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In April 2010, an oil drilling rig owned and operated by Transocean...ter chemicals, etc.), the pollution liability exposure is not limited only to ...

If you held your last fire or emergency evacuation drill more than six months ago, it's time to think about staging another. Careful planning and evaluation can help you get the most out of these exercises, enhancing your employee's chances of a safe evacuation. Bear in mind that unannounced drills give you an idea of how workers might actually react in an emergency situation. On the other hand, announcing drills offer them the opportunity to prepare for and practice specific skill sets they would need. Before a fire emergency arises, workers need to know: How to activate the appropriate alarm system(s). How and when to contact the fire department. What to do before they evacuate—such as shutting down equipment. Their role in the evacuation. For example, they might need to assist disabled co-workers, help contractors or visitors on the premises, bring essential items such as visitor logs that can be used to verify that everyone is out of the building, provide first aid for injured co-workers, or act to prevent or minimize hazardous chemical releases. How to evacuate their work area by at least two routes. The locations of stairwells (workers should not use elevators to evacuate). Places to avoid - such as hazardous materials storage areas. Assembly points outside the building. After the drill, evaluate the exercise to determine which problems need addressing. Ask such questions as:

When an emergency (anything from an explosion to workplace violence) strikes your business, taking the wrong action can result in confusion, damage, injury -- or even death. That's why it's vital to have a comprehensive plan for dealing with different types of mishaps. For example, in the event of a tornado, you'd want to have your workers sheltered in a safe place inside your facility. On the other hand, in a fire, you want them to be able to flee the building quickly and safely. The type of building might be a factor in your decision. Most modern factories and office buildings have steel frames, which means they might be more sound structurally than small business premises. However, a major earthquake or explosion will affect nearly every type of structure; some buildings will collapse, while others will be left with weakened roofs, walls, or floors. Consider both emergency situations that would require evacuation and those that would indicate the need to stay put, and plan accordingly. For example, what would happen if a part of your facility caught fire? Suppose there were severe flooding in your immediate area? How would you respond to a chemical spill? What would you do if an ex-employee with a gun was threatening your workers? Certain natural disasters, such as windstorms or large-scale chemical or biological releases outside your facility call for "sheltering-in-place" (selecting an interior room or rooms, normally with no or few windows, and taking refuge there). In many cases, local authorities will issue advice to shelter-in-place via TV or radio. Designate a safe haven, or havens, inside your building for employees until the danger has passed. Hold shelter-in-place drills, as well as evacuation drills. If any employees need to stay behind in an emergency so that they can shut down certain equipment or perform other duties, your action plan should set out detailed procedures for them. Make sure that these workers are able to recognize when to abandon the operation or task and evacuate before their exit path is blocked. To learn more about designing and implementing an emergency action plan for your business, please feel free to get in touch with us at any time. We're here to help you protect your business from risk.

You know the drill after an auto crash, heart stopping panic, and then, especially if there’s major damage or a serious injury, exchanging names, addresses and insurance information with the other driver. Easy, right? However, if the other driver refuses to provide these particulars (or you’re so shaken that you forget to ask for them), you could end up in serious financial, or even legal, trouble. Dan Young, Senior Vice President of Insurance Relations for CARSTAR warns, “[After an accident] sometimes drivers just don't do what they’re supposed to do." To make sure you’re prepared for such a mishap, follow these guidelines: Remain at the scene. Although state laws differ, failure to exchange information or notify police can lead to a hit-and-run charge or loss of your license. Keep a “cheat sheet” in your glove compartment about what to ask after an accident. Use your cellphone to take a photo of the other vehicle, (preferably showing its license plate) as visual proof of the incident. Write down details. As soon as you and your vehicle are out of traffic and harm's way, record the date and time, location, make and model of the cars and actions or statements by the other driver. Ask any bystanders or eyewitnesses for their names and contact information. In the meantime, review your auto policy to make sure that you carry: 1) collision coverage, which will pay for repairing your car and providing a replacement vehicle, if needed and 2) uninsured/underinsured motorists insurance (UM/UIM), which will cover damages for injuries caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver. For more information, feel free to get in touch with our agency

Playing outside isn't just for kids. It has tons of benefits for adults. One of the unexpected ones may be that it can lead to lower life insurance rates. It's not always easy to make yourself go outside and exercise, but knowing that the effort can keep you healthy and save you money can be enough for you get off the couch. The more fun you have exercising, the better the results will be. Benefits of Exercise Exercise burns calories and improves your health. Since life insurance rates are based on your health risk factors, regular physical activity can help lower your life insurance rates. These are some of the benefits of exercise. * Lower risk for heart disease and stroke. * Lower blood pressure. * Lower blood sugar levels and risk for diabetes. * Stronger bones. * Better mood. * Clearer mind. Make a Commitment to Exercise Set aside some time to exercise most days of the week. Aim for 30 to 60 minutes, but even 10 minutes is better than nothing. The trick is to find some activities that you love, and any activity that is fun and gets you moving is a good choice. These are some options. * Walk, jog, bike, swim laps, or hike. * Join a local sports league. On the days your league doesn't meet, train for your sport by doing drills, lifting weights, and getting in some cardio. * Take Zumba, boot camp or kickboxing in the park. * Go surfing. Take Advantage of Your Kids! If you have children, they're probably a significant reason why you have life insurance in the first place. Why not use them to help you get in shape? They'll keep you laughing while you exercise. * Play Tag, Follow the Leader, or Hide-and-Seek with younger children. * Play catch, shoot hoops, or kick a soccer ball with older children. * Walk around the field at your children's sports practices, and run to chase any stray balls. Everyone can find an activity that they love as long as they keep searching for it. Keeping yourself in shape will give you more energy and can keep your life insurance rates down.

There are many reasons why your company needs a business continuity plan. Having a strategy – before an event happens – helps to maximize the chance your business can recover while minimizing the loss of property, life and assets. Developing your business continuity plan should be a thoughtful process resulting in a plan that can be beneficial to you if an event occurs. Start by assembling a team of key decision-makers who will lead your continuity planning efforts. Senior management, team leaders and anyone with in-depth knowledge about business operations should be included. Four Steps to Developing an Effective Business Continuity Plan Identify threats or risks Understanding the risks that could leave employees, customers, vendors, property and operations vulnerable is fundamental. Threats can include, but are not limited to natural disasters, malicious attacks, power outages and system failures. Identify the risks most likely to occur based on historical, geographical, organizational and other factors. Then weigh the probability of each event against its potential impact to your business, as well as your readiness to respond. Conduct a business impact analysis Identify the people, places, providers, processes and programs critical to the survival of your business. What functions and resources, if interrupted or lost, could impact your ability to provide goods and services or meet regulatory requirements? Consider who and what is absolutely necessary to restore critical operations. Then prioritize the need to restore each item after the event. Plan to use limited resources wisely. Complementary functions can always be restored later. Adopt controls for prevention and mitigation Prevention and mitigation planning and activities are intended to help prevent an event (such as a fire or explosion from unsafe conditions) as well as to reduce the impact or severity of an event (such as relocating critical equipment to a higher elevation in flood-susceptible areas). Your prevention and mitigation plans should address, among other things, emergency response, public relations, resource management, and employee communications. Test, exercise and improve your plan routinely A business continuity plan is an evolving strategy that should adapt to your company’s ever-changing needs. Test and update it regularly – yearly at a minimum – or any time critical functions, facilities, suppliers or personnel change. Train employees to understand their role in executing the plan, too. Exercises can include discussions or hypothetical walk-throughs of scenarios to live drills or simulations. The key is to ensure the plan works as intended.

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