Students should share rides when possible. Field work and laboratory work are dangerous. All students are responsible for their own safety, and along with the instructor should be alert for possible dangers to themselves and others. Wise field workers are aware that flora and fauna offer potential injuries. Many have sharp spines and other body parts that can puncture or cut, some are venomous, and a few offer electric shock hazard.
Some animals bite or otherwise attack under threatening or stressful conditions.
Rocks at the jetties are sometimes slick, always hard, and some have spikes, rebar and other sharp metal objects embedded in them or hidden between them. Cast off or lost fishing tackle is common in many places along our shores. Habitats may be polluted with chemicals, industrial effluents or sewage. Infectious organisms occur naturally in bays and wetlands, and may be present due to pollution. Common chemicals used in the laboratory are toxic, flammable, caustic, may be absorbed through skin or lungs, or are otherwise injurious, and should be handled safely.