1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156 
Repatriation costs hit hard
Page 12
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
EXCLUSIVE
Yw by Emma Penny
The brother-in-law of a driver who died In an accident while working in Spain says companies should be Insured for repatriating bodies. It was only after talking to the undertaker that he realised the family might have to pay thousands of pounds to bring the body home; it has now been repatriated.
We were shocked to discover the company had no insurance to cover this.'' he adds. "We had to fight to get any contribution from his employer; and while this was going on we found out that unless his body was repatriated within five days of his death he would automatically be cremated."
This situation is all too familiar for international undertaker Rowland Brothers, based in Croydon, South London. Tony Rowland deals with many cases where bodies need to be repatriated, and warns that this can cost more than £5,000.
He estimates that only 5% of hauliers have insurance to repatriate the bodies of employees who die overseas "We probably have to deal with five cases of lorry drivers who have died overseas each year. it's very upsetting—we have to ask the families for the money up front as we have had so many bad debts with ( truck j drivers. It is unfair, but some companies are good and do pay," says Rowland, The Road Haulage and Freight Transport Associations both stress that international hauliers should have this Insurance cover, The RHA's international specialist, Mike Freeman, says: "We strongly advise people to cover this but I don't know how many of them take it up."
His colleague Ruth Pott, the RHA's head of employment, agrees that this an area companies often overlook: ''There is no statutory requirement to do it, and companies often rely on the E111 form [or the business equivalent, the E128] to cover hospital treatment But this has no relation to repatriating bodies, which is costly and bureaucratic."
According to RHA Insurance Services, Its lifeline policy costs from 145 per driver per year. RHAIS marketing manager Chris North says this will cover medical and repatriation costs up to 12m.