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5 Risks Every School Has

…and how to lower it.

1. Harassment and Bullying Spark More Lawsuits

All school personnel should receive misconduct alertness training so they can spot the signs of abuse and intervene early.
Anonymous reporting tools can also help drive earlier intervention.

2. Title IX Expansion Increases Due Process Liability.
Title IX is a law that was meant to bar discrimination based on sex in educational program activities and athletics that received Federal financial assistance.

Higher ed institutions should have a Title IX adviser on staff who understands the law and can advise schools on the best course of action to take when a complaint is filed.Read More »5 Risks Every School Has

Be Safe for Halloween

Get your sidewalk neat before they trick-or-treat – Walk the path from the street to your door and clear anything that trick-or-treaters could trip over or slip and injure themselves. This includes gardening equipment, hoses, toys, potted plants, lawn ornaments and even Halloween decorations that block the path to your front door. Make your yard spooky, not dangerous – Be sure to clean up before candy-fueled children charge through your yard. Remove dead branches, sticks and acorns, rake up the leaves, fill in holes and trim your hedges to prevent any injuries. A well-lit driveway can still be scary – There’s nothing scarier for… Read More »Be Safe for Halloween

Potential Exposures for Construction Owners ​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Potential Exposures for Construction OwnersAs always with construction projects, it is important that owners of new developments understand insurance coverage to ensure that there is adequate insurance to address any potential risks during and after the construction of the project. While most owners maintain commercial general liability policies or rely on project-specific policies, these policies may not fully protect the owner against any and all risks that they may face during and after construction. This article addresses two unique areas in which owners should take special note to ensure that they are covered for these particular risks: third party action over claims and products-completed operations coverage.

 

Third Party Action Over Claims

Owner contracts with Roofer to assist in the construction of the roof of a commercial building. During construction, Roofer’s employee falls and injures himself on the project site and collects workers’ compensation benefits under Roofer’s workers’ compensation policy. Typically, Owner would not consider any risks with respect to this injury as Owner required Roofer, in the subcontract, to maintain workers’ compensation insurance. However, despite receiving workers’ compensation benefits, Roofer’s employee files an action against Owner alleging negligence for failing to properly maintain a safe work site.The action filed by Roofer’s employee is considered a third party action over claim. The employee is unable to sue Roofer because workers’ compensation is the employee’s exclusive remedy against his or her employer. Thus, the injured employee brings an action against Owner alleging that Owner’s negligence in failing to maintain the project site contributed to the employee’s injuries.
Read More »Potential Exposures for Construction Owners ​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Addicts Can Sue Pharmacies and Doctors

According to the recent ruling of West Virginia Supreme Court pharmacies and doctors who negligently prescribed pain medication can be sued for enabling people’s addictions. According to court documents, FBI raided and shut down the Mountain Medical Center in Williamson in 2010 and found evidence of improperly prescribed controlled substances involving 29 people who became addicted while were Center’s patients looking for a treatment in connection to job-related injuries or injuries stemming from car accidents. The plaintiffs had filed eight separate lawsuits against three pharmacies and Medical Center and four of its physicians. After the FBI raid, one of the… Read More »Addicts Can Sue Pharmacies and Doctors

Contractor Insurance Requirements – A Primer

This article was originally published by AmWINS Group, Inc. It was edited and rewritten to simplify the content. To read the original article please click here.

primerWhen risk management department is assigned to focus on the major project, including construction, with particular attention to the insurance requirements to be imposed on the general contractor and any subcontractors, it’s very important not to make the insurance requirements so onerous that contractors are discouraged from bidding on the project.For those of us, who has not been involved in such projects before, let’s review insurance requirements from different projects and how those may affect our company (let’s call it ABC company – the one who impose insurance requirements).
Outdated Insurance Terminology
What may strike us about the old insurance requirements is the insurance terminology used. There is reference to “comprehensive general liability insurance” including endorsements listed as “broad form property damage,” “broad form blanket contractual liability,” “cross liability,” “XCU” and “additional named insured.” The limits are also listed as split limits – one applicable to bodily injury, and another lesser limit applicable to property damage.Similarly, the auto insurance requirement refers to “comprehensive auto liability” and workers’ compensation insurance includes the “broad form all states endorsement.” Further, all of the requirements are to be evidenced by a certificate of insurance that provides certificate holder a 30 days advance notice of cancellation. It becomes readily apparent that these requirements are so outdated as to be virtually useless – the coverage, endorsements and limits listed are obsolete and are no longer available. We must start from the beginning.Read More »Contractor Insurance Requirements – A Primer

What to do if you see a downed power line

What to do if you see a downed power line

What to do if you see a downed power line

Never, ever touch a downed power line or go near one. Power lines are not insulated like power cords. Always assume the power line is live.

