents should be reported. Several institutions have already good routines for documenting (near-) incidents. We ask everybody to report on incidents in a written form and include the leadership of NPI (headnpi.nya@npolar.no). In case your institution / company does not provide an incident form, please find a standard here (soon to come).
NySMAC working group on field safety
NySMAC has established a interest group on field safety, namely the field-safety working group (FSWG).
The FSWG works within the institutional responsibilities and regulations, NySMAC agreements, the field regulation, SIOS focus and safety training and a changing environment including increased number of polar bear sights in Ny-Ålesund and melting and moving glaciers. The FSWG focus on issues such as the field-safety information flow, including field-safety information in the institutions in-briefs, a solution for sharing field-information, etc.
Link to the Ny-Ålesund field-log
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