R&R Insurance Blog

In July 2016, the new Work Comp rates for policies, effective October 1st, 2016, were released.  Generally speaking, the rates went down by an average of 3.19%, which is great news.

What is catching companies by surprise is the WCRB also increased the Split Point for the 4th year in a row.  The new Split Point is going to be $16,000.

This is causing most Experience Modification Factors (EMR) to increase by 2 to 5 points before any other factors are input, i.e.: Payrolls and Losses.

Do you know what your projected EMR will be for your next renewal?
Do you know what the Spilt Point means and how if affects your EMR?

Please reach out if you would like to learn more about your EMR and how R&R's Professional Services manage this for customers.

70% of all OSHA violations involve the hazard communication standard. Is your organization compliant?

According to the Department of Labor’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), nearly 70% of all OSHA violations involve the Hazard Communication Standard.

Are your SDS's up-to-date and compliant with the new OSHA Hazard Communication Standard based on the Globally Harmonized System (GHS)? The new standard requires organizations with employees who work with hazardous materials to have access to SDS's that are accurate and easily accessible. The OSHA changes will compel all organizations to revisit and revise their SDS’s.

New OSHA Requirements

OSHA is requiring training on the new label elements (i.e., pictograms, hazard statements, precautionary statements, and signal words) and SDS format for all employees who work around hazardous chemicals and other toxic substances. American workplaces will soon receive labels and SDSs that are consistent with the GHS.

Download a Pictogram Training Document

Effective Dates

Employees must be trained on new label elements on SDS's by December 1, 2013. More information on the new GHS deployment requirements.

Employer Responsibilities

Every organization with employees who work with hazardous materials must ensure their Safety Data Sheets are accurate and accessible. The most efficient and effective way to manage SDS’s is to use a digital database. The standard requires that organizations maintain an SDS for each chemical that is easy to access by all employees. Manual processes quickly fall out-of-date because many organizations don’t have the bandwidth to reliably keep SDS’s current and guarantee employee access, leaving them at risk of noncompliance. More information about streamlining your SDS database.

R&R's Risk Management Center Safety Data Sheet track:

• Easy login to a single point of access for all locations.
• All employees can access SDSs from any computer with internet access.
• Archive and print SDSs at your convenience.
• The RMC is fully maintained - no software updates or discs needed!

R&R Insurance Services’ Risk Management Center is a unique web-based software suite of safety and risk management tools designed to empower your organization’s risk prevention efforts. Contact knowledgebroker Jamie Vanderveldt for more information on this valuable resource for your risk management program.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the employees and families of Echo Lake Foods, located in Burlington, WI, and we hope that their lives get back to normal as quickly as possible.

It's times like these that make us reflect on the processes and procedures we have in place to make sure that there is minimal loss of property and absolutely no loss of life.

I have compiled an Emergency Preparedness Kit which can help to ensure that my clients and prospects have the knowledge and tools to keep them safe.

Emergency Preparedness involves having a process to prepare for any emergency that may affect the businesses or disrupt normal operations. A procedure should be implemented and tested to become part of the corporate culture by performing drills, providing training for involved personnel and continually evaluating the current plan for necessary changes.

Should you have any questions about fire preparedness, emergency plans or disaster planning, please contact me - I'd be happy to answer your questions, contact Jamie Vanderveldt, Account Executive, Construction Specialist.