A meat tenderizer is used in nearly every grocery store, and when used properly, they are safe and reliable. But when a machine is in poor repair, or when the built-in safety devices are removed or circumvented, the result is all too often catastrophic. Over the years we have observed a number of situations where tenderizers have been rigged or modified to operate without the protective guard in place.
Read More »Meat Tenderizer Safety
General liability is a must have insurance coverage for business of any size, including commercial operations performed from a residence. However, even the most comprehensive insurance policy has gaps in coverage, for example most of the claims involving the alcohol sale or serving are excluded from coverage. And that my be a threat to your business, unless you request a Liquor Liability Insurance endorsement.
California’s high court has ruled that hosts who charge admission to parties may be held legally responsible if a drunken underage guest is hurt or injures someone else.
On March 4, 2014 the state Supreme Court said in the unanimous ruling that a cover charge amounts to a sale of alcohol, and state law creates liability for those who sell alcohol to clearly intoxicated youngsters.Read More »General Liability in Liquor Cases
In San Francisco, a bike is stolen every three hours and there has been a 70% increase in bicycle theft since 2006. The SFPD has a warehouse filled with hundreds of recovered bikes, most of which were probably stolen, but they have no way of returning these bikes to their owners because many people don’t keep a record of their serial numbers and don’t register their bikes.
To combat this problem, San Francisco SAFE and the SFPD have just started a bike registration program. By going to the Safe Bikes website, you can register your bike, upload a copy of your purchase receipt and also upload photos of your bike. Then, if your bike is ever stolen, there is a much greater chance that it can be returned to you.Read More »Bicycle Theft on the Rise
Contractors face pollution risks on the job site daily. In an instant, these can damage property, impact lives and mar company reputations earned through years of quality performance.
An inadequately insured contractor can experience severe financial hardship in the event a claim is made or a suit is filed.
Pollution liability exposures can include:
For small businesses, productivity and operations can be negatively affected by the flu as employees stay home, or are urged to stay home, to limit the threat of spreading flu to others. In order to help reduce the potential spread of the flu virus and maintain business operations, small business owners should develop a comprehensive flu contingency plan before the start of flu season to minimize the impact of illness on their bottom lines.
Below are five elements to consider:
1. Educate employees on steps to help reduce the spread of the flu.
Small businesses should develop a short document that educates employees on how the flu virus is spread and circulate it widely. Below are a few items to include:
Working from home can be extremely rewarding for many businesses and industries like technology, consulting, mobile services (glass replacement, auto detail, construction), real estate, and many more… but it has its distractions. Here are some things we suggest when working out of your home:
1. Don’t use your workspace for non-business activities.Read More »Working from Home Office
Southern California city has announced plans to host a Pamplona-style bull run, months after a neighboring town nixed the event because of safety concerns. The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported the Golden State edition of the Great Bull Run will be held at the Temecula Downs Event Center on June 21. The organizers held two bull runs last year in Virginia and Georgia. The spectacles mirror the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, where people run in front of a herd of toros let loose in the streets. Organizers say they toned down the U.S. versions by creating escape routes… Read More »Running of the Bulls Ok’d in California City
We’ve talked a lot about protecting your kids from identity theft. Have you ever considered the impact your kids might have on YOUR credit score? Children and teens use the internet a lot and if they aren’t careful they could potentially expose people in your house to identity theft. Teach your kids how to stay safe online. This important lesson won’t just protect them, but will protect your identity as well.
To keep your identity safe and teach your kids good online behavior, make sure they understand these essential internet safety rules:Read More »Is Your Child Increasing Your ID Theft Risk?
Last year we warned you about a tech support scam that was going around. Scammers were contacting people by phone pretending to be from major companies like Microsoft. They would then remotely access the victim’s computer, stealing information and charging for their “services”. While this scam was scary, we recently learned of a new variation on the tech support scam that is even trickier and that has the potential to claim many more victims. Be on the lookout for this scam and never share your financial information or computer login credentials with an unknown caller.Read More »Tech Support Scam
As we are advancing in 2014, it is a good time to pause for a minute and evaluate the effectiveness of our programs. With the myriad of tasks that comprise the risk management function, contract review and insurance certificate monitoring are often a large consumer of time and resources. Be on the cutting edge and take a diligent yet pragmatic approach to balancing compliance enforcement with the resources available to monitor it.
First, don’t outsource the certificate management to a 3rd party. We have been dealing with multiple companies like Compliance Depot and it is usually a quite negative experience: sometimes I feel like there is a robot sitting on the other side of the line and follows very strict but obsolete rules. In my opinion, you won’t gain much by paying for such services. Instead, some organizations can go decades without ever tendering a liability claim to a contractor’s insurer. Given these statistics, justifying certificate monitoring costs can be daunting. Though, the cost of such a claim, if it were to happen, can be tremendous and could instantaneously justify the expenditures. How can you deal with this challenge?Read More »Achieving Risk Management Excellence