With Travel Comes Liability Risks

It’s a dreaded scenario for many business owners who send employees overseas or even to another part of the country; the employee gets to their destination only to be injured by a natural disaster or to partake in activities that damage the reputation of their business. Inappropriate behavior is the more commonly known of these risks; with over 25% of business travelers admitting to binge drinking while traveling for work. In addition to risking not only themselves, they are risking your client’s Directors and Officers by engaging in these types of behaviors.

Employee behavior is certainly not the only risk your clients businesses face when their employees travel. Natural disaster and other emergency situations can and do happen, creating a risk exposure when your clients send their employees into potentially dangerous areas. So how can your clients avoid this? The following are a few suggestions.

Research the Destination and Educate Employees. Are your clients sending their staff to and area full of military and/or terrorist activities, or one prone to infectious diseases? Even if not, are your clients’ employees aware of the weather conditions, driving regulations, and cultural etiquette of where they’ll be traveling to? All employees need to be aware of the resources that are available to them should they face an emergency due to any of these factors.

Create a Response Plan. Any type of delay in response or communication missteps on the part of an employer can quickly spiral out of control for a staff member in an emergency situation. Crisis preparedness is necessary to help keep your key stakeholders aware of their roles and how to react during a crisis.

These above mentioned factors are not the only risks faced by employers with traveling staff members. Your clients should also understand their specific exposures, and should know how to react in any situation when traveling.

At PL Risk, we understand the unique liability risks faced by your clients in various industries. Please contact us today to learn more about our products and services.