Fleet operators face an increased risk of potential liability if they are not diligent about checking their drivers’ moving violation records with the state Department of Motor Vehicles in addition to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. To ensure the safety of our roadways, as of 2020, it became mandatory that […]
While cyber threats grow and the cyber insurance market evolves, insurers are regularly adjusting their policy terms and conditions in response to new threats and exposure. Carriers have amassed nearly a decade’s worth of data and are getting more stringent about underwriting and demanding that policyholders do their share by implementing best practices aimed at […]
Workers’ compensation fraud costs the insurance industry roughly $5 billion each year, according to estimates by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Depending on whom you ask, fraud accounts for as much as 10% of the costs of all workers’ comp claims. This type of fraud is typically associated with malingering employees who fake injuries in […]
Skyrocketing claims costs and higher accident rates are pressuring the commercial auto insurance market, as insurers impose increasingly larger rate hikes and more are pulling out of the market or restricting who they will cover. While rate increases have been the standard for nearly a decade, since 2022 hikes are growing larger — often in […]
Cal/OSHA has proposed its long-awaited indoor heat illness prevention standard as increasingly hot summers are affecting workers in indoor spaces like warehouses, production operations, restaurants and more. The proposed standard, largely based on the state agency’s outdoor regulations, will require employers whose workplaces at times are at least 82 degrees to have a written Indoor […]
There is a growing threat to companies that use online services to administer their employee benefits and payroll as cyber criminals increasingly exploit these cloud service platforms. The results of a hacker gaining access to the company’s payroll systems, sloshing with cash, as well as employees’ personally identifiable information can be devastating both to the […]
Office and commercial building vacancies have exploded since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, leaving many buildings completely empty of tenants or partially occupied. According to the website Statista.com, the average vacancy rate for offices nationwide in the first quarter of 2022 was 12.3%, which is an improvement from 17.4% in the first quarter of 2021. Unfortunately, […]
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law legislation that would bar employers from discriminating against employees and job applicants who use cannabis on their time off. The law amends the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to prohibit discrimination against an individual based on “an employer-required drug screening test” that detects the presence […]
Commercial property insurance rates remain stubbornly high in California for businesses with properties that are susceptible to wildfire risks. Coverage is relatively easy to find at reasonable prices in any of California’s larger cities, but in small cities and towns, it’s a different story. Business with facilities in any areas that abut woodlands and other […]
A new survey has found that most small businesses greatly underestimate the recovery costs after a company is hit by a cyber attack, as well as the time it takes to recover. Nationwide Insurance’s “Agency Forward” survey found that 40% of small business owners estimate that a cyber attack would cost their organization less than […]