International Travel Safety: Protecting Lone Workers with SoloProtect

Keeping Lone Workers Safe During International Business Travel

UK workers are making 4.82 million business trips abroad every year. Even in a post-pandemic world, business travel remains crucial for many organisations. Trends reports show that 83% of workers see travel as a perk of their job, and 65% of millennials consider it a sign of significance within their organisation, however, are we doing enough to protect our workers?

According to a GBTA survey, 44% of respondents stated that traveller safety and security have become increasingly important in 2024. You only have to watch the news to understand why. Common reasons for travel include sales/ account management meetings, internal company meetings, external conferences, trade shows, service trips, training and supplier meetings.

As global mobility increases, organisations must adopt proactive travel risk management strategies, including wearable safety devices and GPS-enabled safety apps, to meet compliance and protect travelling staff.

Business Travel Duty of Care: Employer Safety Responsibilities Abroad

Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety and wellbeing of employees travelling for work. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employers to take all reasonable steps to protect employees’ health, safety and wellbeing, whether travelling within the UK or internationally.

Providing a lone worker safety solution is one of the most effective ways to fulfil your responsibilities and ensure emergency response is always accessible.

Key Responsibilities Include:

Duty of care: Employers must safeguard employees’ health, safety and wellbeing during international travel. This legal obligation applies to both short visits and extended stays.

Risk Assessment: Employers should assess and mitigate travel risks, identifying potential hazards related to the destination.

Transparent policies: Establish a clear business travel policy outlining expectations, guidelines and procedures for international travel, ensuring employees understand their responsibilities and rights.

Preparation: Ensure employees are adequately prepared for the trips by providing necessary training, information about the destination, and any required vaccinations or medical precautions.

Key Responsibilities for Lone Workers on International Business Travel

Lone workers face increased risks when travelling abroad, making it more challenging to keep them protected and safe. Some of the risks include:

• Unfamiliar surroundings, locations and people
• Location barriers
• Crime and threats to individuals
• National emergencies (pandemics, wars, natural disasters, adverse weather conditions)
• Human-caused threats (terrorism, military actions)
• Lack of knowledge of the country’s emergency number
• Delayed flights and transport
• Health-related problems, especially for high-risk workers
• Poor health, hygiene and hospital care standards if an incident occurs

How SoloProtect Lone Worker Devices Support Safe International Travel

SoloProtect safety solutions can keep lone workers safe while travelling for work. Whether using one of our dedicated devices or the SoloProtect Mobile App, employees have a reliable companion for peace of mind while travelling. Here are some of the enhanced benefits:

• Protecting employees 24/7, 365 days a year whilst travelling : Travelling for work often means navigating different time zones, unfamiliar environments, and unpredictable schedules. SoloProtect ensures continuous protection no matter where or when your employees are working.
• Specialist Monitoring Centre with access: SoloProtect’s Monitoring Centre is staffed by highly trained operators who can quickly assess and escalate to emergency contacts.
• Ensures employees are protected in foreign countries that are not familiar: When employees travel to foreign countries, they may face unique risks and challenges due to unfamiliar surroundings and different cultural contexts. SoloProtect safety solutions provide added security by ensuring employees can call for help and receive assistance tailored to their location and situation.
• Peace of mind and support at the press of a button: Lone travellers can often feel vulnerable, especially in new and unknown environments. SoloProtect safety solutions offer immediate access to help with a simple button press. This connection to the Monitoring Centre provides significant peace of mind, allowing employees to focus on their work without the worry of personal safety.

These enhanced benefits illustrate the comprehensive safety and support SoloProtect offers to employees travelling internationally, making it an indispensable tool for modern businesses committed to the wellbeing of their workforce. These solutions help organisations meet their travel risk management goals, ensuring employee safety abroad in any time zone or location.

Features That Make SoloProtect the Best Travel Safety Device for Lone Workers

Whether you're managing employees across multiple countries or sending individuals on occasional business trips, SoloProtect offers powerful tools for real-time support, location awareness, and emergency response.

• Red Alert: Lone travellers can activate the alarm discreetly in an emergency. This feature is crucial for those who find themselves in dangerous situations while abroad. The activation is discreet, ensuring the user’s safety is not further compromised.
• Check-In: This feature allows employees to leave detailed messages about their location, travel itinerary, and any potential risks they may encounter. This ensures that if something goes wrong, there’s a trail of information to help locate and assist the traveller.
• Monitoring Timer: The Monitoring Timer feature is perfect for employees travelling abroad and low-signal areas during travel, such as underground public transport. Before starting their journey, employees can set the timer to the estimated duration of their trip. If an incident occurs and the timer expires without being reset, the SoloProtect Monitoring Centre is notified. Our operators will then verify the situation and escalate to contacts if necessary, ensuring prompt assistance even in low-signal areas.
• Ready2Talk: For situations where there is a clear safety risk but not an immediate emergency, the Ready2Talk feature offers a chaperone service. This allows the lone worker to maintain a direct line of communication with a trained operator who can provide support and reassurance. This is ideal for travelling employees in high-risk regions or could be useful for employees visiting an area where there have been previous attacks or walking past a group of people acting suspiciously.
• Latest Location: When enabled on a device, Latest Location data periodically saves location information, which can be accessed by Managers on the SoloProtect Insights platform. This can be helpful when keeping track of multiple employees travelling abroad.
• Mass Notifications: Available on the SoloProtect Mobile App, mass notifications keep lone travellers informed about updates or travel risks. This feature is essential for real-time communication of critical information, such as travel advisories, severe weather alerts, or security threats.
• SoloProtect Insights: Managers can receive real-time reporting on location, battery life, and work status through the SoloProtect Insights platform. This tool can be accessed from anywhere, allowing managers to monitor the safety and wellbeing of their employees remotely supporting global safety compliance. The platform provides comprehensive data, enabling proactive management of risks and swift response to any issues that arise. With insights into the device’s status and user’s activities, managers can ensure their team is protected and supported, regardless of where they are in the world.

Frequently asked questions

1) How Do SoloProtect Safety Devices Work for Lone Workers Abroad?

SoloProtect Touch devices use 4G connectivity, Wi-fi calling and a roaming SIM card to provide the best possible network coverage. If you can get a signal in the international country you are visiting, the device can be used. SoloProtect mobile uses the same 4G connectivity and wi-fi calling through your phone.

2) Which SoloProtect Devices and Apps Are Best for International Travel?

All our touchscreen devices, the SoloProtect ID Touch, SoloProtect Shield, the SoloProtect Curve, and the SoloProtect Mobile App available on IOS and Android.

3) How Does the Device or App Now My Location?

You can use the Check-In feature to leave messages about your travel and location. If an emergency arises, these check-in messages will help to give more information about your location tracking and expected risks. Your device or app will also save periodic GPS-enabled location information which can then be accessed by the Monitoring Centre in case of an emergency.

4) How Can I Monitor Employee Safety During International Business Travel?

If you have the Latest Location feature enabled on the devices, you can keep track of employee’s locations through the SoloProtect Insights platform. Here you can access the user’s information, battery life and work status, helping you make decisions on whether you should check in with them further or escalate any concerns. Managers travelling can also access SoloProtect Insights from anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection.

5) How Long Will it Take for a Red Alert to be Answered When Travelling?

The same time it takes in the UK. Any Red Alerts are answered on average in 4 seconds by our Monitoring Centre, where the operator then starts the verification process and escalates to emergency contacts if needed.

To explore our range of devices and features, visit:

Ready to improve international travel safety for your workforce? Explore our lone worker devices or book a demo to see how SoloProtect helps employers meet their business travel duty of care with smart, scalable safety technology.

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