COVID-19 Checklist for Research Leaders
Staffing
Issues you should consider Questions you should ask Actions you should take
Do you have staff presently overseas?
  1. Are you in touch with them?
  • If not, please get in touch.
  1. Have they been able to return to Australia?
  • If not, please arrange for members to do so if possible.
  1. Are they able to return?
  • If not, please ensure you remain in contact with them.
Do you have planned or current fieldwork completion / requirements?
  1. What are the alternatives?
  • Identify alternative options.
  1. Will you be able to meet project goals?
  • If not, identify alternative goals.
  1. Do you need to discuss these issues with your fieldwork contacts and partners?
  • If so, liaise with nominated research contacts.
  1. Do you need to discuss these issues with your funding body?
  • If so, decide when such contact needs to be made and liaise with Research Office.
Do you have visiting researchers currently present or planned in the next 6 weeks?
  1. Have you been in touch with them to discuss the changed circumstances?
  • If not, contact them as soon as possible.
Team Management
Issues you should consider Questions you should ask Actions you should take
Team member absences
  1. Discuss how you will manage if certain members of your team will be absent for extended periods.
  • Develop an agreed plan.
  1. Do you have team members with limited social connections to Perth and UWA?
  • Ensure you maintain regular contact and welfare checks with your team.
  1. Do you have their up-to-date contact details?
  • If not, update the details.
  1. Can you ensure that social contact and support of your team is retained during absences?
  • Institute a "buddy" system that ensure all of your team members, especially international members with limited local social structures, have an identified person who can ask after them, support them and, if necessary, bring them essential supplies.
Critical team members
  1. Who are your critical team members?
  • Identify essential team members.
  • Identify who will replace their essential duties if they need to be absent.
  • Discuss and agree alternate arrangements with relevant staff.
Up to 50% of your team absent for extended periods.
  1. How will you manage this?
  • Develop plans for large numbers of staff away for extended periods.
Essential Tasks
  1. Determine the nature and the frequency of any essential tasks your team undertakes for others.
  • Develop a plan for the possibility that these tasks cannot be performed.
  1. Determine the nature and the frequency of any essential tasks your team requires from others.
  • Develop a plan for the possibility that these tasks cannot be performed.
Social distancing and remote working
  1. Do you have sufficient space to implement social distancing in your current work environment?
  • If not, develop and agree on a plan or schedule for remote working that allows social distancing protocols to be satisfied.
  1. How will you supervise and lead your team should everyone be required to work remotely?
  • Develop plan as to how you will manage this. Ensure that plan is agreed with the team, and resourced appropriately.
  1. Do your staff have appropriate resources to work at home?
  • Check and plan for availability of appropriate office resources (IT, approriate chairs etc) for staff who will be expected to work from home.
Research (New and Existing)
Issues you should consider Questions you should ask Actions you should take
Ethics
  1. Will the project require new ethics proposals
  • Only submit if you can start and complete a project with confirmed access to all supplies, samples and participants.
  1. Does your project have existing ethics proposals?
  • If revisions required discuss them with the Office of Research Enterprise (ORE) Ethics Team.
Research involving face-to-face contact with participants
  1. Is it necessary for this work to cease immediately?
  • Cease the work.
  1. What is the impact on your work?
  • Consider alternative approaches to the research question.
  1. Can the work proceed with appropriate social distancing protocols?
  • If this requires a change in the protocol then this change must be registered.
  • If the work can proceed without face-to-face contact, then register an appropriate change to the research protocol.
  1. Will you be working with indigenous communities?
  • Plan how you will manage a lock-down on access to these communities and the impact it will have on your work and on the progress of your HDR candidates.
Key Facilities
Issues you should consider Questions you should ask Actions you should take
Do you have the operation and maintenance of key facilities under your control?
  1. Can the facility can be turned off / shut-down safely?
  • What are the conditions under which this will be required?
  • Identify who it will effect. Plan how you will communicate with them.
  • Decide how you make the decision to cease operations and who has the decision making authority
  1. If the facility cannot be shut-down
  • Agree on the minimum staffing required
  • Identify key staff essential to the operation of the infrastructure.
  • Decide how you will manage if key staff become unavailable.
  • Agree to strategies to manage extensive absences with your team. Document these strategies.
Facilities outside your control
  1. Do you have key equipment and facilities you need that are not under your control? i.e. external facilities.
  • Plan how you will manage if this facility is not available.
Research data management
  1. Can you access and work with your research data when working remotely?
  • Check the range of options for securing saving research data which are accessible remotely by visiting the UWA RDM toolkit.
  1. Is your data being appropriately stored and backed up
Projects and Funders
Issues you should consider Questions you should ask Actions you should take
Project progress
  1. Will progress on your projects be impacted by these events?
  • Communication with the ARC and NHMRC will be coordinated via ORE
  • If the funders have a particular relationship with you (eg. Tender or a commercial partner), plan when you will need to discuss any progress issues with them?
  • Should you need help with discussions with research funders contact ORE
Assessment and estimate of increased costs and delays?
  1. Will the progress of this project require additional investment?
  • Develop a plan as to how these costs will be met.
  • If the costs cannot be met, decide when you will discuss a re-scoping of the project with the funding body. Develop a sensible plan for the project with awareness that the funder is also almost certainly under financial stress.
Animal Welfare
Issues you should consider Questions you should ask Actions you should take
Animal Welfare
  1. Does your project involve animals?
  • Do you have a detailed plan as to how the welfare of the animals will be managed in the event of large numbers of absences or extensive university shut-down?
  • Do you have a detailed plan as to how the welfare of the animals will be managed in the event of large numbers of absences or extensive university shut-down?
  • Discuss this plan and ensure it is agreed and documented with your staff and students, and Animal Care Services.
Assessment of critical samples, supplies and consumables
Issues you should consider Questions you should ask Actions you should take
Critical samples
  1. Does your project involve critical samples?
  • Develop an agreed and documented plan as to how these samples with be stored and maintained in the event of large staff absences or extensive university shut-down?
Critical supplies
  1. Does you project depend on essential supplies?
  • Develop contingency plans should these supplies become unavailable.
Critical consumables
  1. Does you project depend on essential consumables?
  • Develop contingency plans should these consumables become unavailable.
Hazardous materials
  1. Does your project use hazardous materials?
  • Ensure that you are able to remain compliant with useage and disposal protocols.
Planning and Support
Issues you should consider Questions you should ask Actions you should take
Campus essential personnel
  1. If the university closes, will (or should) any of your staff be designated as essential personnel to attend campus?
  • Ensure this is known and, if necessary, inform your Head of School or SDC Head
Access to external sites
  1. Does your project require access to other sites?
  • Plan for the possibility that this site is no longer accessible.
Other Issues
Issues you should consider Questions you should ask Actions you should take
Identify key single points of failure or dependency within your area - cross skilling or cover.
  1. Identify key single points of failure or dependency within your area - cross skilling or cover.
  • Identify key single points of failure or dependency within your area - cross skilling or cover.
Emergencies
  1. Do you have emergency contact lists - for local work group and School.
  • Obtain the emergency contact lists - for local work group and Schools.

Modified from the ANU COVID-19 Checklist for Research Leaders