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How to Onboard and Train Employees into a Safety Culture

How to Onboard and Train Employees into a Safety CultureOnce you attract and hire qualified job candidates to your open positions, having an onboarding and training process can help employees work safely and effectively. A continuous onboarding program will help orient employees not only to the functional details of employment, such as appropriate safety procedures, but also to the safety culture of the organization.

Employee retention strategies, such as onboarding and training programs, can also help protect the considerable time and expense invested in recruiting and hiring new employees. According to the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) at the University of California at Berkeley, the costs of replacing an employee are approximately 9% of an employee’s annual wage. In addition to any lost productivity and institutional knowledge, those costs include recruitment, selection, the costs of learning on the job and any separation costs.Read More »How to Onboard and Train Employees into a Safety Culture

Reduce Risk from Wearables

Reduce Risk from Wearables
Image courtesy of franky242 at freedigitalphotosnet

With the growth in wearable technology across all types of industries, companies that never before considered themselves in the technology business face new risks they need to be prepared for. Being aware of these threats and following strategies to help protect against them can help businesses focus on the growth opportunities that connected technologies make possible.

How Does Wearable Technology Work?

Wearable technology combines form and function, integrating the functionality of once-bulky devices into wearable gear in the form of watches, eyeglasses and more. These types of devices follow a common basic template for how they work. First, sensors capture impulses and translate them into actionable data. Then, microprocessors extract, transform and load data to a transmittable format. Finally, transmitters wirelessly send data to cloud storage for further processing and reporting.

With applications ranging from health and fitness monitoring to employee monitoring and safety, people can expect tremendous expansion driven by the health care industry, the corporate sector and consumer demand. According to PwC, over 80% of consumers said an important benefit of wearable tech is its potential to make healthcare more convenient, and 68% said they would wear employer-provided wearables streaming anonymous data to an information pool in exchange for lower health insurance costs.¹

What Are the Risks?

Read More »Reduce Risk from Wearables

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

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

Travelers Introduces TravPay

TravPay Header BannerTravPay:

  • is a pay-as-you-go solution for your business to link your payroll directly to your workers compensation premiums, eliminating the guesswork of trying to estimate annual payrolls.
  • allows for real-time workers compensation premium calculations based on your reported payrolls.
  • requires no down payment and can help improve cash flow for your business.
  • is a FREE billing option available exclusively for Travelers business customers.

Frequently Asked Questions:
Read More »Travelers Introduces TravPay

Identity Theft Risks After an Auto Accident

Each year, millions of Americans become victims of a car crash that causes mess on their day (and often their body and vehicle.) Auto accidents are stressful situations that can lead us to reveal more of our personal information to strangers than necessary. Even small fender benders can cause long-term pain if a friendly exchange of info leads to a compromise of one’s most sensitive personally-identifying data. A recent survey taken by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) revealed that many of us don’t know the proper steps to take after an accident, and most of us share too… Read More »Identity Theft Risks After an Auto Accident

Protection for Water and Sewer Districts

Serving the public is a serious, round-the-clock responsibility. It’s your job to protect, plan for, and serve the needs of your community as it grows. And it’s our job to protect you with thoughtfully designed, tailored insurance coverages. Our dedicated underwriting, claims and risk control teams work specifically with water and sewer districts and can provide you with one source for your insurance and risk management needs.

WE UNDERSTAND YOUR GENERAL LIABILITY HAZARDS

• Training modules for unique risks such as flagging/traffic control
• Risk control specialists to assist in analyzing digging sites for pipe-laying hazards
• Coverage available for failure-to-supply services and sewer back-up liability
• Utilization of immunities and tort caps where applicable
• Coverage for members of boards, commissions and sewer authorities

WE HAVE AN INDUSTRY-LEADING WORKERS COMPENSATION PROGRAM

• Co-located medical and claims professionals promptly handle, thoroughly investigate and fairly resolve claims, with a focus on return-to-work
• Discounts and savings through carrier’s preferred medical provider network

WE KNOW YOUR MACHINES

• Specialized equipment breakdown  coverage and certified boiler and machinery inspections and consultations through carrier’s Boiler & Machinery

WE PROVIDE SERVICES FOR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES

• Complimentary EPL hotline provides access to EPL attorneys* to answer your questions
• Discounts for employee training to help protect against “failure to train” exposures

WE UNDERSTAND EMOTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH SEWER BACKUP

• Our dedicated Sewer Backup Claim Unit  understands the importance of balancing residents’ emotional reactions to water backup events with prompt claim handling
• Specialists work with sewer backup adjusters for valuation of residents’ personal items, antiques, etc.

WE OFFER CYBER LIABILITY PROTECTION

• Coverage to protect against cyber and ID fraud for entities that store data electronically

Read More »Protection for Water and Sewer Districts

Top 10 Car Technologies

According to researchers at The Hartford and MIT, smart headlights, emergency response systems and reverse monitoring features rank highest in car technologies. As more and more of these features are incorporated into vehicles, we believe that it’s important for drivers to be knowledgeable of and use those technologies that can enhance safe driving capacity, comfort, and confidence. Smart headlights: adjust the range and intensity of light based on the distance of traffic and to reduce glare and improve night vision Emergency response systems: offer quick assistance to drivers in the case of a medical emergency or collision, often allowing emergency… Read More »Top 10 Car Technologies

California Signs Electronic Proof Of Insurance Bill

Yes! It happens right now. We witness a great moment of the history! Gov. Jerry Brown made California the seventh state in the nation to allow drivers to show proof of insurance coverage using their smart phone. Brown on Friday signed Assembly Bill 1708, a bill authored by Assemblyman Gatto, which will give drivers the option to show proof of financial responsibility electronically using a mobile electronic device. “Governor Brown just brought proof of coverage into the 21st Century by signing AB 1708,” said Armand Feliciano, with the Association of California Insurance Companies. “California has long been known as ground zero… Read More »California Signs Electronic Proof Of Insurance Bill

How to Ease the Insurance Claims Process

Here are some simple things you and your loved ones can do now to ease the insurance claims process should you suffer property damage or loss. Review your insurance policies. When a disaster hits, a lot of people realize they aren’t familiar with the terms of their policies. You might think you have more coverage than you actually do. Reviewing your insurance policies now gives you the chance to make adjustments and have those adjustments take effect before a storm comes our way. Also, remember that flooding is not covered under your homeowners insurance policy; you need to buy a separate flood insurance policy.… Read More »How to Ease the Insurance Claims Process