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?
It is vital to obtain a comprehensive threat overview of all international locations where travel will be conducted. Accurate risk assessments and country security risk reports will provide for a more informed and balanced decision-making capability regarding operational security concerns.
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. Documents should be user-friendly, relevant and up-to-date. Situations change rapidly and timely intelligence will provide detail on current and future anticipated threats.
Provide personnel the tools and knowledge to minimize and mitigate personal travel risk. Travel safety and situational awareness is a vital cog in the TRM 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.
1. 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. Trusted and vetted suppliers of drivers and vehicles must be a priority. A reliance on taxis and ride-share services has led to multiple issues for organizations throughout the world.
Private transportation significantly alleviates risk to individuals abroad. The risks of express kidnapping, robbery and sexual assault are significantly reduced if travelers do not have to hail taxis from the street or utilize public transport.
2. Security – In some countries, the use of Executive Protection may be required to manage individual and group security. Executive protection is no longer a service for the rich and famous. The modern professional “bodyguard” acts in an enabling role, facilitating the movement of executives through the plethora of risks that exist.
Mark Deane, the CEO of ETS Risk Management Inc. and founder of Explore Secure® is a risk management professional whose experience stems from his previous career as a Covert Operational Officer with the British Government. He has planned, managed and delivered numerous security and risk management operations at both a government and corporate level. He regularly delivers training to corporate and government agencies in a range of security, surveillance and intelligence services.