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1.3. Safety and security risk assessments
operational context, the organisation’s safety and security SOPs, and the staff member’s role and responsibilities. Training should furthermore be attuned to the employee’s experience level (e.g., inexperienced travellers would require more training).20 Therefore training should either include these elements or be complemented by induction and pre-departure/in-country briefings. This was reinforced by key informants who felt that standard generic HEAT courses are not sufficient and should be tailored to the organisation.
Key informants stated that personal security training for national staff depended on access to expertise in the location in question, whether in-house or from external providers.
Survey respondents also highlighted the need to provide safety and security risk management training for safety and security focal points. For some organisations, standardised training on safety and security responsibilities is an aspiration, especially for national staff. Crisis management training for crisis management team members was highlighted twice by survey respondents as a crucial element of duty of care.21
1.3. Safety and security risk assessments
Finally, to inform the recruitment, induction, briefing and training processes, the organisation must understand the safety and security risks it is exposing staff to. Duty of care is underpinned by the notion of ‘foreseeability' and safety, and security risk assessments are therefore paramount to know what ‘foreseeable' risks the organisation should inform its staff of and mitigate against.22 Good practice within the literature suggests that this type of assessment should be carried out by safety and security experts.
On the basis of these insights, the cinfo working group defines duty of information as:
An employer’s duty to inform workers of any unusual risks they may not be aware of and the steps employees must take to avoid them. This includes understanding the risks employees are exposed to and providing staff the opportunity to ask competent, experienced individuals questions.
20 Pels Rijcken and Droogleever Fortuijn (2015).21 Insurance providers often offer crisis management training through their risk management companies. 22 Kemp and Merkelbach (2011).