PGG/LGG Code of Conduct

The entirety of the LDEO Code of Conduct applies to everyone affiliated with PGG / LGG, along with these addendums. All members and affiliates of the Polar Geophysics Group or Lamont Glaciology Group at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, even visitors or temporary field partners, are required to be informed of, and follow these codes of conduct.

The PGG Additions and the LGG Values Statement were independently developed during URGE. As such, these Codes of Conduct will evolve over time. They will be accessible in greater detail upon joining the work environment. Our primary purpose is to help group members, and others, to create and sustain fulfilling, engaging professional lives, while pushing the boundaries of science forward.

These documents were combined and summarized below:

Fieldwork

• Require a pre-departure meeting for all participants in which PI’s will detail the purposes and process of the upcoming fieldwork deployment. This must be held within a minimum of six weeks prior to deployment.
• A fieldwork risk assessment must be completed prior to departure, and discussed at the required pre-departure meeting.
• All participants must be familiarized with hazards, potential discomforts, and expected accommodations during fieldwork.
• All participants should have the right to refuse to do activities they feel are unsafe or are uncomfortable with.
• The field team must be adequately prepared for any tasks that will need to be performed in the field and be provided with sufficient training.
  • If possible, gather the team and run through the practical work they will be doing in the field (e.g., ROSETTA-Ice QC Camp)
  • Drivers license requirements and driving arrangements
  • ATV driving experience
  • Firearm experience
  • Bear safety training
• Provide a detailed Deployment Packet with detailed information about the fieldwork location, logistics, and requirements prior to departure. This packet should be discussed at the required pre-departure meeting.
• Provide team clothing, or a ‘uniform’, when relevant 
  • E.g., bright high-visibility safety vest, institutional hats
• Discuss working relationships with field work participants who are not from LDEO.
  • Ensure all participants read and understand the code of conduct
  • Ensure all participants understand the reporting structure within that type of fieldwork environment
• Ensure access to bathroom facilities (especially on aircraft)
• Ensure access to a communication device at all times (e.g., internet, telephone, satellite phone). If limited availability, ensure equal access to all participants when possible.
• Discuss healthy ways to manage stress and frustration for when fieldwork does not go to plan, or when team members are tired from long working hours.
• Allow participants to be evacuated (at no cost) due to medical emergency, Title VII violation, or Title IX violation, due to discomfort.
• Keep all participants actively informed about the status of the instruments, equipment, weather, environment, etc., or any changes. No one should be excluded.
• Discuss how to work in temporary accommodations that are not owned by Columbia or LDEO. How to file complaints, move rooms, access location resources, etc.
• Require a post-fieldwork debrief with all participants. This should provide a forum to consider risks from all perspectives and discuss potential scientific successes. This forum should be inclusive of all participants.
• Request all participants fill out an anonymous post-fieldwork survey in order to catch any potential perspectives that have slipped through the cracks.
• All participants should be encouraged to remember that fieldwork is an extension of the workplace. As such, all workplace protections and decorum extend to the field.

At Lamont

• All participants are entitled to:
  • Privacy and personal boundaries. These should be observed by all participants for that individual's comfort.
  • Access to a gender neutral bathroom
  • PTO and sick time
  • Out-of-office hours
  • A clean and comfortable working environment
• All participants are encouraged to share resources with one another to develop a stronger working environment.
• Every participant is encouraged to promote a respectful, welcoming, and inclusive group culture. 
• Not all participants are faculty or students, and as such, understanding that standard working frameworks do not apply to all PGG/LGG members. Support staff, DA’s, engineers, liaisons, educators, and etc., all fall within the PGG/LGG membership.
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