You can protect the health of your travelling employees, whatever the size of your company and your budget:
- ENSURE THEY HAVE regular health checks. If it's not feasible to assess them before and after each trip, make sure they are checked at least every two to three years if they are 45 or under, every two years for those 46 and over, and annually for those 60 or above.
- AS WELL AS AGE, take the person's general health into account. If they are overweight, have a history of high blood pressure or any other health problems, make sure they are tested more regularly.
- HAVE SYSTEMS IN PLACE to make sure your travellers are properly vaccinated for trips. As well as arranging for jabs, make sure they are provided with information about the specific health risks, possible symptoms and action to take if they fall ill.
- MOST TRAVELLERS will not remember their previous vaccine history, so keep a record, even if you are outsourcing the immunisations.
- KEEP A RECORD OF ANY ALLERGIES to vaccines, medications and also any food stuffs. Staff might be travelling to countries where food labelling is not subject to the same guidelines as the UK.
- DO NOT PRESUME that two travellers going to the same country will require the same advice or vaccines, and don't just rely on a wallchart as the health problems in a particular location are always changing, even depending on the season. Be aware of health problems in stopover destinations, not just the final port of call. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office is a good source of information - visit www.fco.gov.uk
- CONSIDER WHETHER THE BUSINESS TRAVELLER has previous travel experience and tailor the level of advice accordingly. However, even if an experienced traveller is going to a particular destination regularly, make sure they are reminded of health risks. They are perhaps the most likely to become complacent and encounter problems.
- MAKE SURE that all your travellers have adequate health insurance for the destinations they are visiting and the type of trips they are undertaking.
- MAKE SURE YOU ARE AWARE if a traveller has a particular medical condition and any medication they are on. Ensure they carry a doctor's letter and a copy of any prescriptions while away, in case their medication is lost in transit. Also ensure their medication is legal in the country they are visiting (get advice from the British Embassy).
- EQUIP YOUR TRAVELLING EMPLOYEES with the key words and phrases they'll need in the local language for their particular condition, medication and how to get emergency help.
Extracted from the feature by Beverley Fearis - Traveller welfare: The road to health