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Natural disasters can do significant damage to construction firms. Some suffer direct hits, while others endure massive service demands and shortages of help and supplies. Although you might escape massive destruction and distress, what other events might cause your company to suffer a crisis? IT failure? Burglary or vandalism? Professional liability? Fire? Loss of market? Whether disaster strikes as a catastrophic or stressful disruption, the best way to prepare for them is crisis management. Now is the time to develop a plan that will allow you and your staff to mobilize the right resources in the right order quickly to get you up and running as smoothly as possible. How do you develop such a plan? What's the process? Who should you include? How often should you review and update it? We can help by providing risk management advice and recommendations, together with materials and resources tailored to your needs and exposures. Although insurance might not solve all your post-crisis problems, it can certainly provide a solid foundation for your planning should the worst happen. Don't wait for a crisis to uncover the gaps in your current preparations. Start now.

Hurricane Sandy, tornadoes, flood -- all of these disasters affected construction firms during the past year. Some companies took direct hits, while others suffered from massive service demands, and shortages of help and supplies. Although your business might never face such massive "destruction and distress," other events --everything from IT failure to vandalism -- could trigger a crisis. Whether it's a catastrophe or a stressful disruption, the best way to prepare for any potential disaster is to develop a catastrophe plan in advance. This plan should allow your staff to mobilize the right resources quickly in the right order so you can get up and running with as many contingencies as possible accounted for in advance. How do you go about developing a plan? What's the process? Who should you include? How often should you review and update it? An effective plan should involve a "business resumption team" with managers from these areas: Information technology Communications, both internal and external Moves and relocations Services and logistics Salvage and security Customer service Before a crisis erupts, the team will determine what activities to follow, assign responsibilities for these tasks, and provide the resources and information needed. When compiled and organized, these activities, responsibilities, resources, and information make up the disaster plan. Don't wait for a crisis to uncover the gaps in your preparations. Get started now on creating and/or updating your plan. Feel free to give us a call so we can offer our advice and recommendations. Insurance might not solve all your crisis planning problems, but it can provide a solid foundation.

By now, employers should all realize and understand that sexual harassment is illegal. However, what employers might not be aware of is that the U.S. Supreme Court issued two rulings in June of 1998 that expanded what is termed sexual harassment; expanded the responsibility that employers have to provide a work environment that's non-hostile; and did away with harassed employees having to prove that their company holds some responsibility or that their career suffered from lack of promotion, firing, demotion, or such. Employers are now directly responsible for employee behavior, thereby giving harassed employees more recourse in bringing about legal actions against employers. Work-related harassment and discrimination cases have been climbing steadily since the Civil Rights Act of 1991 allowed for trial by jury, compensatory damages, and punitive damages in legal cases involving discrimination. In fact, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the amount of annual employment harassment and discrimination cases being filed grew by more than 13% between 1997 and 2009. Any employer that's ever been involved in a sexual harassment suit can attest that the cost to settle or defend a sexual harassment lawsuit can be jaw dropping. The average award for damages in these types of lawsuits is around $650,000, and that isn't even including the secondary cost from workplace disruption, bad publicity, and those involved in the suit being absent from work. What Constitutes Sexual Harassment? The first step in protection is understanding what is defined as sexual harassment. State and federal law prohibits behavior that involves an employee in authority basing professional expectations or decisions regarding a subordinate employee being willing or unwilling to exchange sexual acts. The following are examples of such behavior: Altering expectations of job performance when a subordinate repeatedly refuses advances for a date or sexual encounter. A superior demanding sexual acts in order for a subordinate to receive a raise or promotion. Disciplinary action, including termination, of a subordinate that refuses sexual advances or ends an existing romantic relationship. However, sexual harassment doesn't always involve a subordinate/authority figure relationship. An offender can be anyone from a coworker to a customer or business vendor. The offender can be male or female, as can the victim. Furthermore, the victim doesn't even need to be the employee actually harassed. Anyone that's affected by the harassing or offensive behavior can be termed a victim; for example, an employee that overhears two other employees discussing a taboo subject. The two employees directly involved might not be offended, but if the overhearing employee is offended, then it can constitute sexual harassment. Verbal, visual, physical, or written behavior that causes another employee to view the work environment as hostile, are unwanted, or focus on the sexuality or gender of another person may constitute as sexual harassment. Specific examples of such would be teasing, suggestive objects or pictures being displayed, and repetitively requesting sexual acts or dates verbally or in writing. Protection with Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI). After knowing what constitutes sexual harassment, businesses can further financially protect themselves with Employment Practices Liability insurance (EPLI). This is an insurance to protect employers when an employee makes the claim that their legal rights have been violated. Although policies vary, EPLI generally doesn't cover criminal or civil penalties and punitive damages. EPLI does generally cover settlements, judgments, and incurred legal costs arising from an array of incidences - wrongful termination, employment contract breaches, employment and promotion failures, wrongful disciplinary actions, wrongful emotional distress infliction, negligent employee evaluations, employee benefit plan mismanagement, discrimination, and sexual harassment. Coverage is specific. So, before purchasing a policy, decide who should be covered. For example, should full and part-time employees, contracted persons, supervisors, department heads, subsidiaries, company divisions, and so forth be covered or not? One other note about EPLI is that it's mandatory for employers to report incidents within a reasonable amount of time. Some policies might feature an ERP (extended reporting period) or prior acts. The length, cost, and availability vary by carrier. Purchasing EPLI has been challenging for small companies in the past. However, the 2004 rate increases have somewhat plateaued. Some rates have even decreased. Keep in mind that EPLI cost is figured based on the business type, employee numbers, and past lawsuits associated with the business. Prevention of Harassment Lawsuits. Prevention is the cornerstone in decreasing the risk of a sexual harassment lawsuit. Prevention steps include the following key elements: If the business has EPLI, any incident should be reported immediately. Create, communicate, and enforce a zero-tolerance policy for workplace sexual harassment. Have an effective harassment complaint process in place and take immediate, consistent, and appropriate action when a complaint is made. Thoroughly document all complaints and the following investigation and actions.

