R&R Insurance Blog

As most of us know Iran, Algeria, Yeman, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Bahrain, Egypt, and Libya have all been witnessing differing degrees of anti-government demonstration in recent weeks. Responses from security services have been variable. As situations escalate so the levels of insurance policy adequacy are tested- make sure there are no gaps in your client`s coverage.

For more info contact the knowledgebrokers.com

Recently one of our LWMMI (League of Wisconsin Municipalities) insureds asked this question, "Are municipalities (and related entities) covered by OSHA?" and an issue of The Municipality, confirmed a response we initially provided...

"Local governments are not subject to state regulations, which are at least as stringent as OSHA, does not have jurisdiction over the state or local governments because the definition of "employer" under the OSHA Act of 1970 specifically excludes states and any political subdivision of a state."

"Instead, the State of Wisconsin has jurisdiction and the Wisconsin Statutes requires that the Department of Commerce adopt, by administrative rule, standards to protect the safety and health of public employees. These standards must provide protection at least equal to that provided to private sector employees under OSHA standards." - The Municipality (a publication of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities)

This article gives good advice on the subject of sexual molestation. This is a district's best defense for allegations in a particular molestation event. The best way that school personnel can protect themselves against harassment and sexual abuse allegations is to avoid scenarios with students that could be inappropriate, misunderstood or misinterpreted by students or staff.

Ten Tips to Preventing Sexual Harassment or Accusations For School District Staff

1. Never be alone with a student in your classroom, outside of the regular school day, without informing and/or seeking approval from your principal.
2. Never be alone with a student behind a closed door; keep your classroom door open during and after school or before school meetings. If your classroom does not have a window, ask for one to be installed or meet in a more open area.
3. Never make a habit of meeting students outside of school for a meal, coffee, soda, etc.
4. Never counsel your students in non-academic matters. Refer students who have questions, concerns, etc. to a guidance counselor, career counselor or social worker, etc.
5. Never transport students in your own vehicle or allow students to have access to your car.
6. Never give students hall passes to come to your classroom on non-school-related matters.
7. Never allow students to engage you in and do not offer advice in conversations regarding their romantic or sexual problems, concerns, fears, curiosities, etc. Don’t discuss your personal problems with students.
8. Never entertain students in your home unless it is a school-sponsored activity. Always have other faculty present. Never suggest that a student come to your house alone or be dropped off at your home.
9. Never make sexual comments or gestures about a student’s body, and don’t tell sexual jokes or display sexually suggestive images, videos, etc. in the classroom.
10. Never put your hands on your student in a manner that a reasonable person could consider as inappropriate under the circumstances or suggests something sexual, intimate, physically pleasing, etc. Examples include brushing up against the body; rubbing shoulders, necks, backs; hugging; tickling; wrestling; spanking; etc.

A portion of this content was taken from PreventionLink.
District administrators should contact Bill Hattendorf with R&R Insurance for more information.

Beginning January 1, 2011, a new insurance rating option from FEMA`s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) allows many property owners who previously didn't qualify, to take advantage of the low-cost insurance for two years before they are required to pay standard rates.

NAPS (North American Precis Syndicate) provides information about the options for low-cost insurance from FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that went into effect 1/1/11. This new option represents an important way to save on flood insurance for those who are newly required to carry it. After two years at the reduced PRP rates, policies will increase to standard rates.

To learn more visit the FEMA website or call (800) 427-4661.

The Internal Revenue Service released final guidance for small employers eligible to claim the new small business health care tax credit for the 2010 tax year. This includes a one-page form and instructions small employers will use to claim the credit for the 2010 tax year.

New Form 8941, Credit for Small Employer Health Insurance Premiums, and newly revised Form 990-T are now available on IRS.gov. The IRS also posted on its website the instructions to Form 8941 and Notice 2010-82 , both of which are designed to help small employers correctly figure and claim the credit.

More information about the credit, including a step-by-step guide to claiming the credit and answers to frequently asked questions, is available on the Affordable Care Act page on IRS.gov.

Dan Larsen, Coordinator of Facilities and Operations with West Allis-West Milwaukee School District wrote a synopsis of playground safety January issue of the WSSCA (Wisconsin School Safety Association) that is worth your read. He also offers a few valuable links to assist with your playground safety efforts.

