National Farm Safety Week

Denise GillinAgribusiness, Risk Management

By Gina Ekstam for AssuredPartners Fall harvest can be one of agriculture’s busiest and most dangerous times of the year. National Farm Safety and Health Week is observed the third week of September to promote safety throughout the ag industry. While agriculture, forestry, and fishing make up one of the largest industry sectors in the U.S., most operations are small, with nearly 78 percent employing fewer than ten workers and most relying on family members and/or immigrant, part-time, contract, and seasonal labor. Many workers in these small operations are excluded from labor protections, including many of those enforced by OSHA. In 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 573 fatal work injuries in the Ag, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting sector. This represents the …

Does Your Insurance Program Cover All Insurance Requirements in the Contracts You’re Signing?

Denise GillinConstruction, Insurance, Risk Management

By Gary Semmer for AssuredPartners A great question to stop and ask yourself – how certain are you that in the event of a claim your insurance program will trigger coverage? Often, contracts get signed, excited to have that piece completed and ready to get moving with the next part. But, if you aren’t checking your insurance program’s fine print ahead of signing a contract you may be signing something that could be the beginning of a major problem later on. Let’s examine 3 problematic areas: Indemnification Additional Insured Requirements Coverage Restrictions or Exclusions Click to read more>>>

Biden’s Vaccine Mandate & Delta’s Surcharge Signal Sweeping Changes for Employers & Employees

Denise GillinHealth Benefits, Human Resources, News

By Nathanael M. Alexander, Esq. for AssuredPartners Since we last blogged about the changes in the world of COVID-19 vaccines there have been plenty of headlining developments that are worthy of mention including the August 23, 2021 FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine, a woman being arrested in Hawaii for attempting to skirt the state’s entry requirements via the use of a fake vaccination card, and various state law mandates for teachers, healthcare workers, etc. This is all coupled with much enthusiasm from employers hoping to follow in the footsteps of Delta Air Lines’ recent decision to add a $200 monthly health insurance charge for their unvaccinated staff members. This heightened enthusiasm has led many employers to explore the various ramifications (both legal and …

Is a Group Captive Right for Your Business?

Denise GillinBusiness Insurance, Risk Management

If your organization has a strong business culture that prioritizes employee health and safety and a history of low claims, you can: Have greater control over claim management. Know every penny spent on insurance is accounted for. Take the surprises out of renewal time. In less than four minutes, this video can help you determine if a captive is a good fit for your company. To further discuss the captive options we have available, contact Lori Harris, AAI, CPIA, Captive Director / Account Executive at 717.381.3477 or email her at lharris@murrayins.com. Murray is proud to be a part of AssuredPartners, committed to providing Power Through Partnership.

September is National Preparedness Month

Denise GillinNews, Risk Management

According Ready.gov, National Preparedness Month is an observance each September to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. The 2021 theme is “Prepare to Protect. Preparing for disasters is protecting everyone you love.” Weekly Themes: For more information and resources to regarding National Preparedness Month, go to Ready.gov/september. Questions? Contact a member of the Murray Risk Management Team at 717.397.9600

SBA Bond Guarantee Program – A Great Tool in Increasing Bonding Capacity

Denise GillinBonds, Construction, News

By Nick Newton for AssuredPartners Anyone working in the construction bond industry has seen the scenario where a client or prospect is requesting bonding capacity larger than the standard surety market is willing to provide. While some sureties will utilize tools like escrow or collateral, the SBA Bond Guarantee Program offers an alternative solution, enabling greatly increased capacity for your client. The SBA guarantees 80% of the bond obligation to the surety; 90% for firms that are minority-owned, veteran-owned, and service-disabled veteran-owned, 8(a) and HUBZone certified, and all contracts $100,000 or less. This reduced exposure makes it more palatable for the 42 sureties that participate in the program to offer increased bonding capacity. Click for the program highlights>>>

Oklahoma Producers Explore New Approach to Farming, Ranching

Denise GillinAgribusiness, News, Risk Management

By Evan Onstot for Koco.com We grow things here in Oklahoma. Our state’s farming and ranching heritage is as strong here as anywhere. But are most of the state’s producers doing it wrong? Some producers swear there’s a better way: regenerative farming. All producers want to grow better crops and raise healthier animals. And they want to make more money. All of these things are happening for a small group of Oklahoma ranchers who’ve basically thrown out the plow – and decades of tradition. At the entrance to his sprawling Western Oklahoma ranch, not far from the Texas border, Jimmy Emmons has posted his favorite saying: Long Live the Soil. Everything that Emmons does is focused on making his soil …

AssuredPartners: 10 Years of Growth Based on Relationships

Denise GillinInsurance, News

By Jim Henderson, Chairman and CEO, AssuredPartners for Business Insurance Consolidation has been an ongoing part of insurance distribution for many years. At AssuredPartners, we’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of our founding. In that time, we have become one of the largest and fast­est-growing brokerages in the United States. But our story is more than just achieving a high level of growth. AssuredPartners is all about building lasting relationships – with our clients, our asso­ciates, our agency partners, and the insurance companies with which we do business to solve our clients’ risk management needs. A lot has changed in a decade, and as we look back since our founding in 2011, we have seen some of those changes. Certainly many …

DOT: Red Flag Violations and the Worst 1%

Denise GillinInsurance, News, Risk Management

By Andy Engardio for AssuredPartners.com The DOT Auditor is on the lookout for any potential violations. They will build your carrier profile before they even arrive at your office for audit. In that profile, they will compile all public and non-public federal data available regarding your company. There are several reports that they will pull and review to build this profile. Two of the reports the DOT will review: Red Flag Violations Worst 1%ers Both reports are federal programs, which means they are non-public, and they are based on road-side inspections. Also, since they aren’t public, there is no real way to prepare for the results of these. The Red Flag Violations report highlights 16 violations that are considered to …

FMI: Construction Moves Forward, Expect 2023 Boom

Denise GillinConstruction, News

By Tom Jackson for EquipmentWorld.com While there’s no big upswing in the construction economy this year, there is at least forward progress, according to FMI’s 2021 Engineering and Construction Third Quarter Outlook report. Given a contentious election and pandemic, any progress is probably a good thing. And for transportation construction, the outlook turns especially bright after 2022. According to the report, total engineering and construction spending for the U.S. is forecast to end 2021 up 2%, compared to up 5% in 2020.   Get more details here>>>