Travel Safe-What You Need to Know About Travel Safety and Security Risk Management

8/7/2019 Travel Safe-What You Need to Know About Travel Safety and Security Risk Management

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Travel Safe: What you NEED to know about travel safety and security

Copyright Tony Ridley 2011 Page 1 of 13

Travel Safe

What you NEED to know about travel safety andsecurity risk management


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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted for

resale or use by any party other than the individual purchaser who is the sole authorizeduser of this information. Purchaser is authorized to use any of the information in thispublication for his or her own use only. All other reproduction or transmission, or any formor by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by anyinformational storage or retrieval system, is prohibited without express written permission

from the publisher.LEGAL NOTICES: While all attempts have been made to provide effective, verifiableinformation in this Book, neither the Author nor Publisher assumes any responsibility forerrors, inaccuracies, or omissions. Any slights of people or organizations are unintentional.If advice concerning business matters is needed, the services of a qualified professionalshould be sought. This Book is not a source of business information, and it should not beregarded as such. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative

information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that

the publisher is not engaged in rendering a business service. If expert business assistance

is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. As with anybusiness advice, the reader is strongly encouraged to seek professional business counselbefore taking action.Published by: Tony Ridley PRINTED IN THE AUSTRALIA, DISTRIBUTED WORLDWIDE. 2011


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Table of Contents

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If you want to learn about managing the safety and security of your business travelersthen you NEED to read this eBook.

Specifically well discuss preparation, analysis, management, monitoring and responseto an active and successful travel risk management program.After reading this eBook, you should know how to prevent or predict approximately 90%to travel risks and act immediately to improve your own program.Implementing a successful travel risk management strategy can be one of the easiestcorporate actions but the most difficult to get moving.Too much time is wasted focusing on the wrong areas for assessment andimplementation that results in minor coverage for the major areas of concern.

Here we will simplify the process for immediate action or comparison.

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Preparation is the key and primary step for all programs, whether mature ordeveloping.

Any and all information that is collected, especially data, should be consolidated toensure consistency and accuracy.Overcoming a silo mentally within the organization is alsoparamount to consolidating.Intent, progress and resolutions must be communicated toall stakeholders in the most effective medium possible.Managers should not limit themselves to the more traditionalmediums but also include popular social media offerings.

Key messages or content must be trackable or at leastacknowledged to ensure potentially life saving information isnt lost in the vastcorporate email inbox or mislabeled as spam.Each major milestone and change needs to be documented, rated and followedchanneled into the communication plan.Time spent on effective preparation is rarely wasted and will pay dividends throughoutthe course of the programs lifecycle.


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23/456,*

A relatively small consulting firm, who understood that they had a significantinvestment in their consulting staff, was able to develop and implement an effective,world-class travel risk management strategy in a matter of weeks.

Through a well-structured phase of preparation and mapping they were able to resolvean issue that had consistently been pushed back because they had always assumed thetask was insurmountable.

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Analysis of all key components associated with corporate travel must be conducted.The first and most pivotal is the travelers themselves.

A profile and rating of each traveler needs to be developed. Questions around health,experience, knowledge, function and even preparation are basic requirements.With this information managers will be betterpositioned to make accurate assessments on theoverall risk of any journey.The location visited is the second element.The threats vary greatly from location to location

and generalized ratings are useless if based onsuch known vulnerabilities.Trips to a key, developed city warrant different planning considerations than that of aremote location in a developing economic country.Different cities within the same country may have vastly differing threat concerns too.Next is the activity to be undertaken by the traveler.A conference, factory tour, expedition or client meeting all have differing threats and

planning considerations and are not adequately address by a one-size-fits-allapproach.Additionally, the level ofsupport afforded the traveler is considered.This is not only those organic support options, such as internal support and providers,but that of emergency services, infrastructure and so on.The time it takes for an ambulance to respond can turn a routine incident into apotentially fatal encounter.

Lastly, all the known or prevailing threats need to be assessed.


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You can never know everything but an overall list and impact/potential outcomesassessment needs to be conducted to complete the process if consistent and measurableresults are to be expected.

23/456,*

Due to changing economic challenges, a mid-sized company was pressured to seek newbusiness in developing countries and emerging markets.Until this point they had always been reluctant to venture into such markets duelargely to their perception of risk.Following structured and less superficial analysis they were able to fully appreciate theactual threats and separate the more emotive elements.With consultation with managers and travelers, they successfully expanded their

market and sought new business with less competition as their competitors continue tolack the understanding and preparation to successfully pursue potentially lucrativeopportunities.The result was not only travel safety but a competitive advantage too.

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The greatest threat to preparation and analysis is an unsupervised or unmanagedprogram once the traveler commences travel.

