Most business travelers will go on dangerous assignments, reluctantly

If your boss orders you to take a business trip to a dangerous location, would you refuse and risk losing your job?

In this unsteady economy, perhaps it’s no surprise that only 23% of workers surveyed said they would refuse the assignment, with 21% saying they would go on the dangerous trip but would refuse to go on the next trip.

About 14% said they would travel to a dangerous place for a work assignment but would look for a new job after returning, according to a telephone survey of 500 workers by Opinion Research Corp.in New York City.

But if an employer offers emergency medical services for the workers, 42% of workers said they would be willing to take the hazardous trip, according to the survey, which was commissioned by the Chubb Group of Insurance Cos., which sells travel insurance services.

“Travel offers considerable economic opportunities to businesses but it also carries, at times, enormous and costly risks and liabilities ... for employees and their families,” said Jim Villa, a senior vice president at Chubb.

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