Duty of Care and Risk Mitigation Standard

18 January 2016 ,  —

London

BSI and International SOS Develop Duty of Care & Risk Mitigation Standard

New Code of Practice for the global organisation to be developed by industry leaders

BSI (British Standards Institution) announced the intent to create PAS 3001:2016; a code of practice to provide global organisations with a standardisation document that describes best practices to manage risks and provide duty of care to their employees who are working abroad. 

Commissioned by International SOS, the world’s leading medical and travel security services company, the PAS will provide best practices on assessing risks to employees abroad and developing policies to mitigate those risks. 

Howard Kerr, Chief Executive of BSI said: 

“For businesses to reach their full potential they must be able to diversify into new markets. Often this means international movement of products, people and services. When it comes to people, which we consider one of the most valuable assets a business can have, they should feel safe and protected in the new territories they venture into. PAS 3001 will provide guidance to employers to safeguard and support their employees when abroad in unfamiliar locations. This in turn allows employees to confidently focus on their jobs and task at hand.”

Arnaud Vaissié, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of International SOS, said: 

“Today’s organisations have increasingly large numbers of employees working and travelling abroad. As a result, employers have an increased duty of care to protect their employees. Our goal in supporting this standard is to provide best practices to deliver on that duty of care.” 

A Publicly Available Specification (PAS) is a sponsored fast-track standard that is developed through a consensus-building process facilitated by BSI. The draft title of PAS 3001:2016 is Working Abroad – The responsibilities of an organisation for health, safety and security – Code of Practice.  

BSI will compose a representative steering group of experts from industry, government, and academia that will be responsible for the technical content of the PAS. The PAS will be available for a public consultation period of one month, currently scheduled for March 2016.

International SOS invests heavily in standards and quality programmes. They are the first organisation in the world to be certified in accordance with the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) newly published Guidelines for the delivery of telehealth service.¹   In addition, International SOS has achieved global certification to ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems for its Assistance Centres, International SOS Clinics and Medical Services.

International SOS provides medical and travel security services. Their telehealth services platform provides medical information, advice, and referrals 24/7/365 to clients travelling or working abroad.

For more information about International SOS, visit www.internationalsos.com.

About BSI

BSI (British Standards Institution) is the business standards company that equips businesses with the necessary solutions to turn standards of best practice into habits of excellence. Formed in 1901, BSI is the UK National Standards Body and a founding member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Over a century later it continues to facilitate business improvement across the globe by helping its clients drive performance, manage risk and grow sustainably through the adoption of international management systems standards, many of which BSI originated. Renowned for its marks of excellence including the consumer recognized BSI Kitemark™, BSI’s influence spans multiple sectors including Aerospace, Automotive, Built Environment, Food, Healthcare and ICT. With over 80,000 clients in 172 countries, BSI is an organization whose standards inspire excellence across the globe.

To find out more, please visit: www.bsigroup.com.

About the International SOS Group of Companies

The International SOS Group of Companies is in the business of saving lives, protecting your global workforce from health and security threats. Wherever you are, we deliver customised health, security risk management and wellbeing solutions to fuel your growth and productivity. In the event of extreme weather, an epidemic or a security incident, we provide an immediate response providing peace of mind. Our innovative technology and medical and security expertise focus on prevention, offering real-time, actionable insights and on-the-ground quality delivery. We help protect your people, your organisation's reputation, as well as support your compliance reporting needs. By partnering with us, organisations can fulfil their Duty of Care responsibilities, while empowering business resilience, continuity and sustainability.

 

Founded in 1985, the International SOS Group, headquartered in London & Singapore, is trusted by 12,000 organisations, including the majority of the Fortune 500, as well as mid-size enterprises, governments, educational institutions and NGOs. 12,000 multicultural medical, security and logistics experts stand with you to provide support & assistance from over 1,000 locations in 90 countries, 24/7, 365 days.   

To protect your workforce, we are at your fingertips: www.internationalsos.com

 

Notes for Editors

¹ ISO/TS 13131:2014 ED1 Health Informatics Telehealth Services Quality Planning Guidelines. The technical specification belongs to a class of standards that provide flexible, general guidelines that support innovation in healthcare.