  • Don’t touch a fallen power line or anything touching the wire.
  • Do not touch anything or anyone in contact with a fallen power line or other equipment.
  • Keep children and pets away from fallen electric wires.
  • Do not drive over a fallen power line.
  • Call 911 immediately to report a fallen power line.

Read More »What to do if you see a downed power line

Attic Storage Hazards for Homeowners

Picture by Roger Mommaerts (flickr.com)
Picture by Roger Mommaerts (flickr)

Homeowners who don’t pay attention to what’s going on in their attics can face costly damage that can spread throughout their entire home. Internet is full of videos made with wireless ip video surveillance cameras which capture critters such as mice, squirrels, bats and bees living in people’s attics; meanwhile, one in 10 homeowners have never even seen their attics.

Rodents in the attic can be a nuisance at best, and if they are not eradicated quickly, they can become home wreckers, as squirrels and rats have been known to chew through electrical wires in attics. While this almost always ends badly for the animals, sparks from their gnawing can set the house on fire.

Many attics also house mechanical equipment, such as central air conditioning systems, exhaust fans, electrical junction boxes and plumbing. Homeowners should regularly make sure that any system that is connected to an electrical or water source in their attic is in good working condition, as a burst pipe or a clogged drain in the attic could lead to widespread water damage on the floors below.
Read More »Attic Storage Hazards for Homeowners

Swimming Pool Safety and Maintenance Tips

Swimming pool safety and maintenance tipsProtect your friends and family as you beat the heat.

Warmer weather means more outdoor activities for the whole family, including cooling off in the pool. We want to help you make sure that you, your family and guests are safe. Here are a few tips that can help you stay safe while you have fun:

Always supervise swimmers and have life-saving equipment nearby:

  • Maintain secure fencing and a locked entrance around the pool and deck area to prevent access when adequate supervision is not available. Install self-closing and self-latching gates.
  • Make sure no one swims alone. Never leave a child unattended in the water or pool area, and make sure less experienced swimmers are always accompanied by a swimmer who has water life-saving skills.
  • Equip your door, gate or pool with an audible alarm to alert you if someone enters the pool area or falls into the pool while it is unattended.
  • Diving should be prohibited unless a specific area of the pool is designated for safe diving. Water depth and diving-restricted areas should be clearly marked.
  • Make sure there is adequate life-saving equipment in the pool area, including life preservers and a rope with life-saving rings, a reaching pole or rescue hook.

Regularly maintain your pool during the season to keep swimmers and sun-bathers safe:Read More »Swimming Pool Safety and Maintenance Tips

July is Eye Injury Prevention Month

Did you know that an estimated 1,000 eye injuries occur in American workplaces every day? The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found that almost 70 percent of the eye injuries studied occur from falling or flying objects, or sparks striking the eye. The BLS also reports that approximately three out of every five workers injured were either not wearing eye protection at the time of the accident or wearing the wrong kind of eye protection for the job. Become our customer with Travelers Insurance Companies and gain access to exclusive Risk Control portal which has a variety of resources, including technical… Read More »July is Eye Injury Prevention Month

Report: New Emerging Risks

Report New Emerging RisksSwiss Re has released a report – ”New emerging risk insights,” which is based on the reinsurer’s SONAR process, described as a “unique tool which uses Swiss Re’s internal risk management expertise to observe and evaluate new and emerging risks.”

Some of the other emerging risks examined in the SONAR report includes the following:

  • Cloud computing security
  • Contagious emerging market crisis
  • Eurozone crisis leading to deflation
  • Short-termism of macro-policy measures
  • Air pollution as mortality driver
  • Concussion crisis in sports
  • Democratisation of genetic testing
  • Digital slander
  • E-cigarettes
  • Financial consumer protection regulation
  • From closed to open business models
  • Food and water safety: trade-offs with growthRead More »Report: New Emerging Risks