The January deadline in which companies must turn in their OSHA 300 Log is quickly approaching. In order to meet the recordkeeping regulations imposed on many companies in a wide cross-section of industries, employers are required to collect information about injuries and illnesses that occur as well as maintain and prepare records.
Effective January 1, 2015, all employers under the jurisdiction of the OSHA will be required to report all work-related fatalities within 8 hours and all in-patient hospitalizations, amputations and losses of an eye within 24 hours of finding out about the incident.
What Needs to Be Recorded
OSHA regulations deem that the following must occur:
- all fatalities that are work-related must be recorded
- work-related injuries and illnesses that result in time away from work must be recorded
- physician-diagnosed illnesses and injuries that are significant must be recorded, even if they do not result in time away from work
- injuries such as an amputation, sprain, cut or fracture must be recorded. This list is not exhaustive.
- illnesses – both acute and chronic – need to be recorded. These include respiratory disorders, poisonings and skin disease, and this list is not limited to only those illnesses listed.
- work-related injuries – as defined by OSHA – are those in which exposure to workplace elements or an event either contributed or caused a condition or aggravated a condition or illness that was pre-existing.
Who Needs to Comply
Companies who are not in industries that are partially exempt from filing recordkeeping paperwork are required to do so. A few of these industries that are partially exempt include those that are deemed to be low hazard such as real estate, service, finance, retail and insurance. To determine if a business falls within a partially exempt industry, they are encouraged to look on the OSHA website for more information.
In addition, those companies that do not fall in one of the partially exempt industries must have at least ten employees. Each year, between February 1 and April 30, the business must display the results of the OSHA 300 Log within its workplace. All employees – both former and current – have the right to view these records and they must be provided with a copy of them by the following business day.
Source: http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2014/12/18/259283.htm
Read more
Agriculture is big business in California and it takes a great deal of manpower to ensure that it run smoothly. Those who work in it are required to be covered by workers compensation. This includes those workers who are seasonal or migrant. Additionally, undocumented workers are also entitled to the same benefits as other workers in the agricultural industry.
The name of the employer’s claims administrator or insurer must be posted for all to see at the work site. The procedures that employees need to follow in the event that they are injured must also be posted prominently at the work site. Federal and state laws prohibit employers from retaliating against those employees who much such claims.
Uninsured Employers Trust Fund Helps Employees
Employers who choose not to follow the law and provide their employees with the required workers compensation could see their businesses hit with fines, penalties and more. Workers who are injured while on the job – and who qualify – can seek retribution from the Uninsured Employers Trust Fund. Like uninsured motorist insurance, though, this entity should not be looked on as a way to cut the costs of insuring workers.
Employers Face Penalties, Fines and More
In nearly all cases, if an employee petitions the Uninsured Employers Trust Fund for payment for damages incurred while employed with a business that does not have workers compensation or that does not have adequate coverage, this governmental agency will turn to that employer to collect the damages for the employee. Fines and penalties are almost always levied against the business. In addition, there could be jail sentences imposed against the owners of the business. Finally, the business could be stripped of any licenses and/or permits that it possess in the state of California. This move effectively shuts down the business as it will not be able to operate without the required licenses and permits.
Read more
While central California does not need to be concerned with a great deal of the adverse weather that is experienced by other areas of the country, there are still plenty of hazards that can pop up unexpectedly during the holidays. By taking a proactive approach, you can make sure that no matter what happens, you – as well as your friends and family who visit your home during the holidays – is protected.
Decorating Debacles
No matter how carefully you plan, there is always the possibility that something could go awry while you are decorating. Slips on steep basement steps to retrieve decorations, ladders that move unexpectedly and falls from roof top perches are just a few of the common issues that can put a damper on these otherwise festive weeks. Ensuring that you have the right kind of home insurance – and adequate amounts of it with a manageable deductible – can help ease the inconvenience and pain of any holiday injuries.
Protect Your Guests
As a host to your friends and family, you want to provide a safe and happy experience. Sometimes, though, things are beyond your control and accidents happen. Whether it is something like a guest who loses their grip and takes a tumble down your stairs or one that slips on a rain-slicked sidewalk, you can rest easier knowing that you have the insurance that is required to cover their expenses. Having that safety net also helps ensure that your friendship survives this unfortunate event.
