Singapore - In a globalised world where no employee is safe from the bird flu or a terrorist attack, companies such as OCBC Bank have taken steps to ensure their staff's safety when travelling abroad for work.

OCBC Bank launched its online Health and Security dashboard in July last year. By providing information on potential health and security threats such as disease outbreaks, rioting or terrorist activities in other countries, the bank hopes to help employees obtain a quick snapshot of the places where the bank has a presence in.Those planning to travel overseas can also better understand the risks involved as well.

Prior to travelling, employees can also log onto the bank's HR website to print out contact details of emergency service providers. "Our staff can also access country guides from the International SOS (iSOS) website, which will provide both medical and general travel advice, such as information on the standard of health care, how to pay for medical care, the availability of medications, safety of the blood supply, embassy/visa information, dialing code information, cultural etiquette and financial and voltage/plug information," says Sigfried Ching, head of business continuity management at OCBC Bank.

Responsibility for the company's business continuity planning falls under a business continuity management team. "Its role is to maintain uninterrupted availability of key business resources required to support the bank’s essential business activities," add Ching.