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The Five Key Components of a Robust Travel Risk Management Program

Meeting duty of care requirements is a complex process to navigate for any organization with employees who are traveling overseas on company business. Understanding what measures one can take to manage risk to an acceptable standard remains a considerable challenge. Now, more than ever in our volatile world the question arises, how best to meet this legal obligation?

 ASI identifies the five key components of a Travel Risk Management (TRM) program:

Ground Truth
 
Security risk reports provide the organization a comprehensive understanding of what we refer to
as ‘Ground Truth’ – knowing the risks of the area of operations – country, region and locale. It is
vital to obtain a comprehensive threat overview of all international locations where travel will be
conducted within. Accurate risk assessments and country security risk reports will provide for a
more informed and balanced decision making capability regarding operational security concerns.
 
Education
 
Provide personnel the tools and knowledge to minimize and mitigate personal travel risk. Travel
safety and situational awareness is a vital cog in the  ASI machine. Risks can be significantly
reduced with the sensible application of basic personal security methodology. It is often the most
cost-effective and efficient method of significantly improving the safety of individuals or groups
abroad. Any training should provide an auditable trail that personnel completed the necessary
steps prior to departure to minimize the risk of litigation.
 
Briefings
 
Prior to any travel the individual traveling should be fully aware and conversant with the
environment they will be visiting, as well as the threats and risk of those threats. To avoid the
risk of litigation it is vital that any individual’s travel goes ahead willingly and with ‘eyes wide
open’. To ensure this, any organization should supply, or provide access to a country briefing to
an individual or group prior to departure.
 

In-Country Support 

The provision of the necessary protective and personal safety support when your travelers are in-country should involve, but not be limited to, two categories:

  • Ground Transportation – The biggest risk to any traveler in a foreign country is vehicular accident. Further, most robberies, abductions and violent opportunistic crime occurs in or near a vehicle. It is therefore essential that journey management plans are prepared and rigorously enforced.
  • Security- If an emergency incident occurs police and national emergency medical services are often inadequate, overwhelmed, or non-existent. There must be a pre-identified and rehearsed service in place to ensure the effective and timely response to an emergency.

Response

If an emergency incident occurs police and national emergency medical services are often inadequate, overwhelmed, or non-existent. There must be a pre-identified and rehearsed service in place to ensure the effective and timely response to an emergency.

There are 3 components to Response:

  • Communication – The benchmark is to be able to identify the exact location of your employees and be able to effectively communicate with them within 15-20 minutes of an incident occurring. Tracking and monitoring through GSM is an effective tool.
  • Crisis Management – Being able to react immediately and effectively. This requires the design and implementation of plans and processes, to be complemented by the introduction and training of a crisis management team. 
  • Emergency Evacuation/Hibernation Plans – These should be a structured and practical guide for the organization to identify and respond to executing a full or partial evacuation of personnel from operational locations, or hibernate in-situ until the situation changes.