Responding to the significant increase in H-2A usage throughout the agricultural industry, Western Growers has created new insurance options for employers who use the temporary ag labor program. The new insurance solution covers risks specifically associated with the use of the H-2A temporary ag program. “Western Growers is one of the few organizations that offers ...
A recent hepatitis A outbreak claimed nearly 20 lives in California. Western Growers wants to assure members that there are insurance solutions that can protect food and ag-related businesses when a contamination event occurs. Hepatitis A—which can be transmitted by contaminated food or from person to person, among other ways—can result in tremendous financial loss ...
Western Growers (WG) is pleased to announce the recent hire of Drew Triplett, who will join the Insurance Services team as Vice President of Operations. Triplett will be responsible for developing innovative processes and models that integrate cutting-edge technologies to help WG further provide tailored insurance solutions for clients. Additionally, Triplett will plan, direct and ...
Wildfires recently raged throughout California, causing damage to crops and agriculture-related industries. While there are many types of risk protection available, there are two coverages not commonly referenced during a wildfire crisis: Crop Insurance and Weather Risk options. Crop Insurance has the ability to protect the remaining crop as long as the fire (or fires) ...
The importance of food safety took center stage today at the Almond Alliance Conference during the “Food Safety: Surveying the Legal Risk Landscape” session, sponsored by Western Growers Insurance Services (WGIS). During the session, Faegre Baker Daniels Attorney Rachael D. Spiegel provided a detailed overview of the Food Safety Modernization Act and foodborne illness litigation. ...
Western Growers welcomes Peter Mehta, Peter Vlahos and Preeti Nangia to our Insurance Services team. Peter Mehta will be serving as our new Employee Benefits Regional Sales Director in our Fresno office, working with our new and established Valley-based sub-brokers. After earning his bachelor’s degree in business at Fresno State University, Peter began working for ...
The California Occupational Safety & Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) regulation Title 8 CCR Section 3400 specifies that first-aid supplies must be made available to all employees on every job. In paragraph (c) of this standard, it further states that a physician must approve the contents of a first-aid kit in the workplace, but does not go ...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Form 300A logs work-related injuries and illnesses occurring in the prior calendar year. All eligible employers are required to maintain and post an annual OSHA 300A summary sheet from February 1 to April 30. February 1, 2019, marks the deadline for you to tabulate your annual OSHA Log Summary ...
Health care costs in the United States have risen sharply over the past two decades. In fact, a study by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that U.S. health care spending increased by nearly $1 trillion from 1996 to 2015. As the average premiums for single coverage and for family coverage continue to ...
As prescription drug costs continue to increase, it is important for employers to understand the trends behind prescription drug costs and what they can do to better manage their health care expenses. In 2019, the United States was projected to spend over $500 billion on prescription drugs, by some estimates—12 times more than the $40.3 ...
As this week marks National Fire Prevention Week, Western Growers Insurance Services urges all members to revisit their respective fire safety programs and promote fire prevention awareness among employees. Employers are responsible for providing safe and healthy workplaces for their employees. Some activities to consider conducting during National Fire Prevention Week include: Inspect and test…
The clock continues to tick and the reporting requirements associated with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are just around the corner. You may be ahead of the curve and already have your solutions in place. Or, you may still be asking questions and trying to gain clarity. Questions we have heard from customers include: I ...
Costs from a product recall or contamination can easily cripple even the most conscientious organizations. Western Growers Insurance Services is working hard to reduce the exposure of your brand and balance sheet to losses due to a contamination event. With the significant increase in product recalls (especially in the food industry) in the past few ...
From an insurance perspective, a fire is a fire. However, not all food contamination and recall events are the same. Recall-related situations can be as simple as first-party business losses where only the insured is affected, or as complicated as holding the supply chain responsible for third-party losses due to product refusal in the marketplace. ...
The employee benefits renewal season is upon us and many of our members are evaluating their current benefits options. As always, one of the key questions is: how does their plan positively improve the lives of their employees and their families, with what sort of financial impact on the bottom line of their business? Western ...
“FDA, CDC, and state health authorities are investigating an outbreak of illnesses caused by E. coli O157:H7 in the U.S.” Despite the U.S. fresh produce industry having implemented the most scientifically-informed and rigorous food safety practices in the world, this is a refrain that has become all too familiar in recent years. The romaine industry ...
Over the past five years, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of meeting and working with a number of our members. As president of Western Growers Insurance Services, I’ve also been able to fully immerse myself in the capabilities of our association and its resources. As a result of this combined experience, we’ve managed to leverage ...
Change. It requires confidence. It requires trust and most importantly, a solid plan of action that propels you forward. We know this because we have changed. Western Growers Insurance Services has evolved into an organization of insurance experts that recognize the need for change. The need to embrace innovation, technological advances, and transformational shifts in ...
Most of our members tend to think about cyber liability in the traditional sense of “personal information of my customers and employees.” Because they don’t sell directly to the consumer, or have a limited number of employees, they don’t see any exposure. Cyber risk has evolved well beyond this narrow definition of privacy liability. Some ...
By Jeff Gullickson, President of Western Growers Insurance Services Conversing with several members of Western Growers about their business operations, there is a common understanding that long-term personal relationships with current brokers are difficult to break. We agreed there is no expectation to leave such a relationship based simply on a Western Growers affiliation. However, ...