B.8.21 Business Travel AbroadPolicy
HSBC is required, so far as is reasonable, to organise safe travel for employees on business travel abroad.
Risk Type
Primary: Operations
Secondary: People
Purpose
To provide guidance and information in order to reduce employee health and safety risk relating to business travel abroad.
Application
Line managers approving business travel abroad and the employees undertaking the travel must take reasonable steps to reduce the health and safety risks of such travel. Arrangements for business travel abroad should be booked through HSBC travel arrangers in accordance with Operations FIM B.6 Group Travel Policy. Travel arrangements for work activities should not be booked using unapproved travel agents or by HSBC clients or customers.
Travel arrangement for work activities involving the following should be avoided.
Travel arrangements made by travel agents not approved by HSBC.
Travel arrangements using risky forms of transport such as light aircraft, helicopter or small boat (note: light aircraft excludes private jet aircraft, which are subject to Operations FIM B.6.5).
Travel to areas where medical facilities are inadequate or not available.
Travel to areas exposed to life threatening diseases, without suitable inoculation
Travel to areas exposed to an on-going natural disaster or extreme weather event.
Travel to areas exposed to civil disorder or where there is material risk to safety of the employee
Where travel arrangements unavoidably involve any of the above higher-risk scenarios, the line manager must complete a travel risk assessment. For travel arrangements made by a travel agent not approved by HSBC or travel arrangements using risky forms of transport such as light aircraft, helicopter or small boat, the risk assessment must be approved by a GCB3 or more senior person before the travel arrangements are made. In all other situations the line manager must approve the travel risk assessment. As situations can rapidly change, any travel may need to be assessed/re-assessed prior to travel.
Personal travel arrangements made by the employee for travel during their free time in the course of a business trip are the responsibility of the employee. If employees undertake personal travel in the course of a business trip the employee must arrange their own travel insurance for such travel.
Responsibilities
Line Managers:
Must make themselves familiar with this policy and the policy and guidance provided by other functional areas such as Security (Group Risk FIM>Security and Fraud Risk B.3.3.10) and Procurement (Operations FIM B.6 Group Travel).
Must ensure that, for all business travel abroad, arrangements are made through HSBC-approved travel agents.
Must ensure that, for each business trip requiring a travel risk assessment, that the assessment is signed off by the line manager or, where required, by a GCB3 or more senior manager.
Must ensure employees travelling abroad are provided with emergency contact and insurance arrangements provided by the travel arranger.
Must keep a copy of the employee’s planned work itinerary, such as the itinerary provided by the HSBC travel agent, and any personal travel arrangements provided by the employee. Employees should be encouraged to share their personal travel plans (such as travel to a different city/location) with their line manager, where these plans will take them away from HSBC-booked accommodation.
Must know where to seek support should an incident or accident occur involving the employee, such as contact numbers for HSBC-provided travel insurance; HSBC Security; and Human Resources.
Must report all accidents involving employees whilst travelling abroad promptly using the accident reporting process (see Operations FIM B.8.3 for global accident reporting requirements).
Employees:
Must take responsibility for their health and safety whilst travelling abroad. This includes being responsible for their own acts and omissions having access to emergency contact and insurance arrangements provided by the travel arranger, being responsible for their own personal travel arrangements during the course of a business trip, and arranging travel insurance for all personal travel.
Must take all reasonable, suitable precautions against life-threatening diseases, through pre-travel inoculations (see the risk assessment for links to inoculation sites from the guidance document).
Must be aware of the risks from on-going natural disasters (earthquakes, volcanic activity) or extreme weather events (tornados, hurricanes or typhoons).
Must not knowingly put themselves, or colleagues they are travelling with, in situations that may threaten the safety of themselves or those colleagues.
Must evaluate situations of potential or perceived risk in a common sense way and, where relevant, seek advice in the country from Security; Human Resources (Occupational Health); Procurement or Health and Safety.
Must report all accidents involving themselves or colleagues travelling with them promptly, using the accident reporting process (see Operations FIM B.8.3 for global accident reporting requirements).
Should notify line management of the itinerary for any personal travel arrangements, such as travel to a different city/location, during a business trip.
Should consider completion of the HSBC internal Traveller Security Training e-learning.