Insurance Insights

There are a variety of injuries that can occur in the workplace, both from sudden accidents and those that occur gradually over time. One such injury many employers don’t often think about is that of injuries to employees’ feet. If you have employees who work laborious jobs where most of the day is spent on their feet, their feet are being put at risk on a daily basis. This can increase the risk of injuries — and thus worker’s compensation claims. However, by following these tips to protect your employee’s feet, you can help to not only protect your employees’ feet but reduce the number of claims.

Workers’ compensation insurance coverage is one of the most necessary items to include in a benefits package. The good news for small business owners trying to operate on a budget that it is possible to bring workers compensation claims down. But how exactly can this be done? Take a look at these smart workers’ compensation and claim reduction tips.

While there is a large amount of economic uncertainty in the U.S. these days, many small business owners think they’re doing well. However, they are typically not doing so well that they feel they’ll be able to increase payroll this year.

One of the most important thing you can do as a small business owner is practice proper safety when it comes to your employees. These are the people who keep your business operating from day to day and are instrumental in helping it grow. They not only deserve your protection, by enacting certain safety standards in the workplace, but it is also required by law. These are the types of body protection your employees may need in the course of the work they do for you.

Prevention is always the best way to deal with injury on the job. That’s what hearing conservation programs are all about. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, has made them the cornerstone of their hearing guidelines.

According to the Insurance Journal, workers’ compensation insurance rates fell in 2014, good news for small business owners. The rate hit a record low of $1.85 for each $100 of payroll. This varied by state, from a low in North Dakota of $0.88 to a high of $3.48 in California.

Investing in wellness programs can help the bottom line of small businesses, at a rate of just about 2:1. For each dollar that a company puts into a wellness program, they see an average of $2 worth of benefits in return. This includes  get healthier staff, fewer injuries in the workplace, and higher productivity, according to a study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

According to a report published by the Bureau of Labor,  there were more than three million recorded cases of nonfatal workplace injuries in 2013. Occupational injuries are amongst the leading cause of poverty in the United States. When a worker is unable to work due to an illness or injury contracted on the job this affects their ability to adequately provide for their families.  Workplace injuries can also impact the company and disrupt the workflow.

Epsilon and Sony are just two of the corporations reported as having data loss incidents in recent years, according to DataLossDB, a research project operating under Open Security Foundation with the mission to document and report company data loss and breach incidents world-wide. So far, the two largest data loss incidents involved over 100 million records.
Data losses or breaches may include loss or theft of digital media, such as hard drives, laptop computers, or mobile devices where such information may be stored unencrypted, hacking into company systems and database through a firewall, or simply human or employee error.
While you may need to collect some information from your customers, such as postal and email addresses, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) outline 5 action steps to take if your customer’s data is stolen:
1) Notify customers with a data breach notification letter immediately. Your notification letter should include all the facts about the data breach: what information was compromised, how it happened, how the compromised information could be used, and what steps you have already taken. The FTC provides a model letter to serve as a guide.

Frigid temperatures, snow, ice, and high winds are the harsh realities of winter. They can also bring a host problems for a small business. Of course, concerns over customer or employee slips and falls is a biggee, but have you thought of how a potential winter storm power outage could impact your technology infrastructure — and your day-to-day operations?
Here’s how small businesses can protect their technology investments during the winter.

1) First and foremost, purchase a generator. A generator can keep essential technology “plugged in” even during a power outage.  Keep in mind, generators should only be operated outside, and well away from windows, doors or vents to prevent carbon monoxide from seeping indoors.

2) Back up electronic data daily. It’s critical to back up all customer, client, and company data daily. For even more protection, back up your back up plan. For example, back up essential off-site or via cloud services. Review the functionality of your back up systems before a big storm hits.

3) Protect equipment from power surges. Your electronic equipment should be plugged into an adequate power surge protector. Depending on your business, individual surge protectors may suffice, but in some cases a large building surge protector is advised.  That said, if you’re in the office when a power surge occurs, turn off all computers and electrical equipment as protection against a sudden voltage increase when power is restored.
4) Protect portable electronics from cold temperatures. Taking work home from the office? Don’t leave your laptop in your car overnight. Very cold temperatures can freeze parts of your laptop, such as the monitor potentially leading to a crack. Cold temperatures can damage your laptop’s battery. What’s more, if your laptop does freeze, condensation may form when it warms back up — and moisture and laptops don’t mix. When traveling back and forth to work with your laptop in tow, place it in an insulated laptop bag to not only keep it from freezing, but also to provide cushion should you slip and fall on snow or ice.
5) Implement remote network access. In the event it is unsafe for employees to get to the office during a winter storm, make sure they are able to connect to your small business server or office remotely. A secure Virtual Private Network (VPN) enables workers to log in to your organization’s network while at home. Be sure to have employees test their logons and ability to connect remotely prior to a big winter storm.
While we cannot control the weather, small business owners can minimize its risk to their operations by following the above tips to protect their technology investments during the winter.