Tragic events around the world had made "duty of care" and risk management more important than ever before, Human Resource Institute Wild South president Matt Carter said yesterday.
"The remote location of New Zealand, and globalisation, are forcing companies to go further afield to grow or secure new businesses.
"Where once remote locations presented safety concerns, now even major cities can be fraught with danger for our business travellers."
Along with threats from terrorism, political unrest, local crime and car accidents, New Zealand also had an ageing population.
Nearly 50% of medical evacuations were for executives aged over 45, he said.
A business that did not perform a risk analysis before sending staff overseas was putting the traveller at greater risk by not taking all reasonable care to keep staff safe.
By taking a few easy steps, such as keeping all travel documents - including passports - on file, ensuring travellers were met at the airport, that they did not stay in high-profile hotels and away from embassies went a long way to keeping staff safe, Mr Carter said.
Dunedin employers had always been aware of the dangers of sending staff overseas but their concern had been heightened by earthquakes in Christchurch and Japan, and unrest in the Middle East.
"Employers are asking more about employee safety. The days of the good old No 8 wire Kiwi approach to overseas travel have gone."
Staff safety had been under review since the Sars epidemic, with Otago Polytechnic staff sent away with a basic emergency kit, said Mr Carter, who works at the polytechnic.
Tomorrow, the Wild South institute will host Mike Hobbs from SOS International to speak on recent emergencies, how to prepare staff before travelling and how to deal with an emergency as it unfolds from a distance.
Even though companies like SOS were available to help staff overseas, it appeared many companies still sent staff away without additional support, Mr Carter said.
The Department of Labour required New Zealand companies to provide a safe working environment for their staff.
"When sending staff overseas, you have the same responsibility regarding duty of care as you would if that staff member was working in New Zealand.
"Companies can be leaving themselves liable under the Health and Safety Act."
Many companies did not realise organisations like SOS existed or they did not understand the risks they were exposing their employees to when travelling, he said.
Employers needed to ask themselves what they would do if one of their executives died overseas or a staff member was trapped in a hotel with no food while political unrest was happening outside.
Those emergencies had happened to New Zealanders, proving no-one was immune from emergencies whether medical or security, Mr Carter said.
