English
New study reveals benefits of prevention programmes to the bottom line
London
Companies are increasingly sending employees on global assignments.
- Average investment in an international assignment is US$311,000 per annum
- Cost of a failed assignment ranges between US$570,000 to $950,000
- Pre-travel health check programmes reduce the occurrence of failed assignments
- Investing in pre-travel health checks results in up to 2.5X cost savings
- Employee malaria prevention programmes could reduce the number of fatal cases by 70%
A new study reveals the benefits of implementing pre-travel health checks and malaria prevention measures for business travellers and international assignees.
Return on Prevention, published by Prevent and commissioned by the International SOS Foundation, analyses the average monetary investment required to relocate an employee for an international assignment and the costs that incur when an assignment fails due to an employee’s inability to fulfil the assignment due to poor health.
The study shows how the benefits of implementing a travel health prevention strategy significantly outweigh the operating costs of the programme.
A medical check for travellers and international assignees aimed at identifying pre-existing medical issues before assigning employees to a foreign country. This ensures employees are fit for the proposed assignment and its working conditions. It identifies general and work-related health problems before the assignment begins:
- The cost-benefit analysis showed that $1 invested returns a benefit ranging from $1.6 (minimum scenario) to $2.53 (maximum scenario).
A malaria prevention programme aimed at employees travelling and working in malaria-risk regions. Employees are given information before departure and receive prophylaxis medication and other technical protection means such as mosquito-nets, insecticide sprays and repellents as well as a malaria curative kit:
- The malaria prevention programme reduced the occurrence of fatal cases by 70%. The benefits also outweigh the costs in the case of this programme: For each $1 invested, the return was estimated at $1.32.
Laurent Fourier, Director of the International SOS Foundation, spoke to the results of the study:
“Over the years we have released many reports on why an organisation has a duty of care – a moral, and at times legal, responsibility – to protect their people working overseas or on assignment.
“This study proves there are tangible commercial incentives to investing in preventive programmes, in addition to fulfilling an organisations duty of care.
Implementing quality, appropriate pre-travel health and malaria programmes can save lives and cut costs. Businesses should not ignore these findings.”
Marc De Greef, Managing Director of Prevent said:
“This latest financial analysis proves there is a return on investment resulting from good preventive health and safety practices when managing mobile employees.
Companies who invest in the prevention of health risks commonly experience many benefits. These prevention programmes should be essential management practices for a sound business.”
Prevent’s Return on Prevention study can be downloaded here.
About International SOS Foundation
Established in 2011, the International SOS Foundation ― Ambassadors for Duty of Care www.internationalsosfoundation.org – has the goal of improving the safety, security, health and welfare of people working abroad or on remote assignments through the study, understanding and mitigation of potential risks. The escalation of globalisation has enabled more individuals to work across borders and in unfamiliar environments; exposure to risks which can impact personal health, security and safety increases along with travel.
The Foundation is a registered charity and was started with a grant from International SOS. It is a fully independent, non-profit organisation.
For more information on Duty of Care and the International SOS Foundation, please visit http://www.internationalsosfoundation.org/
About Prevent
Prevent is a research and consultancy firm that supports companies, on a day-to-day basis, to prevent workplace accidents and occupational diseases. It has a practical knowledge of hazards, risks and injury prevention within a large range of sectors of activities. Prevent invests in research and development of information and tools to facilitate and improve occupational safety and health practices. One of its fields of research is the cost-benefit of well-being at work policies.
In 2010, Prevent conducted the benOSH (Benefits of Occupational Safety and Health) project, a study aimed to evaluate the costs of accidents at work and work-related ill health and to demonstrate the incremental benefit to enterprises if they develop an effective prevention policy in occupational safety and health (OSH). The project was funded by the European Commission under the heading ‘Socio-economic costs of accidents at work and work- related ill health’.
