The bedrock for any company sending travellers overseas should be their Travel Safety Policy document. Research suggests around 65% of large organisation and 25% of SMEs have a travel policy in place – few have a travel safety policy. By adding the word SAFETY it becomes people, rather than cash, centric.
A Travel Safety Policy will help both the traveller and the organisation understand the correct processes and procedures to follow when booking and conducting travel overseas. It will explain what services are available and where these can be accessed -be they occupational health, risk assessments or flight bookings. It will also explain what actions should be taken should an incident occur when overseas. This might be from the mundane such as a lost passport right up to serious injury or worse.
In today's litigious a company has to be sure it's being seen to be doing, and doing, the right thing by their staff. Legislation affecting an overseas traveller can include:
- The 1974 health and Safety at Work Act - a company must provide a safe working environment for all staff, no matter where in the world they are
- The Corporate Social Responsibility Act (CSR) has now strengthened this and in particular with the recent introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act. Although not directly applicable overseas, it's thought that a company could fall foul of the act if an employee dies overseas as a result of decisions made in the UK
- The Bribery and Corruption Act - recently introduced with severe penalties for companies should an employee, agent or subcontractor fall foul of the law
Planet Wise can help your organisation research, audit, write and implement a suitable Travel Safety Policy. We usually spend a couple of days on site researching and liaising with all relevant departments including: Finance, Travel, IT, Insurance, HR, Occupational Health, Directors and anyone else deemed necessary. During our research we include:
Areas covered include:
- Administration
- Pre-trip risk assessment
- Inoculations
- Expenses and how to claim
- Personal safety
- Driving abroad
- Data protection
- Emergency procedures
Your policy also needs to address more corporate requirements including:
- Airline choice and safety records
- Risk management for health and secuirty
- Trip management and sign-off (not just for budget)
- Management of rogue travellers - those that travel outside of your policy and, therefore, put themselves and the business at greater risk
- Determine what actions the business or traveller should take in the event of an emergency overseas (or back in the UK)
- Internal and external resources available to improve the safety and wellbeing of staff when overseas
On a final note, we speak with many clients who have made an attempt to write a suitable policy but it always ends up on the 'back burner'. We will have your policy back to you within four weeks for internal review and sign-off.