Ownership must be displayed and active management of travelers from a door ofdeparture until a door of return is achieved.This must be conducted with frequency of effortand regular communications to ensure thetraveler feels supported and management isacross the potential for change andintervention.This phase is a marathon and not a sprint.

The management of successful programsrequires consistency in conjunction withfrequency.Relatively standardized approaches need to be applied to like situations/circumstancesfor the purpose of efficiency, productivity, safety and cost control.Demonstrable support is required both within the management group but to allidentified stakeholders such as travel management, security, the traveler, families, etc.


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23/456,*

A company with tens of thousands of travelling personnel successfully manages the risksand demands of travel with only a handful of people.

Their system and support mechanism is adaptive enough to support individualrequirements but automated enough to ensure efficiency by keeping headcount atoptimal and minimal levels while leveraging technology.Their overall strategy is not managed by one department but all departments andstakeholders work in collective unison at each and every stage from departure up toreturn of the traveler to the office or their place of residence.

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Monitoring represents the Achilles heel for the majority of travel risk management

programs.Ongoing monitoring of events and activities is required, whether this is carried out bythe traveler or higher support function such as HR or security.Tactical events (those that occur within proximity of the traveler/travelers route)should be scrutinized on a regular basis.These events are the ones most likely to cause disruption or harm and should constitutethe priority of effort. Wider events or more strategic developments also need to be

monitored for change that will impact the traveler or group of travelers.Tactical events include demonstrations,storms, violence and the like while strategicevents include visa changes, political unrest,health crisis and so on.The actual journey taken by the travelershould be regularly reviewed or automated toreport and respond to disruption events andthreats.

Finally, the individual needs to be monitored outside of the usual performance andreporting requirement to ensure their health and wellbeing is preserved or unchanged.

23/456,*

Numerous companies have averted crisis and maintained productivity by monitoringdeveloping events.Changes in weather, strikes, airline delays and even public holidays can occur at shortnotice and outside of standard policy doctrine.By keeping a finger on the pulse with active monitoring these companies maximizetheir travel spending and ensure their travelers are highly productive and efficient.


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Less vigilant companies who leave the process to static policy and dated knowledge areforced to spend more or suffer unnecessary delays.

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Bad things happen to good people all the time.No plan is complete without a response capacity in support of the affected traveler.The plan and steps must be painstakingly simple and clear so as to be remembered andquickly implemented under the worst of situations.The plan must be adaptive and simple in implementation so that it can build incomplexity and content after the initial activation or call for

assistance.The plan may be infrequently called upon but it shouldhave consistency in application and capability.All locations, activity, individuals and threats need to beconsidered and inclusive of the response plan.Above all, the plan needs to be timely in its application.A distressed, affected traveler or manager must get the support and collaboration

required in the shortest possible time frame.While the planning and preparation may be measured in days, weeks or months theresponse should be valued in minutes and hours dependent on the need.Most companies acknowledge this not their core competency and therefore part or all ofthis function for maximum return and results.

23/456,*

A seasoned traveler from an acclaimed academic institution became unwell whiletraveling for work purposes.Despite years of experience and seniority at the institution they had in fact very littleknowledge or experience when it came to emergencies or supporting medical services inthe location they were when the became ill.As a result of poor choices, lack of knowledge, no support, limited integration coupledby a litany of local challenges the individual nearly died.It was only through the swift and successful actions of a concerned spouse, engaging a

far more organized process with predictable results, did the individual receive the careand support required to save their life and begin the long recovery process.


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Conversely, one company experienced several similar incidents in a single month,however not once were their travelers placed at such grave risk, suffered uncontrolledcosts or outright loss of productivity for long periods.This was all due to a successful and scalable response capacity if and when required.

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Plans are completely ineffective and all preparation wasted if travellers and thoseresponsible for the management of travel are not training and practiced in the plan/s.Response is not intuitive to all and response is far less consistent when not provided withbest practice or multiple option training and development.Travellers will never be able to fully script all their travel or responses but informed andpractical options reduce risk, wastage and increase productivity.

Training can take many forms and be communicated in various formats put it should allform part of a structured plan and compliance.The need and attendance of such training will depend on the activity and frequency ofthe traveller/s.This is not just for high threat areasbut more beneficial to all types andlocations of travel.

Training need not be boring orroutine for attendees and shouldseek to cater to the variety ofaudience demographic (seniority,experience, prior attendance, etc.)and replicate real-worldexperiences (video, role play, videogames, etc.).

23/456,*

A large product launch was scheduled to take place in a multi-national companys keyinternational market.Few of the invitees and company representatives had actually travelled to the countryor city before, with some having limited travel experience at all.The company identified the risk and prepared and distributed (and accounted forcompletion prior to travel) for all attendees and support personnel.Despite the size of the event, sizable attendee list and multiple disruption and safety

incidents, no one suffered any major injury and no major loss of continuity occurred.


