Is travel included in your risk register?

We completed a Working from Home Safety Risk Assessment this week and the discussion around work travel raised a very real issue for the host client and the labour hire service provider as there was no process for managing safety while travelling for work.

Under the model WHS laws, a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers while they are at work—and this includes when travelling for work purposes.

Employer Responsibilities:

• Travel Arrangements

• Ensure vehicles used for work travel are roadworthy, insured, and fit for purpose.

• In planning for meetings or work itself, allow reasonable breaks for long-distance travel.

• Allow for appropriate transport modes (e.g. avoiding unsafe public transport late at night) - establish clear times deemed “unsafe”.

• Accommodation

• If providing extended accommodation (e.g. for remote or FIFO work), ensure it is safe, hygienic, and separated from workplace hazards by completing a pre-stay site assessment with the accommodation provider, online if necessary. Provide these workers with their own checklist as well.

• Confirm emergency exits, fire safety equipment, first aid contacts and basic amenities meet required standards.

• Communication & Monitoring

• Maintain regular contact with all travelling workers, especially in remote areas. This also applies to those heading interstate on work based trips. Today’s discussion, that prompted this summary, indicated that the only person who would know her whereabouts was her husband and, as he also travels for work, often overseas, that was problematic.

• Labour hire providers and host clients should be aware where all workers are, at all times when travelling for work, and regularly check in.

• Provide satellite phones or UHF radios where mobile coverage is poor.

• Have a documented system for check-ins and emergency response when a worker cannot be contacted/located.

• Training & Risk Management

• Provide information for workers on travel-related risks (e.g. fatigue, harassment, isolation).

  Develop guidance on what to do if they face unsafe conditions or third-party misconduct.

• Psychosocial Safety

• Consider mental health risks associated with isolation, long hours exacerbated by travel, or unfamiliar environments.

• Build accessible support channels and clear reporting mechanisms.

Travel for work requires a strong risk management process:

1. Clear policy statement,

2. Risk assessment

3. Scheduled review against WHS guidelines and psychosocial management.

During Safe Work Month make time to see if your travel management program stacks up.