International Travel and Work

An International Travel Health Program addresses the health risks and an organization’s
‘duty of care’ of employees on business, short-term, and long-term international work assignments. Key health topics that warrant assessment for the employee and accompanying family members are:

Health risks of long-haul air travel
Destination working and living conditions, including communicable disease risks
Individual health needs such as medications, medical devices, and disease monitoring
Employee education specific to the risks of the work assignment, including fatigue management, food and water precautions, insect control, and heat tolerance.

Key challenges in the development of an international travel program are to:

Communicate occupational health recommendations to business and project managers for the organization; coordinate with the safety, security, and visa planning for international work assignments
Contract with a Travel and Tropical Medicine clinic to provide pre-travel immunizations and malaria medications, advise on travel kits, and provide post-travel assessments for symptomatic employees.
Develop screening health questionnaires, physical examination, and testing protocols that are appropriate to the travel and destination health risks
Contract with an international health services provider to ensure access to pre-travel health and safety advisories, and provide destination primary care, emergency, and medical evacuation services; ensure that critical employee health information is available to destination health providers
Accommodate of the unique health needs of individual employees and family members.
Extend core occupational health programs to international employees and their families, including disability management, drugs and alcohol policies, and employee and family assistance.