Industry News
Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
In September 2018, former California Governor Jerry Brown approved Senate Bill 1343 (SB 1343) which expands the requirements for Sexual Harassment and Abusive Conduct Prevention training within the workplace.
Author, Jim Malone, Workers’ CompensationClaims Advocate, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Workers’ Compensation injuries occur every day. The majority of these injuries are minor incidents which require no medical treatment or loss of time from work. For others, the injury is reported to the insurance carrier, the injury is addressed, forms are provided, and the recovery from the injury is monitored until the employee is released back to work and a discharge from care is provided.
Author, Sam Clayton, Vice President, Construction Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Every business or non-profit that purchases a form of liability insurance has seen the term deductible or self-insured retention (SIR). While many know the difference between the two, many do not. Deductibles and SIRs, while quite different, are both designed to keep your premiums down. Insurers are willing to reduce the premium on policies, which have a deductible or SIR, because the insured assumes some of the risk. This however, is where the similarities end.
Author, Daniel Frazee, Executive Vice President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
If you have operated a business in the state of California for any period of time, you have very likely heard about or run across the acronym IIPP. Wherever you stand with your knowledge within the world of safety, injury, and illness, it is important for every organization to understand the mandatory parts of an IIPP. What is often overlooked is how developing an effective safety program can create positive change and truly impact your bottom line.
Author, Jeremy Hoolihan, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Reporting workers’ compensation claims in a timely manner can have a huge impact on the severity of the claim. Some policyholders believe the practice of not reporting employee injuries early is a good business practice. This could not be further from the truth.
Author, Drew Garcia, Vice President, Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Many city contracts and some residential communities will call for landscape contractors to install, maintain, or remodel road dividing medians. The potential risk for injury that can occur due to this exposure is highly severe. If your operations include any percentage of median work, then be sure to understand this increases your overall risk profile and slides the operations needle towards “heavy” in class.
Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc,
On September 30, 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown, approved Senate Bill 1343 (SB 1343), which expands rules for required sexual harassment prevention training for businesses.
Currently, employers with 50 or more employees must provide supervisors with sexual harassment prevention training every two years. By January 1, 2020, employers with 5 more employees must provide at least 2 hours of sexual harassment prevention training and at least 1 hour of training to non-supervisory employees. The trainings are required every 2 years.
Author, Sam Clayton, Vice President, Construction Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
California employers received some great news regarding their Workers Compensation premiums for 2019. On November 6, 2018, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones recently announced his decision to cut California Workers’ Compensation advisory pure premium rates by 8.4% significantly higher than the initial recommended 4.5%. This change will affect policies that renew or incept on or after January 1, 2019.
Author, Matt Gaynor, Director of Surety, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
When an owner or general contractor is looking to pre-qualify a contractor for a specific project, they will often request the contractor to submit a bondability letter from their bond agent. The bondability letter provides the owner with an assurance that the contractor has been underwritten and approved by a surety company for support of a specific project. The bondability letter is issued for no cost (it is regarded as a standard service provided by the bond agent).
Author, Alyssa Burley, Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
In April 2018, federal OSHA announced all affected employers are required to submit injury and illness data (i.e., Form 300A data) via the Injury Tracking Application (ITA) online portal by July 1, 2018, even if the employer is covered by a state plan like those in California, Maryland, Minnesota, South Carolina, Utah, Washington or Wyoming.
Author, Chase Hixson, Account Executive, Human Services Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices have become a popular topic with employers who maintain vehicle fleets. The companies want to know what the advantages are of having these devices installed on their fleet vehicles and will it reduce their insurance costs.
Author, Drew Garcia, Vice President, Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The 2019 Expected Loss Rate (ELR) for Landscaping class code 0042 was recently published at a 15% decrease or $2.97.
The ELR is the factor used to anticipate a class code’s claim cost per $100 for the experience rating period. It is not to be confused with the Pure Premium Rate (PPR). The ELR differs from the PPR in that the ELR simply measures the basic claim cost for a class code without including loss adjustment expense, excess loss load (capped at $175,000 for X-MOD purposes), and loss development.
Author, David J Garcia, A.A.I, CRIS, President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
I’ve written at length on the negative effects distracted driving is having on the automobile insurance industry and its impact on the rise in accidents, claim costs, and increases to your automobile premiums. But, have you considered its effects on your Experience Modification Rate (EMR) and ultimately workers’ compensation cost?
Author, Sam Clayton, Vice President Construction Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Driver selection guidelines are one of the most important things a company can implement to prevent vehicle accidents. A company should manage a written Motor Vehicle Records (MVR’s) program to assure that they are selecting the right employees to drive for the company and annually qualify each driver for desirable driving records. The following are some “best practices” guidelines that will help businesses implement and improve the driver selection process.
Author, Drew Garcia, Vice President, Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services.
Physical work is demanding on our bodies. As the employer, what are you doing to help your employees prepare for the day’s work? Collectively, the most severe injuries come from the lower back by way of strain or sprain as a result of lifting. It’s not always the heavier objects causing the injuries. In many cases, early morning “light” lifts or movements can quickly cause a strain or sprain.
Author, David J. Garcia, A.A.I, CRIS, President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
As we approach 2019, there will be several changes in the experience modification formula that directly affects the calculation of an employer's 2019 Experience Modification Rate (EMR).
Part 1 of this article describes the Primary Threshold and Expected Loss Rate. Read Part 1 of this article. Part 2 provides an overview of the changes to the EMR calculation.
Author, Matt Gaynor, Director of Surety, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Some of my most successful bond clients opened their construction business with a good amount of working experience on their resume, but only a minimal amount of cash and capital. Unfortunately, bond companies like to see a strong amount of cash and capital. Therefore, my goal, as their bond agent, is to work with what they have at the present time to explain why they are a “good risk” now for bid, performance, and payment bonds - along with ideas on how to overcome the initial cash and capital constraints.
Author, David J. Garcia, A.A.I, CRIS, President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
As we approach 2019, there will be several changes in the experience modification formula that directly affects the calculation of an employer's 2019 Experience Modification Rate (EMR). Sadly, most businesses are both unaware and unprepared.
Author, Casey Craig, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
In an era where general contractors commonly require a Waiver of Subrogation from its sub-contractors before they are allowed to step foot on the jobsite, it is important to understand how a Waiver of Subrogation functions. Most companies simply tell their agent they need the waiver added to their contract, but what does this mean? How does it affect the policy?
Author, Sam Clayton, Vice President, Construction Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Contractors General Liability Policies provide coverage for bodily injury and property damage for which the Named Insured is legally liable. This legal liability can result from the company’s direct operations or from other subcontractors hired by the Named Insured.
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