New code of practice helps organisations safeguard their travellers

Developed in association with International SOS, one of the world’s largest medical and travel security risk services company, this new code of practice advises organisations on how to address and manage the health, safety and security risks posed to their employees who are travelling for work.

A recent Ipsos Global Advisor study found that eight in 10 travellers have felt their personal safety could be threatened while abroad, and 71% of senior executive travellers had experienced a medical problem abroad.

PAS 3001 offers organisations recommendations on how to develop, implement and evaluate issues such as travel safety, health and security policy; threat and hazard identification; risk assessment; prevention strategies and incident management.

Howard Kerr, chief executive at BSI said: “Global mobility has had a dramatic change on the way that we work today, affording both workers and organisations much greater flexibility but at the same time creating new risks. These risks must not go unchecked and, aside from everyday risks, there may be a significant difference between an assessed medical risk and an assessed security risk for a given location. These differences highlight the complexities organisations face when preparing workers for travel.”

An analysis of international business travel found that nearly one in three trips abroad are to countries with a higher medical or security risk rating than the travellers’ home country.

PAS 3001 can be used by any organisation with travellers, whether they are workers, volunteers or contractors, subcontractors or students. The code of practice is also applicable to organisations that provide health, safety and security assistance to other organisations. The PAS may be used on its own or integrated into an existing health and safety management system.

Arnaud Vaissié, chairman and CEO of International SOS, said: “We are in the business of helping organisations achieve their objectives while reducing risks to their people. Our goal in supporting PAS 3001 was to share our experience in travel risk mitigation and the lessons we’ve learned. While organisations have begun to consider response plans in the event of major catastrophes, we find the main risks to travellers are everyday incidents like petty crime, road accidents and falling ill. That’s why it’s so important that organisations don’t wait until the next crisis and have a support plan and network in place to safeguard their mobile workforce.”

Benefits of implementing PAS 3001 are said to include:

• Reducing costly interruptions to business activities and allowing for the development of new opportunities which could have otherwise been lost
• Generating a positive return on investment
• Reducing exposure to criminal liability and reputational damage, while enhancing corporate image
• Improving worker motivation through the worker’s perception of a safe and healthy working environment

PAS 3001 was developed using a collaborative consensus-based approach with input from industry experts such as Association of British Certification Bodies, Association of Insurance and Risk Managers in Industry and Commerce, Control Risks, Falck Global Assistance, The Global Business Travel Association, Health and Safety Executive, The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, Institute of Risk Management, International Organisation of Employers,  International SOS Foundation, Mott MacDonald, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, SAP SE, The Security Institute, Trades Union Congress, University Health and Safety Association, and with expertise from Dr David Gold, Principal Consultant at Gold-Knecht Associates.

For more information, visit http://shop.bsigroup.com/pas3001. BSI and International SOS will host a webinar based on the PAS and best practices organisations can implement to manage risks on 20 October 2016 at 11:00 BST. The webinar is open to the public and you can register here.