This advice for Australian business travellers provides tips on risks for Australian employers and individual business travellers to consider as part of their routine risk assessment process for short-term overseas travel for meetings and conferences, longer-term deployments overseas and travel to high-threat remote locations. It aims to assist employers and the employees undertaking business travel to make safe travel decisions.
The deaths of 39 foreign workers during the attack on the BP/Statoil gas plant at In Amenas in Algeria in January 2013 was a tragic example of what can happen to foreign businesses operating in high threat remote locations. This attack, and others like it, has focused attention on the need for companies operating in remote or high threat areas to have effective risk management and crisis coordination practices in place.
All travel carries with it inherent risks, even short-term travel to familiar overseas locations for meetings and conferences. Risks from political tensions, civil unrest, fraud, severe weather, natural disasters and security of corporate information exist in countries that are not usually considered dangerous.
The most effective way to secure your business against threats to its overseas operations is to put in place effective risk management and contingency planning arrangements. Businesses should also adopt protective security measures aimed at reducing the vulnerability of people, property and information to a range of threats in the overseas business environment.
This information has been created to raise awareness of the importance of travel planning and risk management as an integral element in managing overseas travel.