Export Drive Prompts Business Travel Warning

Businesses in Yorkshire are being urged to remember their duty of care to employees travelling abroad as more companies prepare to expand into overseas markets as part of the government's export drive.

There were more than 6.7 million overseas business trips made in the year ending July 2011¹ with employees facing some of the most tumultuous travelling conditions in decades caused by political unrest and natural disasters.

Despite this, leading insurance broker Bluefin says there is still a worrying lack of awareness among businesses about the employer's duty of care to workers undertaking overseas travel, with as many as 86 percent of companies demonstrating a significant lack of awareness of the legal requirement to undertake pre-travel risk assessments.²

According to a recent survey, 95 percent of global companies have sent employees on business trips to high-risk locations³, making it even more important to carry out the right procedures or businesses could find themselves being taken to court for negligence.

The warning comes from Bluefin following Business Travel Week (13^th - 19^th February) which raises awareness of issues in the business travel market.

Peter Castle, Head of Customer Proposition at Bluefin, which has offices in Leeds, Harrogate, Skipton, York, Scarborough, Cleckheaton and Hessle, said:

"With the government encouraging UK companies to export more and to countries beyond the euro zone, there is likely to be an upsurge in employees travelling abroad making it essential that businesses understand their responsibilities for workers' health and safety when taking overseas trips. This issue has been compounded by political unrest in many parts of the world including the Middle East and Greece, adding to the list of potentially dangerous destinations."

Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, employers have a duty to undertake pre-travel risk assessments which should identify the reasonably foreseeable risks that may arise due to the travel. The assessment should cover methods of transport, travel itinerary, destination, the employee's particular fitness to travel and work overseas, their particular prior travel experience, trip duration and specific risks of the destination.

Castle continued: "Employers should ensure the employee is aware of the types of risk to which they may be exposed and take action to mitigate these risks where possible through a travel risk management strategy."

If a company breaches its duty of care it faces an unlimited fine, remedial orders and courts may also impose a "publicity order" to name and shame the company in the national press. In some circumstances, company directors can be personally liable for gross negligence manslaughter or for health and safety offences.

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