April 2023 has been designated as Distracted Driver Awareness Month by the National Safety Council (NSC). This event is intended to raise awareness and implementation of safe driving practices to decrease the number of on-the-road-related injuries and fatalities. Safety is everyone’s responsibility! According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, distracted driving refers to…
Cal/OSHA’s draft standard for indoor heat illness is expected to be published on March 31, 2023. It is expected that the formal publication will be followed by a 45-day comment period, which will likely culminate with the Cal/OSHA Standards Board meeting on May 18th. Pending since 2016 when SB 1167 was signed in September of 2016, priority on the development of the standard was overcome by…
The American Ladder Institute has designated March 2023 as National Ladder Safety Month. This event is intended to raise awareness of ladder safety and decrease the number of ladder-related injuries and fatalities. Safety is everyone’s responsibility! According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, thousands of ladder-related injuries occur in the workplace every year. Workplace…
Cal/OSHA issued a recent news release announcing citations for companies that failed to protect employees from hazards pertaining to confined spaces. While none of the businesses in the release were specifically agriculture businesses, the citation provides a reminder to agriculture businesses to take action to properly train employees and account for confined space hazards. Generally…
June has been designated as National Safety Month by the National Safety Council. This event is intended to increase awareness of workplace safety topics and reinforce our collaborative responsibility to keep each other safe. Safety is everyone’s responsibility! Starting on June 1st, there will be a four-part weekly series in the Spotlight newsletter following the topics designated for…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering virtual workshops on Nov. 15 and Dec. 13, 2022 about the latest improvements to the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) and the Micro Farm insurance options. These insurance options are available to specialty crop, organic, urban and direct market producers. Recent updates to these insurance offerings include: Doubling the ...
For many commercial fleets, driver and public safety is a top priority, and organizations often take great care to prevent costly and potentially deadly accidents. While a number of factors can lead to a crash, distracted driving is a common, preventable cause of accidents. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicates that ...
In a bulletin issued April 20, 2022, the FBI warns the agriculture sector that cybersecurity threats against the agriculture sector – in particular ransomware – may increase during critical planting and harvest seasons. Cyber attacks such as data breaches and ransomware can result in devastating disruption and damage. As a result, cyber liability insurance has become ...
Millions of injuries occur in the workplace every year. Musculoskeletal injuries, including sprains, strains, and tears to muscles and connective tissues, are some of the most common injuries workers experience. Injuries within this classification can result from lifting injuries, being struck by objects, or even a simple misstep. Sprains occur when a ligament is stretched ...
Injury and illness prevention programs, or written safety programs, are the cornerstone of an effective workplace safety program. For these programs to be successful tools in preventing workplace injuries, they should include the systematic identification, evaluation and prevention or control of workplace- and task-specific hazards. When implemented effectively, workplaces experience significant…
Although injuries resulting from slips, trips and falls are often easily preventable, they still occur frequently; these types of accidents can cause serious pain: everything from cuts and bruises to head injuries, back injuries, broken bones, sprains, and strains. There are many ways businesses can protect workers against slips, trips, and falls everywhere from the ...
An Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP), also referred to as a written safety program, provides a written description of the programs and policies an employer has put into place to provide a safe work environment for its employees. Successful implementation of a safety program requires commitment from all levels within an organization to place a ...
Cal/OSHA is reminding all employers to protect outdoor workers from heat illness as excessive heat watches have been issued throughout California. The temperature is forecast to exceed 105 degrees in northern and inland parts of the state this week including areas around Sacramento, Fresno and the eastern parts of the Bay Area. In 2005, under Gov. ...
Cal/OSHA is reminding all employers to protect outdoor workers from heat illness as excessive heat watches have been issued in many areas around California. The temperature is forecast to reach or exceed 110 degrees this week through September 5 including in areas around Sacramento, Fresno, San Bernardino, Riverside and Imperial County. Excessive heat watches are also ...
By Ken Cooper, WGIS Director of Risk Strategy As of January 2017, insurers are now required to report all claims to the California Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB). These include claims for which any medical care is provided and medical costs are incurred, including those involving first aid treatment, even if the insurer did ...
By Ken Cooper Workers’ compensation insurance is too often thought of as a generic commodity; a mandatory purchase that is simply part of the cost of doing business, with little to differentiate one program from another. The truth is that a workers’ comp policy is just one of many tools for mitigating the financial risks ...
Did you know the injury rate for agricultural workers is more than 40 percent higher than the rate for all workers? This shocking statistic comes straight from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration and should be one that both business owners and employees remember. Workplace injuries not only affect workers physically, but they can also ...
By Ken Cooper In January 2020, Western Growers Insurance Services formally launched the Connected Worker Program, which monitors body mechanics in order to improve safety practices, develop injury prevention methods, and reinforce awareness of safety and a positive safety culture. Both businesses and the regulatory community are adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the connected ...