Fireworks are a staple of Fourth of July celebrations in the United States, and many towns put on their own professional fireworks displays which are monitored for safety by local fire departments. This year, many of these have been cancelled due to the pandemic, but people still want to celebrate, and many take it upon themselves to set off the fireworks at home.
Topics: Risk Management Blog, Risk Mitigation, Safety and Compliance, COVID-19, homeowner's insurance, Independence Day
Recently, I came upon an interesting (albeit disturbing) example of how generic insurance obligation language in a contract left the Landlord without Additional Insured protection from their contractor.
In the case of Seven Up Realty vs AJ Greenwich Contracting, the contract that Seven Up had with Greenwich did not REQUIRE Greenwich
Topics: Claims Management, Claims Management Process, Contracts, Coverage Review, Insurance, Risk Management Blog, COI Compliance, risk transfer
This pandemic has impacted all of us. Many companies, including ours, implemented a “work from home” policy to ensure the health and safety of, both, their employees and their business. For us, since we always had an open floor environment and advocate a collegial collaborative work place being able to easily collaborate on projects and ask each other questions directly was particularly important.
Topics: Risk Management Blog, Strategic Risk Management, risk management consultant, remote work, work from home, tips, productivity
Every significant construction project needs a Builders Risk policy.
Sounds simple enough, but the process of procuring the correct Builders Risk policy starts with an understanding of the project costs, construction timeline, and imagining potential claim scenarios. When an insured purchases an insurance policy, there is an expectation if a loss occurs; the insurance company will make the insured whole again. This only happens when a Builders Risk policy is designed correctly. The key to policy design is understanding and identifying the values at risk and how those values align with the actual insurance policy definitions.
Topics: Construction, Construction Premiums, Construction Project Risk, Real Estate, Real Estate & Development Risk Management, Risk Management Blog, Strategic Risk Management, The ALS Group
Take a casual stroll in Manhattan and you can't help but notice that construction is booming. Cranes, scaffolding, and sidewalk sheds are everywhere. And this isn’t just a New York City phenomenon. Ground-up construction and renovation projects are picking up all across the country. Low interest rates and favorable building conditions are resulting in a surge in real estate & development projects.
Topics: Construction, Construction Accidents, Construction Project Risk, Construction Workplace Safety, Real Estate & Development Risk, Risk Management Blog, Worker's Compensation
Ransomware strikes. Your critical data files have been encrypted and your business grinds to a halt. Do you:
a) spend countless hours rebuilding from backups (if you were diligent enough to ensure they'll work) or
b) pay the perpetrator to unlock your files?
Now that ransomware is spreading like wildfire through malicious emails, "malvertising" campaigns, and exploit kits, many firms and individuals face this exact scenario.
Topics: Cyber Risk, Cyber Security, Ransomware, Risk Management Blog
A 2014 survey by a non-profit business research firm found that fewer than 20 percent of executives say their companies effectively manage risk. Companies will often have a process in place to identify and monitor risks. But they fall short when it comes to actually implementing practices to manage those risks as part of the overall strategic plan.
Topics: Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), Risk Management Blog, Strategic Risk Management, Total Cost of Risk (TCoR)
Liability claims related to improper removal of snow and ice are frequent, and in many cases, severe. Many of the claims originate from elderly people sustaining injuries from slips and falls from which they never fully recover. In other words … BIG CLAIMS!
Topics: Property Risk, Risk management, Risk Management Blog, Snow Removal
Risk Identification is the first of three phases that make up a Risk Assessment.
Topics: Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), Enterprise Risk Management, Enterprise Risk Management, ERM, Risk Identification, Risk management, Risk Management Assessment, Risk Management Blog
Most companies today opt to distribute their employees’ W-2 tax forms electronically; either through email or some type of download service. Because these forms contain a good deal of Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”), such as name, address, social security number and salary information – cyber thieves are using several simple, yet, tried-and-true methods to fraudulently obtain them.
Topics: Breach of Security, Cyber Breach, Cyber Insurance, Cyber Liability, Cyber Risk, Cyber Security, Data Breach, Ransomware, Risk management, Risk Management Blog