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Common Cause of Fire – Laundry

An estimated 2,900 clothes dryer fires in residential buildings are reported to U.S. fire departments each year and cause an estimated $35 million in property losses, according to a new government report. The report by the U.S. Fire Administration said that 84% of clothes dryer fires took place in residential buildings. Also, according to the report:   Clothes dryer fire incidence in residential buildings was higher in the fall and winter months, peaking in January at 11 percent.   Failure to clean (34 percent) was the leading factor contributing to the ignition of clothes dryer fires in residential buildings.  … Read More »Common Cause of Fire – Laundry

Electronic Proof of Car Insurance

Have you ever got a ticket because you did’t have the proof your current insurance coverage (ID card) with you? Well, good news for residents of 7 U.S. states. As of today – August 6, 2012, 7 states have passed Electronic Proof of Insurance Laws. Alabama Arizona California Colorado Idaho Louisiana Minnesota Mississippi and Maryland have a version of these laws before their state Assemblies. A Great Step Forward for You These laws all make an electronic image of the paper copy of a Proof of Insurance card a legal proof of insurance.  Louisiania’s wording is typical… ” an image of… Read More »Electronic Proof of Car Insurance

Top 10 States Vehicle Theft List

The National Insurance Crime Bureau reported 2011 is on track for another consecutive year of declining vehicle thefts, but California still dominates the top 10 list for areas highest auto theft rates. Seven of the top 10 areas were in California, mostly in the central and northern portion of the state. The report is a reflection of vehicle thefts on a per capita basis, and the authors of the report note that an area with a much smaller population and a moderate number of thefts can, and often does, have a higher theft rate than an area with a much… Read More »Top 10 States Vehicle Theft List

Customer of Size Policy

A woman suing Southwest Airlines Co. over its policy regarding overweight passengers says she’s not interested in the airline’s money. Back in spring of 2011, miss T. allegedly was told that she would have to buy a second seat to board a SW  flight, according to her website. T. alleges she was “humiliated and harassed” by a gate agent who asked for her weight and clothing size before determining that she was too big for a single seat. In her blog T. said she offered to demonstrate that she could fit in a single seat, but reportedly was denied the… Read More »Customer of Size Policy

Public Servant Wins Compensation Over Work Trip Sex Injury

An Australian public worker has won the workers comp. claim hearing, for the injury she got having sex in a motel during the business trip, according to ABC News. Now the federal government should pay not only the money spent on her treatment, but also cover the legal costs. The woman, whose name was not released, sued her employer back in 2007,  for the denied workers compensation claim for the injury done by a glass light fixture that fell off the wall above a bed as she was having sex. In addition, as she said later, after the injury she… Read More »Public Servant Wins Compensation Over Work Trip Sex Injury

Zurich Insurance launches apps for risk managers

Zurich Insurance Co. Ltd. has launched two apps for risk managers, the insurer announced Wednesday at Risk & Insurance Management Society Inc.’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia. The Zurich Risk Room app is a limited version of the larger risk modeling software Zurich offers clients. The app shows scenarios for natural catastrophe and disaster management, supply chain disruption, regulatory imbalances, social value of insurance and economic value of insurance. Each has 10 to 12 preselected risks offering a comparison of different countries’ stability as well as modeling the interconnection among risks. New risks and scenarios will be added as… Read More »Zurich Insurance launches apps for risk managers

Is Siri As Smart As Apple Claims?

In many of Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple Corp.’s television advertisements about its new iPhone 4S, individuals are shown using the smartphone’s new voice-activated assistant feature Siri to make appointments, find restaurants and even learn the guitar chords to classic rock songs. But if iPhone 4S users ask Siri what she thinks about a recently filed lawsuit accusing Apple of false advertising, she probably won’t understand the question, much less direct them to the complaint, according to disgruntled customer Frank F., who filed his complaint March 6 in U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif. The suit, which seeks class action status… Read More »Is Siri As Smart As Apple Claims?

Costly Lawsuits Fright Wealthy Americans

America’s wealthiest families increasingly worry that their wealth alone makes them a prime target for a high-stakes liability lawsuit in this uncertain time of high unemployment and tepid economic growth, according to a new report. But many wealthy families remain poorly prepared for such lawsuits in spite of their concern. They fail to appreciate the different aspects of their lifestyle that can lead to a lawsuit. They underestimate the cost of the potential damages, and they misunderstand the affordability of effective protection. As a result, wealthy families often lack the proper types and amounts of liability insurance. These are among… Read More »Costly Lawsuits Fright Wealthy Americans

Small Business Smartphone Use Policy

Employers who allow use of smartphones for business have approximately a 30% higher risk of being victims of identity theft and about 60% of smartphone users do not password protect their devices. It is vital that the sensitive data often stored on these tiny devices is protected: PASSWORD: The most important way to ensure that your mobile device is secure is to password protect it, and to keep track of where it is at all times. REMOTE LOCKING: Download features that provide remote locking of the device, and allow data to be erased from the hard drive. These services vary depending on… Read More »Small Business Smartphone Use Policy

Risk of Injury with Tablet Computers

Remember the story about the carpal tunnel syndrome? Now all workers compensation insurance applications ask whether the workstations are designed ergonomically. The time where the application will be asking one more question about the use of tablet pc devices is probably coming soon, as tablet computer users may run the risk of neck and shoulder pain after prolonged use of the devices, a group of scientists said in a newly published study. The study, commissioned by the U.S. States Department of Environmental Health, the Harvard School of Public Health and Microsoft Corp., among others, examined the effects of media tablet… Read More »Risk of Injury with Tablet Computers