Overseas (Non-UK) TravelHealth and Safety Standard

How to GuideApril 2015 (v3)

Why is Overseas Travel Standard needed?

International activities are a key area of the University’s strategic plan and the University encourages employees and students to carry out overseas work, study and research.

Your health, safety and security when travelling overseas is important

The Overseas Travel Standard: Will help you prepare for potential health, safety and security

risks Give assurance that those travelling to high risk locations

understand the risks they may face and know what they need to do to mitigate them

The overseas travel standard can be found at www.essex.ac.uk/ohsas/overseastravel

You will find the documents referred to in this presentation on this

web page under Resources

Guidance on overseas travel an also be found at www.essex.ac.uk/ohsas/overseastravel/guidance

You will find travel tips and links to other sources of advice

(including travel health advice) on this site.

Planning your visit

It is good practice to research the country you are visiting prior to travel. This is particularly important if you are visiting a Country for the first time, have not been there recently, or are aware that there may be security issues (e.g. through press coverage).

The following websites are particularly helpful:

Gov.UK (formally FCO) Travel Advice by country

AIG Destination Reports

NHS: Fitfortravel: Travel Health information for people traveling abroad from the UK

You will find links to these sites on the overseas visits websites, along with guidance on how to access the AIG Destination reports. Further information is also given later in this presentation.

Travel Insurance All non UK visits require adequate travel insurance

The University’s travel insurance is provided by AIG. It is designed specifically for our needs and provides you with the following services: Emergency travel and medical assistance Travel security advice and alerts Health Information Destination Guides Online Travel Security training

Travel Insurance Before travelling overseas on

University business / research complete a Travel Application Form and send it to the Insurance and Risk Manager (Steve Couch)

Please complete the form in good time.

You should try to submit the form a minimum of 2 weeks before travel to allow time for assessment of the travel plans.

Travel Insurance For the majority of overseas visits the Insurance and Risk

Manager will confirm that insurance is in place and provide you with our insurer’s emergency contact details

If you are planning to visit a high or extreme risk location the Insurance and Risk Manager will advise you that you need to: Carry out a formal risk assessment Obtain approval from your Head of Department / Section For visits to locations identified as extreme risk approval will

also need to be given by your Executive Dean or, for Professional Services, the Registrar and Secretary

Travellers to high and extreme risk locations will also need to complete a short online Travel security course.

Risk Assessment: The good news The vast majority of trips will not need formal risk assessment and

approval

No need to “reinvent to wheel” for multiple visits to the same Country – just update an existing assessment

The risk assessment process will help you to plan a safe trip

The Health and Safety Advisory Service (HSAS) and the Insurance and Risk Manager are here to help you have safe and event free trip

Risk*Typical number and type of

visits to countries by University employees

Action under new OV standard

Risk medium or low 767No formal assessment – recommended that you

research where you are travelling and take sensible precautions for your security and health

High 65Formal risk assessment and approval by your Head of

Dept / Section

Extreme 2Approval will also need to be given by your Executive

Dean or the Registrar and Secretary

*Based on trips that took place between August 2010 – July 2011

What are high risk visits?

Visits to countries that are:

Graded as Extreme on the risk indicator used by AIG

Graded as High on the risk indicator used by AIG

Visits to countries or parts of countries where the Gov.UK travel advice website has advised against travel due to health risks or natural disasters

Visits that include adventurous activities

AIG: Destination Reports

To access the AIG travel assistance site: Follow instructions in the: AIG Travel Assistance and Travel Insurance Guidance

You will need the University’s insurance policy number when you first sign in. It is in the AIG Travel Assistance and Travel Insurance Guidance

Then select Country you are visiting

You can print off or email a PDF of the report to yourself

This is what the Destination

Report looks like

You can also get reports for

cities

This will tell you whether the level of

risk is high or extreme

The risk assessment should focus on the areas identified as high and extreme risk

Example of risk indicator for a high risk Country

Example of risk indicator for a extreme risk Country

Risk may vary across the country. Your risk assessment should take this into account.

You can also sign up to receive travel security

alerts for your destination by clicking on the “alerts” link on the AIG website

Gov.UK Travel Advice

www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

This replaced the FCO website in April 2013

Detailed guidance, including health risks

Circumstances can change rapidly, so sign up to regular alerts

www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

Risk Assessment and approval: Process

Refer to the flow chart on the overseas visits website for an overview of the process

The Insurance and Risk Manager will send you a risk assessment form, or you can get it from the website.

If you need help with risk assessment contact HSAS or the Insurance and Risk Manager

Risk Assessment: Sources of information

Include: AIG Destination Guides and

Gov.UK foreign travel websites

NHS fitfortravel, NaTHNaC and MASTA (health risks)

Previous experience / experience of others who have travelled or who live there

Training: e.g.: Online security course, Fieldskills courses

Online Travel Security Awareness Course

The online security awareness course provided by the University's travel insurers AIG

It is Composed of 5 modules of between 5 -17 minutes Can be completed over several days Each module includes a simple quiz to confirm

understanding At the end of the course you will get a certificate of

completion

Go to the overseas travel website for step by step guide on how to access AIG Online Travel Security Training

Online Travel Security Awareness Course

You will need to complete the online travel security course if you are planning to visit a high or extreme risk destination ad have not attended a similar course in the past

You only need to complete the course once

You will need to confirm to your Head of Department / Section that you have completed the course when you submit the risk assessment.

If you have completed a similar course, you will need to provide a copy of the certificate.

Conclusion

The University has a resource of health and safety information to help all travellers plan their travel

There is also information on support available to travellers through the University’s insurers

For most overseas travellers little will change: you will now just need to complete a short form rather than email the Insurance and Risk Manager

Before they travel, travellers to high or extreme risk locations will need to: complete a risk assessment obtain approval from their Head of Dept (or Executive Dean / Registrar if

extreme) complete the online travel security course

For further help please contact: HSAS: extn 2944, email safety orSteve Couch, Insurance and Risk Manager, extn 2173, email: scouch

Have a safe trip