R&R Insurance Blog

The Wisconsin State Supreme Court says a brake maker wasn't negligent in a machinist's death.

Walter Tatera, a former Hales Corners machine shop worker, died of cancer in 2004. His estate sued FMC Corp., a Milwaukee brake manufacturer, alleging disks the company sent to Tatera's shop contained asbestos and caused his cancer.

A Milwaukee judge found the company was not liable or negligent in Tatera's death. A state appeals court last year, however, ruled FMC could be sued for negligence.

The Supreme Court reversed that ruling in a 4-3 decision. The court says FMC's conduct didn't amount to affirmative negligence.

Jill Rakauski, an attorney for Tatera's estate, says she's disappointed and believes the estate should be allowed to make a claim.

Interstate Roofing has saved $1.3 million in premium since beginning their MOD management efforts with R&R Insurance.

“I can’t begin to explain what Jamie and R&R have done for us. In 2002 PLM had a mod factor of 1.15. We now boast a .69 mod. We have a fantastic safety program and a 45% reduction in premium. This reduction occurred during a huge company growth period.”
Grant Pozorski
Parking Lot Maintenance, Inc.

Wouldn't it be great to have some sort of system in place to stop workplace injuries, fatalities and equipment damage situations before they occurred? If your company created a near-miss (close call) reporting culture, it would move a long way toward achieving that goal.

There are several benefits to having a near-miss reporting culture in place, including these:

1. It enables companies to pro-actively resolve hazards before a tragic or costly incident occurs.
2. It engages the workforce (all workers at all levels) in solving problems.
3. It increases safety ownership and reinforces workers' self-esteem.
4. It exposes valuable information that otherwise might not be discussed.
5. It develops a positive and necessary attitude surrounding safety.

When it comes to creating a near-miss reporting culture, supervisors play a key role in education and awareness building efforts.

Make Reporting a Daily Event

Many employees are either reluctant to report near-misses, are unaware of the importance of doing so, or simply don't know the reporting process. So how do you encourage the reporting habit? Here's a good tip from John Brengosz, Loss Control Representative, from R&R Insurance Services, and a current manufacturing client:

We're a manufacturing plant working with fabricated metal. We have a pre-shift at the beginning of each shift to review the daily schedule and line assignments and ask if there were any near misses the day before. These are written on a dry erase board with the date and Production Line number:

“Having Jamie as an agent has been one of the most beneficial steps I have done for my company. Jamie is not only knowledgeable in the field, but he also helps me become more proactive in my business insurance needs regarding risk exposure. He is a great facilitator between the carrier and the client so they can both come up with better solutions for running a business.”

Cheryl Sment
Interstate Sealant & Concrete, Inc.

“Jamie Vanderveldt has been very helpful and informative in the time we have worked with him. Jamie has been instrumental in helping us focus on ways to reduce our workers comp costs. He has earned our confidence as a result of his thoroughness and expertise. I appreciate his friendly and helpful attitude.”
Joe Donovan
Donovan Jorgenson Inc.

Annual benchmarking survey provides new insight on the impact of cost reductions within employer's risk management programs.

During the recession, companies slashed their risk costs by 3.1%, a recent study found. As a result, a major catastrophe could test their ability to respond. Article provided by cfo.com.

http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/14511787

“R&R Insurance provides us with a proactive approach to managing our Workers Comp costs. Their claims review process positively impacts our bottom line. They proactively close out claims which most recently caused $23,000 to be added to our variable dividend. They play an important role on our team by always providing highly responsive service when we need it. They not only provide us with the answers to our tough insurance questions, but help us to gain an understanding of the underlying issues. With their help, we now understand that a properly managed Workers’ Comp program will provide us with a competitive advantage!”

Seth Mickelson
Marriott Construction, Inc.

“R&R’s knowledge and experience with workers compensation had an immediate effect on our insurance costs. Their continued efforts on monitoring our safety practices and working on our behalf with insurance companies keeps us competitive. Our MOD rating has done nothing but go down since we’ve partnered with R&R.”

Tom Schaus
Schaus Roofing, Inc

“Jamie Vanderveldt and the staff of R&R Insurance have been invaluable in assisting our company through the process of updating our risk management program. Having a strategic business partner like Jamie who is well versed in contractual and insurance risk-allocation practices has been a great asset in the ever-evolving construction industry.

While a premium has always been put on safety with our company, Jamie and his staff have taken our safety program to a new level with the development and implementation of a new formal written general safety program, fleet safety program and on-site training of supervisors which was completed in conjunction with John Brengosz.”

Anthony Maas
Maas Bros Construction Co.