International emergencies
Very occasionally, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, or other emergencies affect members of staff or students who have travelled abroad as part of their work or studies.
If this happens, the people affected and the department supporting their travel can follow the guidelines below to access available support.
On this page:
- Before you travel
- How to get help (staff or students)
- How to get help (departments)
- Handling enquiries
- After an emergency
- Emergencies affecting others
Before you travel
Individuals
If you're travelling overseas for work or study, you should:
- Book your travel through one of the University's preferred Travel Management Companies (TMCs)
- Complete the University travel log
- Completing a travel risk assessment.
- If you're a student, ensure that your contact and address details are up to date in e:Vision
- Ensure that you have University insurance and download the relevant Policy documents
- Install the SafeZone app on your phone, especially if you're travelling overseas for work or study. You can use SafeZone to seek assistance wherever you are in the world - once you activate the Emergency Call, the University's Security staff will attempt to call you back to assess the situation and will arrange departmental assistance and support as necessary.
Departments
The department organising or overseeing the travel should ensure that the staff or student has completed the above steps.
You should also ensure that the department has a process for recording where people have travelled and how they can be contacted.
How to get help (staff or students)
If you are overseas and you require assistance, you have a number of options:
- Contact the department which organised the travel to keep them informed. If this isn’t your academic department, contact your own department too.
- Contact the Travel Management Company or your department for advice on re-arranging travel, accommodation etc.
- In an immediate emergency, you can use the SafeZone app or local emergency services to request assistance.
- If necessary, use the Emergency Contact details contained within your Travel Policy information pack.
- If you need local support, you can also get in touch with the local British embassy or consulate who will be able to provide more specific local support, including travel advice, details of English speaking doctors, lawyers etc.
If your travel has been booked by one of our approved Travel Management Companies, in the case of an emergency situation they will notify the University's Health and Safety Department whether any members of the University are known to be in the affected area.
How to get help (departments)
Once the University Insurance Office is made aware of an emergency that could require a response from our insurers, they will advise the relevant Departmental Safety Adviser of anyone listed in the travel log who may be affected.
The department which organised the travel should attempt to contact the staff member/ student in the first instance. Once contact is established, the department should remind the affected person of the advice on this page.
Sometimes travel has been organised by a department which is not the student/staff member's 'own' department. It is the responsibility of the department which made the travel arrangements to maintain a list of people who are overseas, and to make contact with them as necessary. This ensures that everyone involved in an event receives the same message. Where more than one department is involved, they should keep in touch with each other to avoid repeating messages.
If contact cannot be established, please discuss this with the Health and Safety Department who will be able to advise on next steps.
SafeZone can also be used to send alerts, but we advise that this is in addition to departmental correspondence.
If assistance is needed, they should be referred to University insurers and/or the local British embassy or consulate who can provide travel advice, details of English speaking doctors, lawyers, etc.
Whether or not support is needed at this stage, the department should maintain contact with the staff member/student and family members, where appropriate and if authorised by the staff member/student.
Handling enquiries
If staff or students are in an area affected by an emergency, departments may receive enquiries from people who know someone who is travelling, or from the media. Please follow this guidance in handling such queries:
From family/friends
If family or friends get in touch, advise them that we will make contact with any students or staff in the affected area. You can let them know the available sources of support, referring to the information on this page.
Family or friends may get in touch to alert you to a situation affecting a student or member of staff - for example, because the person has contacted them first. In this case, explain to them that we will attempt to make contact, and then follow the standard procedures detailed on this page.
In either scenario, unless you've been authorised by the affected student or staff member to speak to their family and friends, you shouldn't divulge any information; this includes confirming the whereabouts of the person involved.
From the media/via social media
You are advised not to respond directly to media enquiries or questions on social media as an incident unfolds. All enquiries should be referred to the Media Relations Team who will advise you and coordinate a response on behalf of the University.
After an emergency
If you've been affected by an emergency while travelling, you may find that you need support, or just a chance to talk, when you return. There are a variety of options available:
If, as a student, you feel that your ability to complete assessed work has been affected, you should investigate the Exceptional circumstances policy (at the University of York, and at your host University if relevant):
Emergencies affecting others
If you have family or friends who are affected by emergencies elsewhere in the world, and you need support or advice on dealing with the situation, there is help available:
If you need time off from your work or studies, ask your line manager or academic supervisor for guidance in the first instance.