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The potential for considerably worse outcomes was avoided through identification ofthe hazards, scripted plans, targeted-training and continuous monitoring and updates.

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The majority ofincidents negatively affecting travelersoccur at airports, on the road, accommodation,office/business location, social/leisure locations orresult of dynamic change.As much as 90% of incidents and events occur in andaround these key locations.

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Airports must be included in any action plans or support strategies. It is often thefirst/last leg of all journeys and likely to present delays and disruptions ranging fromflight delays to targeting by petty criminals.Airports are typically further away from business activities or business travel andaccommodation locations.Longer commutes are required for airports than almost any other stage of the journey,barring flights.Numerous direct and indirect events can impact upon the productivity, efficiency andlife safety of a traveller at airports.Strikes, weather, accidents, transport, terrorism, fire and many other events can have awide spread affect on airports.Limited accommodation, long waiting periods and numerous layers of security andgovernment checks can all add to the overall journey.Plans need to include the use of approved airports; alternate plans should an airportbecome inaccessible and support plausible events that could affect the traveller/s.

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Accommodation of all kind must be evaluated and included in timely response andadvice communications.Travel to and from intended accommodation needs to be examined and identified forthreat reduction options.Threats posed to various geographical locations, cities, suburbs, hotel chains oradjoining retail outlets all affect the overall threat posed to the traveller/s.


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Choice of rooms, amenities, access and hotel planning and preparation should beconsidered as complete discharge of responsibility to third parties provides inconsistentresults.Emergency response resources and plans need to be pre-communicated to all travellers.

The functionality of accommodation to provide a platform for continuous and effectivecommunications for travellers is a key consideration often overlooked by planners.Meals, out of hours, check in, entertainment, functions, special events, proximity andmany other non-standard elements must be included in plans and analysis.

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Road moves remain the most prevalent and greatest for deadly consequences.

Motor vehicle accident rates vary wildly from country tocountry.Locations of business within the journey plan represent thesmallest of impact locations but demand inclusion.Seat belts, vehicle serviceability, driver skills, tire changingequipment, first-aid, speed and route selection are but a fewof the planning concerns.Pre-selected transport or more random public transport

choices provide a varying degree of safety and securitythreats.Enroute crime and threats such as abduction or robbery should be considered.The use and display of expensive items such as cameras, phones and laptops warrantinclusion.

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Often forgotten, with tragic results, are social or leisure locations.This element is likely to be largely unscripted but has a high rate of incidents and eventsthat negatively impact upon the traveler.Meals, tourism, entertainment, social gatherings and non-business activity within thecourse of a business trip are still potential hazards.Less planning and focus, coupled with a sense of release by business travellers, makesthis area one of the most concerning but typically least scripted.


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Concentration of personnel guidelines, report criteria, safety zones, emergency servicesaccess and general travel information need to be accessible and usable by businesstravellers.Liability accepted or extended by the company in the event of the traveller consumingalcohol or voiding prescribed recommendations should be clear and consistent.

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The one constant with travel is change.Elections, violent crimes, attacks and other major news events create change andpotential for concern, whether affected directly or not.Planners and managers need to include this dynamic in the constant monitoring,

response and communication plans.Increasingly, some of thegreatest traveldisruptions have notoccurred withinproximity of those finallyaffected but within theoverall travel networkthat has resulted in aknock-on affect to all

those within the travelcorridor at the time ofoccurrence.Identification of immediate and developing change is only as effective as the ability tocondense the information and communicate it to affected travellers and managers.Collection and analysis of frequent and infrequent historical events can provide a veryvaluable resource for future and current planning.While most companies are not to blame for the event that triggered change ordisruption, many are still measured and held accountable for their response andeffectiveness during such times.


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Most agree that travel is inherently risky or laced with threats but far less actually dosomething about travel risk management as they dont know where to start or see thetask too daunting.

As you can see, it is relatively straightforward to capture 90% of the problem andmanage the risk in a few simple steps.With a methodical and consistent inclusive ofpreparation, analysis, management,monitoring and response you too can have a world-class travel risk managementprogram.Most events and concerns occur around airports, accommodation, roadmoves,office/business locations, change and social leisure locations.

Now you know the key focus areas you have the information and plan to start now.Even if you already have a plan and strategy, you can benchmark your own approachwith this information gathered from years of empirical data, thousands of incidents andinsight from thousands of companies ranging from small startup to some of the largestmultinationals around the globe.Travel safe.Tony Ridley2011
http://tony-ridley.com/

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Travel Safe-What You Need to Know About Travel Safety and Security Risk Management