Meet Them Where They Are

Denise GillinDiversity & Inclusion, News

By Maureen Brody for LeadersEdge.com There’s an old maxim about pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps, but career achievement is more often a collaborative enterprise in which successful people spot, sponsor and promote their future replacements. In that vein, The Council and several of its members and valued partners are undertaking efforts to assist minority talent with entering the insurance industry – and thriving in it. Some questions executives can ask: How many of our executives come from racial minorities? Is this representative of the general population? If not, why? Are we recruiting from places that have substantial minority participation? If not, where can we turn for more access to minority candidates? Can we sponsor a scholarship, internship or apprenticeship? …

Guidance for Pennsylvania Businesses in Restaurant Industry Updated

Denise GillinNews

April 1, 2021 Update / Governor.pa.gov Businesses Subject to This Guidance – Click here for details All businesses in the retail food services industry, including restaurants, wineries, breweries, private clubs, and bars, are permitted to provide take-out and delivery sales of food, as well as dine-in service in both indoor and outdoor seating areas so long as they strictly adhere to the requirements of the guidance, as required by this guidance, including: Alcohol can only be served for on-premises consumption. Take-out sales of alcohol for the purposes of off-site consumption are permitted subject to any limitations or restrictions imposed by Pennsylvania law. This guidance applies to all restaurants, private event spaces and wedding venues with food service, licensed clubs, and bars, …

Economic Stress Tests Workers’ Comp Plans

Denise GillinHealth Benefits, Insurance, Risk Management, Third Party Claim Administration

By John Lacy for LeadersEdge.com With prevailing economic pressures widely expected to persist, more and more businesses will consider different ways to adapt, including the possibility of smaller, less skilled, and/or over-burdened workforces. These additional stresses could increase the risks of on-the-job injuries and, in some cases, jeopardize the ongoing well-being of the business. The good news for business owners is that those companies willing to proactively refine and manage their workers compensation program can take steps to mitigate losses, thus keeping their workers safe and protecting their business interests. Read how a robust workers’ compensation program is a basic tenet of successful risk management>>>

Three Important Risk Control Techniques For Managing Contractors

Denise GillinRisk Management

From Millers Mutual Insurance Every time a property owner/manager hires an outside contractor for services such as landscaping, snow and ice removal, or pool maintenance, there is the potential for third-party litigation resulting from the contractor’s work. Property owners/managers can be held liable for wrongful acts committed by a contractor even though the owner/manager may have no direct fault for the act. There are, however, various risk control techniques that will help an owner/manager recognize and control potential liability exposures. Read the 3 risk control techniques>>>

How to Respond to OSHA’s COVID Enforcement

Denise GillinNews, Risk Management

By David Sparkman for EHSToday.com Employers now find themselves in the crosshairs of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) amped-up enforcement of its COVID-19 guidelines and need to take immediate action to avoid the potential flood of citations and penalties expected to result. OSHA said it is choosing to target those industry sectors that have been generating the highest number of complaints, such as healthcare, which includes hospitals, healthcare providers, assisted living facilities and home healthcare services. Other industries targeted are general warehousing and storage, temporary help and staffing agencies, discount department stores, both full- and limited service restaurants, supermarkets and grocery stores (excluding convenience stores), and poultry and meat slaughtering and processing plants. Read the details>>>

Understanding and Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy

Denise GillinHuman Resources, Insurance, News

White Paper By CVS Health Troy Brennan, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, CVS Health Sree Chaguturu, MD, Senior Vice President, CVS Health and Chief Medical Officer, CVS Caremark Garth Graham, MD, Vice President, Chief Community Health Officer, Aetna The white paper states, “For the Country to achieve significant control of COVID-19, widespread adoption of safe and efficacious vaccines across all communities and populations will be critical.” Demographic insights are listed below. Other key survey results and the need for a multi-pronged approach to addressing specific concerns are covered. Read the white paper here. Demographic Insights: Men are more likely to be vaccinated than women. College-educated participants are more likely to be vaccinated. Higher-income participants are most likely …

Identifying the (Benefits) Gaps – 3 steps employers can take to move toward an inclusive culture

Denise GillinDiversity & Inclusion, Health Benefits, News

By Katie Oberkircher for LeadersEdge.com Using an employee-driven social networking platform, data is generated around how workers approach their jobs, share their beliefs, and interact with coworkers. In part one of a three-part series, Andrew Phillips, founder of All of Us, dives into what’s most important for employers to consider when deciding how to drive cultural change. Where to start>>>

Take a Stand for Grain Safety

Denise GillinAgribusiness, News, Risk Management

By Gina Ekstam for AssuredPartners.com Workers in grain handling facilities are exposed to many serious and life-threatening hazards, including fires, falls, and amputations. Suffocation, however, is the leading cause of death in grain storage bins, occurring when an employee becomes engulfed or entrapped inside a bin. Research by Purdue University’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department reveals an increase in the number of documented cases involving all types of agricultural confined spaces, including grain entrapments. In 2019, the 38 grain entrapment cases recorded represented a 26.7% increase from 2018, substantially higher than the five-year average of 28.8 cases per year. Of the total number of reported entrapment cases, 61% resulted in a fatality, a rate higher than the five-year average. OSHA’s …

Microsoft Exchange Server Hacks ‘Doubling’ Every Two Hours

Denise GillinInsurance, News

By Charlie Osborne for Zero Day Cyberattackers are taking full advantage of slow patch or mitigation processes on Microsoft Exchange Server with attack rates doubling every few hours. On March 12, Microsoft said that a form of ransomware, known as DearCry, is now utilizing the server vulnerabilities in attacks. The tech giant says that after the “initial compromise of unpatched on-premises Exchange Servers” ransomware is deployed on vulnerable systems, a situation reminiscent of the 2017 WannaCry outbreak. “Compromised servers could enable an unauthorized attacker to extract your corporate emails and execute malicious code inside your organization with high privileges,” commented Lotem Finkelsteen, Manager of Threat Intelligence at Check Point. “Organizations who are at risk should not only take preventive actions on their Exchange, but …

Everything You Need to Know About the Microsoft Exchange Server Hack

Denise GillinBusiness Insurance, News, Risk Management

By Charlie Osborne for Zero Day Four zero-day vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server are being actively exploited by a state-sponsored threat group from China and appear to have been adopted by other cyberattackers in widespread attacks. While in no way believed to be connected to the SolarWinds supply chain attack that has impacted an estimated 18,000 organizations worldwide — so far — there is concern that lags in patching vulnerable servers could have a similar impact, or worse, on businesses. Read everything you need to know about the security issues and be updated as the story develops>>>