We advise boaters to take necessary precautions to be safe during the summer season, the time of year when boat accident claims increase in frequency, according to an analysis of claims incidence at Travelers, a leading provider of boat and yacht insurance. “Substantially more people are on the water during the summer, so that is the time boaters should be extra careful to protect their family, friends and watercraft from a loss,” said Tony Scurich of Scurich Insurance.  “It’s also a good time to review your boat and yacht insurance with an independent agent to be sure you have adequate coverage.” We recommend the following boat safety tips: Wear a life jacket:  80 percent of drowning victims were not wearing a PFD (Personal Flotation Device) or life jacket.  Most states require that children under a certain age wear a life jacket and that every boat be equipped with one life jacket per passenger. Take a boating course:  Even if your state does not mandate the completion of a boating course prior to obtaining your boating license, both you and your passengers will benefit from a formalized course.  To learn more about boating safety classes, visit http://cgaux.org/boatinged. Schedule a vessel safety check:  The Coast Guard auxiliary offers free safety checks.  For more information, visit www.vesselsafetycheck.org/getvsc or http://www.uscgboating.org/default.aspx. Equip your boat with an emergency kit and be familiar with how to use each of the items.  Travelers recommends including the following:  fire extinguisher, first aid kit, visual distress signal and/or a Coast Guard-approved throwable PFD, such as a life ring or a horseshoe.  Organize an emergency plan and make sure that passengers are familiar with it.  Remember to test equipment and be knowledgeable of the suggested guidelines for usage and replacement. Be prepared for the weather:  Check the weather forecast before going on the water and be equipped for changes. Know where you are:  The Coast Guard recommends having charts, a GPS (Global Positioning System) and a reliable means of communication on board. Know how to contact the Coast Guard:  Marine radio is the preferred method to communicate on the water because it broadcasts to other boaters in the vicinity.  If using a cell phone on the water, test it for a maritime emergency by dialing *CG (*24).  There is no charge or penalty for calling to test the signal. Do not drink and drive:  According to the Coast Guard, a boat operator with a blood alcohol level of .10 percent is 10 times more likely to be killed in a boating accident than a boat operator with a blood alcohol level of zero.  Operating a boat while drinking is illegal in several states.  Remember that the effects of alcohol are exacerbated when combined with sun exposure and being on the water. Established in 1924, Scurich Insurance is an independent insurance agency offering a full range of insurance products including Auto, Home, Life, and more…  Scurich Insurance is a member of [ASSOCIATIONS] and supports [LOCAL CHARITIES OR ORGANIZATIONS]. For information and quotes on insurance coverage, please visit Scurich Insurance at 320 East Lake Avenue, Watsonville, CA 95077-1170 or call (831)-722-3541. About Travelers The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV) is a leading provider of property casualty insurance for auto, home and business.  The company’s diverse business lines offer its global customers a wide range of coverage sold primarily through independent agents and brokers. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Travelers has operations in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Ireland. For more information, visit www.travelers.com.