The jingle “hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us” may need to include hold the hamburgers too, as drought-related costs have spiked the prices of hamburgers at favorite fast-food restaurants like In-N-Out Burger.
The San Bernadino Sun reports that, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this year beef prices are going to rise 5.5 to 6.5 percent, and poultry should increase 3 to 4 percent. Moreover, fruit, vegetables, and eggs will also increase in price by 3 to 4 percent. Significantly, California grows half of the nation’s fruits and vegetables, but because of the record-setting drought, now in its third year, 500,000 acres of farmland remain uncultivated.
“We make every effort to keep our menu prices as low as possible,” claims In-N-Out’s executive vice president of development Carl Van Fleet. “Unfortunately, we have seen some pretty significant cost increases over the last year, and we had to take a small price increase in order to maintain our quality standards.”
All this boils down to higher prices for the consumer and, for those who are already feeling pinched by the lagging economic recovery, choosing what to order is being reconsidered. Giovanni Benitez, who recently had lunch at an In-N-Out Burger in Pasadena said, “I usually always get a combo, but now I might start buying just the hamburger.”
In-N-Out is not the only retail food chain raising prices. Chipotle Mexican Grill and Starbucks are also increasing the prices on their menus. Both stores are increasing the price of items in the 4 to 10 percent range.
Notably, consumers aren’t the only ones being affected by the fallout of increased water costs due to the drought. A U.C. Davis Center for Watershed Sciences study indicates that the drought could cost California’s agricultural and farm communities $1.7 billion and predicts that 14,500 full-time and seasonal workers will lose their jobs.
Consequently, farmers have started to invest in expensive water drilling equipment to locate underground water sources. CBS5 KPIX reports that independent well drilling companies are booming as a result of farmers looking for alternate sources of water.
Steve Arthur, who has been in the drilling-for-water business since 1974, said that he is booked through March of 2015 for drilling new wells. Steve says, “If farmers are not able to drill a well to keep their crops growing, then they are going to have to quit… The effects of that is going to be devastating. They are going to go into the market one day and a gallon of milk is going to cost ten dollars.”
Content provided by http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-California/2014/07/08/In-N-Out-Burgers-and-Chipotle-Tacos-Prices-Rising-As-Ca-Drought-Persists
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Medical losses paid for California workers compensation claims remained relatively flat from 2012 to 2013, but payments for Medicare reimbursement and medical cost containment programs saw an uptick during that period, according to a new analysis.
California workers comp insurers and self-insured employers paid $5.2 billion in medical losses in 2013, up from $4.8 billion in 2012, the San Francisco-based Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California said Thursday in a statement. Of those losses, payers placed $129 million into Medicare set-aside accounts in 2013, up from $92 million in 2012.
The Medicare Secondary Payer Act requires self-insured employers and insurers to act as primary payers for workers comp and liability claims involving Medicare beneficiaries. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services advises workers comp payers to set up Medicare set-aside accounts to pay for future medical costs for a beneficiary’s injury.
California comp payers also reimbursed $6 million to Medicare in 2013 for treatment that had been already provided to workers comp claimants for their occupational injuries, up from $3 million for such reimbursements in 2012, according to the WCIRB report.
The bureau noted that insurers and employers paid $446 million in 2013 for medical cost containment programs related to California workers comp claims, up from $414 million in 2012. Costs for such programs have increased every year in California since 2009, the report showed.
Content provided by http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20140627/NEWS08/140629851?tags=|59|338|70|329|74|339|304|92
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When it comes to Workers Compensation claims, companies are looking constantly for ways to reduce claims and reduce costs.
Ascribing the cost of Workers Compensation claims to applicable internal departments can encourage supervisors and managers to pay more attention to training and safety programs and more carefully monitor injured employees returning to work. Some companies have even deducted the claim cost from the budget of the ascribed department instead of a general company fund as an additional incentive to curb Workers Compensation costs. Through implementing a few procedures that place Workers Compensation expenses directly on internal departments, employers have more control over prevention and injury management measures that can decrease the severity and frequency of workplace injury. The reduced claims and Workers Compensation premiums add up to a substantial amount of savings.
Safety goals can be met by communicating directly with all potential Workers Compensation employees. Use a claim and injury history to identify high-risk employee groups. Then, on a departmental level, discuss the injury management process with employees. Communication will improve as employees are given a chance to discuss how they feel the job could be performed with less risk of injury. It also gives the employer an opportunity to modify safety procedures or dangers in the work environment, such as faulty equipment or inadequate work protocols that are identified by employees.
A common problem related to workplace injuries is a lack of prompt reporting. Too often supervisors don’t appropriately acknowledge workplace accidents. The hope is that the incident will not result in time off of work or medical expenses. However, putting an initial injury off and not reporting it immediately often actually results in increased costs. Managers and supervisors need to know that they aren’t saving money when they don’t report injuries immediately. One study of more than 50,000 temporary total disability and permanent partial disability claims showed:
- Injuries reported one to two weeks following the incident were 18% more expensive than those reported within a week of the incident.
- Injuries reported three to four weeks after the incident were 30% more expensive than those reported within a week of the incident.
- Injuries reported after four weeks of the incident were 45% more expensive than those reported within a week of the incident.