Helps You Deal with Devastating Loss
The holiday season sees an alarming uptick in the number of home fires. Whether this is the result of cooking accidents in the kitchen, overloaded electrical circuits or unattended candles, you will be able to weather these incidences more easily because you have homeowner’s insurance. While starting over after a devastating fire is difficult, ensuring that you have the money to do so can provide you with a measure of comfort.
Read more
The business world today is being held accountable more and more often. In many cases, this means that a business might be stripped of its traditional business insurance limits during a catastrophic event. These are events that a business owner likely never dreamed of occurring to them. It is important, though, to plan for these unexpected events.
Umbrella Insurance Provides Overarching Protection
Legal settlements can not only rattle the framework of a business, they can put it in a serious financial bind. While a business might have been diligent about ensuring that they have adequate amounts of commercial auto insurance, general liability insurance and employer’s liability insurance, they might be unpleasantly surprised to learn that it is not enough. Given the fact that insurance settlements continue to rise, a commercial umbrella insurance policy is an effective way for a business to protect itself against a large loss.
Commercial Umbrella Insurance: Protective and Affordable
Many businesses – especially small and medium sized ones – might wonder about the necessity – as well as the affordability – of such insurance. Commercial umbrella insurance is unique, though, and it is that uniqueness that makes it so affordable. During an event, such as a legal settlement, your other insurances will be tapped for payment first. This means that those insurances that are required – auto, commercial liability and employer liability – are used to their limits.
Then the Umbrella Comes Out
Once the limits of your other, mandatory insurances are reached, then your commercial umbrella insurance kicks in. While this type of insurance is optional, purchasing a policy is considered to be a good investment in the long term viability of a business. To put it in perspective, for many small and medium size businesses, just one accident, injury or mistake that is determined to be the fault of the business can completely wipe out its financial coffers if the settlement outweighs its monetary limits.
Read more
The holidays simply would not be the same without lots of bright lights. Not only do they add to the festive look of this time of the year, they also bring back many memories. There are a lot of people who think the holidays are not complete without tons of lights strung everywhere.
With all those lights, though, you might come to an unpleasant realization when you plug in some unrelated electrical device and you find yourself in the dark. Overloading your circuits is easier than you might think. There are safety mechanisms put into place in electrical systems that are correctly installed, but losing a section of the electricity in your home when you plug in that last string of lights can put a damper on your holiday celebration.
While implementing a temporary fix to your overloaded circuits is pretty easy, a long term solution that works year after year is always best. If you find yourself flipping breakers – for more modern homes – or blowing fuses – for those older homes that still use them – then simply unplug a few items, flip the breaker or replace the fuse and move on. As for those devices that you had to remove from the overloaded circuit, resist the urge to use electrical cords that snake throughout your home since they will only add to the list of potential hazards.
Instead, opt to move them completely. Before bringing out the lights and other decorations that require electricity, make a plan for the outlets that you do have. While you can add a power strip to one outlet to increase its capacity, stick to those that have three sockets to ensure that you do not have the same overloaded circuit problem.
Because overloaded circuits are still a fire hazard – in spite of the safety mechanisms that are built into your electrical system – you will want to contact a qualified electrical contractor to have more outlets installed as soon as possible.
Read more
If you rent out residential property, you face a variety of financial risks, everything from damage from fires and windstorms, through fines for building code violations, to a disgruntled tenant who sues you.
Landlord insurance to the rescue! These policies cover losses to the property, medical payments for tenants or visitors injured on the premises, and your personal liability for alleged negligence.
The amount of coverage depends on your financial situation. If you’ve taken out a mortgage on the property, the lender will probably insist that you buy a policy large enough to cover the loan balance. As a rule of thumb, the higher the value of the property and the greater the risk of potentially catastrophic liability, the more coverage you’ll need.
Your premium will depend on the type of losses covered and the extent of reimbursement. If you choose comprehensive or all risk coverage (which will pay for damage from all causes unless specifically excluded), your cost will be higher than if you buy “named perils” coverage (which covers only losses due to specific causes). Expect a higher premium for replacement value, which will reimburse you fully for rebuilding your property, than for actual cash value coverage, which will pay only the value of the property, less depreciation.
You can also reduce your premium by increasing the deductible (which usually range from $100 to 5% of the building coverage).
Optional coverages include repayment for rental income lost if the property becomes uninhabitable, and for risks of doing business with tenants, such as legal fees and liability against claims for libel, slander, and discrimination.
Our personal insurance specialists would be happy to help you choose the landlord coverage that offers the best value. Just give us a call.
Read more
