General guidelines

Being near rivers, streams or any other body of water, either for work or recreation, is potentially hazardous.

When doing an RHS survey, health and safety must always be taken into account.

Safety is an integral, and important, part of the RHS training course with the main hazards/risks being highlighted. However it is not fully comprehensive and line managers of surveyors are responsible for making all field staff aware of potential dangers, and the procedures to follow, in case of accidents.

RHS surveyors need to be physically fit and must have adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) i.e. appropriate footwear and waterproof jacket and trousers. Footwear should have cleated, felt or studded soles. Waders or wellington boots must be worn when surveying from the channel.

Every effort should be made to minimise risks in the field and the following guidelines should be followed:

  • Life jackets should be worn at all times when working in rivers, and in any other situations wherever there is a risk of drowning. Do not enter a river in spate flow.
  • Do not enter the water if the river bed is not visible.
  • When entering the channel, take into account the depth, flow and temperature of water, conditions under foot (e.g. substrate, algae) and entry/exit points. Check for any potential obstructions.
  • It is sensible to walk against the flow of the river.
  • When in the channel, use a ranging pole or wading stick to check depth and substrate.
  • Avoid steep, unstable and overhanging banks, and always have an identified exit route close to where you are surveying.
  • Work in pairs if river channels need to be crossed.
  • Never enter a culvert unless there is a constructed path that can be used.
  • Look out for hazards, especially in urban rivers, e.g. broken glass, sharp metal, decomposing waste or pollutants.
  • Take care to avoid contact with the water, soil or vegetation before eating or drinking during survey work.
  • Wear the right clothes for both the job and the weather conditions.
  • When driving, shoes or walking boots should be worn and not waders.
  • Carry a basic first-aid kit and hand-wipes.
  • Wear a whistle, especially in remote, urban or wooded areas. Do not put it in a rucksack or pocket.
  • When there is good reception, carry a mobile telephone.
  • Always double-man or use a ‘lone worker’ system i.e. reporting-in and signing-off procedures, linked to a homebase. (NB lone working also includes where two people are working in a remote location.) Line managers should have systems in place that ensure that the location of surveyors is known, and should establish an agreed system of emergency action in case a surveyor does not report back at the end of the day. For more details on lone-working, see Appendix 2.
  • A risk assessment should be carried out before doing survey work and an RHS health and safety assessment needs to be completed on-site. If there are problems on site, the surveyor needs to report these to their line manager, or survey coordinator, at their office. If it is considered unsafe, or there is any doubt, the survey should not be carried out.


Risk assessment for a River Habitat Survey (see Appendix 1.1)

Surveyors need to decide if there are any risks and to what level they are. Measures are suggested to reduce the risks and they should be applied. However it is down to the surveyor’s, and their line manager/survey supervisor’s, personal judgement(s) whether to proceed with the survey. The information in the Appendix 1.1 table should be used as a guide in undertaking risk assessment.

Site health and safety form (see Appendix 1.2)

This is now a required component of an RHS Survey and should be submitted along with the other four pages of the survey form. Surveyors need to assess, and comment on, the general characteristics of the site, and specifically on such aspects as weather and flow conditions. On the form it is necessary to record if the risks are low, medium or high. If a single category is recorded as a ‘high’ risk, surveys should not be carried out; similarly if more than three ‘moderate’ risks are recorded, RHS should not be carried out.

The risk assessment form must be filled in before doing the survey and amended afterwards if hazards were discovered during the survey. It is very important that the form includes all potential threats as the data will be inputted into the RHS database and will be available for future reference. Please do not hesitate to change the status of existing threats and add recommendations such as double-manning, specific protective equipment (e.g. gloves) etc.

Personal safety

Equipment used in an RHS survey can be highly expensive and the surveyor should also have a mobile phone. This may attract unwanted attention, particularly in urban areas, and might lead to a hostile situation.

Surveyors need to be able to recognise these types of situations and know how to deal with them appropriately, minimising risk of personal injury. Some sort of ‘conflict resolution’ training may be required so that the surveyor is able to evaluate the situation, avoid aggravating it, and know how to breakaway and escape attack if necessary.

If confronted for survey equipment, always give it over. Equipment, or data, are not as valuable as the surveyor!

Life jackets

Where there is a risk of drowning a life jacket must be worn. Surveyors must be trained in how to use, maintain and inspect their life jacket. They also need to know about the dangers of immersion and hypothermia.

Weil’s disease (Leptospirosis)

This can be a life threatening disease and surveyors need to carry a medical/warning card at all times to alert people to the nature of any potential illness. The symptoms start as a fever and headache. Treatment with antibiotics is needed straightaway.

Rivers being surveyed for RHS may contain rat urine, which can cause this illness. Therefore waterproof clothing must be worn when in the channel. Dead rodents at the site should not be touched, with or without, hand protection. Infection enters through breaks in the skin (i.e. abrasions, cuts, eyes, nose and mouth). Cuts and/or broken skin must be covered with waterproof plasters and surveyors should not rub their eyes, nose and mouth.

Surveyors must always wash their hands before drinking, eating or smoking. Clothing and equipment should be cleaned after use.

Lyme disease

Lyme Disease can lead to serious illness if not treated quickly and properly. It is caught through being bitten by infected ticks, particularly in areas with sheep and deer. The first symptom is a ring-shaped rash around the bite followed by the development of flu-like symptoms within 24-48 hours.  Treatment with antibiotics is required and is normally successful. If the disease is not treated, serious complications will develop over 1- 12 weeks.


Whilst doing survey work in areas where tall grasses, reeds, heather (Erica, Calluna), bracken (Pteridium) and cranberry/blueberry/bilberry (Vaccinium) are abundant, surveyors must keep their skin covered (i.e. trousers and long sleeves). They also need to regularly inspect their clothing and skin for ticks and thoroughly check their body at the end of the day.


If ticks are found on the body, use tweezers to remove them. This needs to be done slowly and carefully to ensure no mouth-parts are left behind below the skin. Following removal, put a dressing over the bite, and seek medical attention.