Showing supervisors and managers statistics such as these will help to ensure timely injury reporting, especially if Workers Compensation costs will be coming out of the departmental budget. Although the goal is prevention of workplace injury, once an employee has been injured, the objective should turn to a timely and safe return to work. This can best be achieved if both employer and employee share a desire to obtain the most effective care, which will help to expedite recovery and a safe return to the job.
Since each department is faced with the claim cost coming out of their own budget, managers and supervisors can take a more active role in assisting injured employees returning to work. For example, instead of the usual claim adjuster or attorney contacting the injured employee, the company concern can be conveyed through the department head(s).
One last element is fraudulent claims. Although deliberate fraudulent claims are a rarity, they do exist. These fraudulent claims will be much more difficult to file when Workers Compensation costs are analyzed departmentally.
Accidents are going to happen. There simply isn’t a way to prevent all accidents and eliminate all claims. But, it is realistic to reduce the frequency and severity of workplace injuries by making the department responsible directly, whether by penalty or by reward, for a safe work environment.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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Are you looking for a great deal? Who isn’t? I know, I’m always on the lookout for a great deal that I can brag about later. One way to search out for great deals is to do some research. You see, every month offers some kind of great deals, and July is no exception.
4th of July
The 4th of July is not just about fireworks and barbecues. For the shopping expert, it’s also a great time to get fantastic deals on summer clothing (50-60% off), get yourself new patio furniture at discounts of up to 50% off and grills will have favorable discounts as well!
For the gamer, video games are on sale.
Go on vacation
Did you book your summer vacation yet? No? That’s a good thing. July is a great time to book a trip that is scheduled for late August. Disney World hotels has some fantastic deals at the end of August. Cruises throughout Hawaii, the Caribbean, and Mexico are also on the best trips list.
Crank up the A/C
Yes, it’s true that the best deals can be found in August or September, but July will give you 20% off air conditioner units. We don’t anyone to melt from the heat.
Isn’t nice to know that you don’t have to wait until Black Friday, Cyber Monday or after Christmas to find great deals?
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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Every year, the city of Watsonville puts on a special parade, called the Spirit of Watsonville for the 4th of July. The parade is filled with tractors, fire engines, classic car clubs, antique cars, and non-profit organizations.
The parade encompasses the spirit and pride of Watsonville. Nothing short of a wonderful display of our community getting together to celebrate our independence.
The parade begins at 2:00 pm in Downtown Watsonville. We hope to see you there!
From all of us here at Scurich Insurance Services, we wish everyone a happy and safe 4th of July!
Our office will be closed Friday, July 4th.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
Sources: http://cityofwatsonville.org/visitors/spirit-of-watsonville
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Pollution and environmental exposure risks on site and during transfer and disposal, such as toxic mold, the disposal of contaminated soil, and broken pipelines releasing toxic materials, are major construction concerns. When such incidents happen, a contractor’s reputation and livelihood can be irreversibly impacted.
Contractors Pollution Liability (CPL) is a type of insurance designed to protect contractors against the liability issues and financial losses that result from such environmental incidents. This insurance covers an array of environmental and pollution risks that are common to construction projects and is considered an appropriate coverage whether a firm is a trade contractor, such as those specializing in paving or HVAC; a general contractor; remediation contractor; or a contractor doing specialized work, such as tank installation or drilling. Contractors Pollution Liability insurance is available to cover areas like pollution incidences that result in bodily injury, third-party property damage, or remediation costs. Comprehensive policies can even be customized to provide pollution risk coverage to an entire project, which would include off-site transportation and all contractors involved in the project. Most Contractors Pollution Liability policies are written on a claims-made basis. This basis limits the insurer’s risk for unknown future liabilities since it means the policy only pays claims occurring and being filed during the period covered by the policy.
Clearly, Contractors Pollution Liability insurance can provide invaluable protection against environmental-related financial losses. That said, such a policy doesn’t prevent environmental incidents from occurring in the first place. To help prevent environmental incidences and protect hard-earned reputations, contractors should additionally adopt effective environmental risk management practices.
Creating an environmental risk profile will be one of the most important factors when taking steps toward risk management. This allows the firm to identify possible loss exposures and risk areas by thoroughly reviewing their administrative control documents. While some firms opt to conduct the profile in-house, many prefer the expertise and outsider’s perspective offered by a professional environmental consultant. In any event, documents related to the following areas should be reviewed during the development of an environmental risk profile:
- Contractors Pollution Liability policies
- Standard client agreements
- All mold prevention programs
- All environmental management programs
- Subcontractor’s environmental/mold management/prevention systems
- Language of subcontractor agreements
- Environmental data searches of job sites
- Hazard communication programs
- Quality assurance programs
- Internal health and safety programs, incident response protocols, and training protocols
- Trends, history, corrective measures, and employee communications related to environmental losses
- Environmental assessments for all leased and owned properties
Once the above documentation is assessed, the firm can identify strategies to reduce, if not eliminate, their exposures to environmental risks. Combining risk management with a Contractors Pollution Liability policy can help contractors reduce their risk, but still be covered in case the unexpected happens.
Contact our office for more information.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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The jingle “hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us” may need to include hold the hamburgers too, as drought-related costs have spiked the prices of hamburgers at favorite fast-food restaurants like In-N-Out Burger.