This ties in nicely with the upcoming Playground Safety Seminar offered through Liberty Mutual Group and Indiana Insurance. The April seminar, held in Madison, WI, is taught by certified playground safety inspectors and is free for principals, facility managers, maintenance directors and others responsible for ensuring playground safety.

Contact a School Practice Group Knowledge Broker to sign up for the seminar! It's free!

As teenagers get their driver’s licenses and hit the road, parents usually decide what their children drive, and most feel comfortable with a vehicle that’s as safe as can possibly be. A lot of times that choice is a pick-up truck because it's large, and seemingly indestructible. Parents and teen drivers, however, take note: a pick-up truck could be the most dangerous vehicle for a 16-17 year old to drive. According to a recent study conducted by the University of Texas and published in the traffic safety journal Accident Analysis and Prevention, teens driving pick-up trucks are two times as likely to be severely injured during a crash than a teen of the same age driving a car.

Teenagers driving a pickup are more likely to drive aggressively and sustain serious injuries in a crash, according to the study which also found that when it comes to aggressive driving behavior, a 16-17 year old is 368 percent more likely to drive aggressively than those 65 or older, while a teen just a couple of years older is only 195 percent more likely.

Full article: Teen Drivers and Pick-up Trucks, A Bad Mix? at ABC News.

R&R Insurance Services is committed to providing our customers with the highest level of service and support. We take the safeguarding of our customers' personal information very seriously. Your privacy will always be a priority at R&R Insurance Services. Because of this, R&R has a company-wide policy to use encryption software when sending any email that contains personal, identifiable information.

Encrypting an email message that contains personal or non-public, identifiable information about our customers, their family members or employees greatly diminishes the risk of that information being intercepted by third parties. We are confident that it is in the best interest of our customers to take appropriate measures to protect their information from potential identify thieves.

R&R Insurance uses RPost, an email encryption service to handle our encryption needs.

RPost's Secu(R)mail encrypted email services are effective for electronic delivery and execution of documents required or regulated under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA"). RPost also preserves data integrity by legally verifying that precisely what was sent is what was received by the other side. To view an encrypted message, the recipient needs only to open the message, click on the attachment and enter a password.

Should you have any questions regarding our encryption policy or our corporate privacy policy, contact Julie Liebelt.

Property owners and residents should be aware of the weight loads heavy storms may create, especially on flat roofs.

How to Protect Your Roof From Collapse
Schools, churches, office buildings, restaurants, casinos, gas stations commercial buildings and residential buildings - both homes and apartment buildings, as well as carports and awnings can be affected. Owners and residents of flat roof buildings in particular are urged to be aware of the possible snow load danger. Be aware that the threat from heavy snow weight will remain for some time after the storm ends because cold temperatures won’t allow much melting to occur.

Take the following precautions to protect life and property:

• Don’t put untrained individuals on roofs to clear snow. Falls from roofs and possible exposure to electrical wires while on the roof are serious hazards.
• Inspect roofs for leaks or structural deficiencies that may develop during the storm.
• Make certain gutters, drains and downspouts are clear of ice and debris.
• Clear snow and ice away from exhaust vents that go through exterior walls.
• Clear decks of snow to reduce stress on them.
• Watch for falling snow and ice from roofs.

After the storm:

• Clear areas around downspouts so that water from melting snow has a path to flow away from the house or building.
• Remove snow from side walls to prevent high snow mounds from pushing them in.
• Temporarily shore up and brace dipping or sagging roofs or walls.
• Improper operation of doors or windows, deflection of ceiling finishes or exposed beams, roof leaks or sprinkler heads moved from their normal positions could be signs of roof failure.

If you have suffered storm damage to your property, make sure that there is no danger to anyone nearby, and then contact your insurance agent immediately. Wisconsin residents and businesses can contact a knowledge broker at 800-566-7007 for details on how to protect and insure your property and avoid roof collapse during snow storms.

If you have questions about your building’s condition, contact a structural engineer or your local building official for an assessment of the conditions.

This material does not purport to address every possible legal obligation, hazard, code violation, loss potential or exception to good practice. It should not be construed as indicating the existence or availability of any insurance coverage. Portions of this information provided by Hanover Insurance.