Category: Commercial

Workers’ Comp Employer Costs Rose Faster Than Benefit Payments in 2004

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According to a study released in July 2006 by the National Academy of Social Insurance, employer costs for workers’ compensation grew faster than combined cash and medical payments to injured workers in 2004, the most recent year for which data is available. Combined benefit payments for injured workers increased 2.3 percent in 2004 compared to prior year levels, while employer workers’ compensation costs rose by 7.0 percent for the same period.

Combined benefit payments fell by 3 cents for every $100 of covered wages, from $1.16 to $1.13. The chief contributor to this decline was the state of California, where benefits dropped by 10 cents per $100 of covered wages. Nationally, premiums paid for workers’ compensation insurance rose by 3 cents per $100 of covered wages, to $1.76 in 2004. The increase was the smallest annual increase since 2001.

Despite the recent rise in costs, both costs and benefits in 2004 remain far below their peak levels. Total benefits were at their highest in 1992 at $1.68 per $100 of covered wages, 55 cents higher than the 2004 figure. Employer costs were highest in 1990 at $2.18 per $100 of covered wages, 42 cents higher than in 2004.

Since 2000, the rise in benefit payments has resulted from increased spending for medical care. Spending for medical treatment rose from 47 cents in 2000 to 53 cents per $100 of covered wages in 2004. Spending for cash payments to workers remained the same during this period at 60 cents per $100 of wages.

There are specific actions employers can take to curb workers’ compensation costs. The first step is to examine accident records for the past three years. Take each year’s reports and examine as a whole. While reviewing look for specific accident causes and note hazards that should be remedied. You should also be looking for injury repetition and in which department injuries frequently occurred.

The next step is to conduct a physical analysis of the workplace. Utilize your health and safety committee as the catalyst, but be sure workers are also involved. Look for equipment hazards that need replacement or repair. Then search for environmental hazards such as chemical exposures, noise, temperature and ventilation issues.

The third step is to look for task or ergonomic hazards. Request employee input to encourage workers to take ownership of safety in their departments. When workers provide input, make sure actions resulting from their suggestions are documented in health and safety committee minutes and posted on bulletin boards in common areas. If employees do not feel their suggestions matter, they won’t bother to suggest improvements in the future.

What Should You Consider When Shopping for Lawyer’s Professional Liability Insurance?

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Controlling expenses is an important consideration in the management of any law firm, so it isn’t unusual that a firm shopping for liability coverage would take premium rates into consideration. However, even though rates are important, they shouldn’t be the overriding factor in your decision to purchase a particular policy. There are a number of other aspects you should consider to ensure you receive the best coverage for your premium dollar.

The first of these considerations is whether your policy has eroding coverage.  In some liability policies, the coverage limits include defense costs. When you file a claim, the amount of coverage for settling the claim or paying a judgment against you decreases as you incur defense costs. This type of policy is referred to as having defense costs “inside” the policy. There are policies in which the defense costs are “outside” the policy, which means they are not subtracted from the amount of coverage. In some cases, policies with outside defense costs have a cap after which the defense costs are subtracted from coverage limits.

The second consideration is whether the policy deductible includes defense costs. If the deductible is only applied to liability, the insured firm doesn’t have to pay it until there is a settlement/judgment. However, if the deductible includes defense costs, the insured pays as soon as defense expenses begin to mount until the deductible is paid in full.

Another condition that you will want to note is whether your carrier can settle a claim without your consent. Some policies have what is known as a “hammer” clause that prevents the insurance company from settling without the consent of the insured. There is an extenuating circumstance to this clause in that, if the insured refuses to consent, the carrier is only liable for the amount for which it would have settled.

You also need to determine if your policy gives you the right to select your own defense counsel. More than likely, if you are a small firm your carrier will retain the right to choose your defense counsel. This doesn’t mean that you won’t have any input at all. Most insurance companies have a panel of defense attorneys and generally allow the insured to select from this panel. Larger firms can typically select their own counsel but the carrier must approve.

All current Lawyer’s Professional Liability policies are issued as “claims-made” policies, which means that a claim must be made and reported to the carrier within the life of the policy. To prevent coverage gaps if your firm is changing policies, you should select a new policy that has a “prior acts coverage” clause. This will extend your coverage so that any claims that existed before the new policy started will be covered. If you don’t have prior acts coverage, your former claims-made policy will not cover claims that developed after it expired and your firm will be without coverage for those claims.

A number of changes in both federal and state court procedures have made sanctioning more commonplace. The cost to defend your firm against a sanction or to pay the monetary penalty associated with it can be extremely expensive. That’s why you will want to ensure your liability policy provides coverage for these occurrences.

The final consideration is whether the policy requires a new deductible if there are multiple claims made in the same policy year. Some policies only require the deductible to be applied to the first claim made in a given policy year. Other policies treat the deductible on an aggregate basis. The policy will stipulate a specific deductible dollar amount per claim, with a cap on the total deductible dollar amount in the aggregate that the insured will have to pay before coverage begins. If neither of these scenarios is spelled out in your policy, your coverage most likely requires applies deductible for each claim.

Proper Maintenance Can Help Businesses Prevent Weather-Related Slips and Falls

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It’s that time of the year when snow, sleet and ice are a fairly common occurrence in many parts of the country. Such weather conditions pose serious problems for business owners because walkways become slippery and increase the chances for employees and customers to fall.

While you can’t control the elements, you can reduce your liability by staying alert and eliminating hazards that cause falls. One such hazard is the accumulation of ice and snow that results because deicing measures were inadequate or not properly applied.

The first step in effectively deicing a walkway is to choose the correct treatment. When selecting chemicals to melt ice, keep the following points in mind:

  • Rock salt is the most common method and the least expensive of the ice-melting chemicals. It is easy to find and can melt snow and ice until the temperature drops below 20є F. Rock salt, however, also releases a large amount of chloride when it dissolves. This chloride can pollute streams, rivers and lakes and kill vegetation. It also causes metal to corrode.
  • Calcium chloride is a deicing agent that is manufactured in small, round, white pellets. It melts snow and ice even when the temperature falls below 0є F. It is much less toxic to plants than rock salt, but it can still damage them if applied too heavily.Calcium chloride can corrode concrete.
  • Potassium chloride is a deicing chemical that doesn’t irritate skin or harm vegetation. However, it only melts ice when temperatures remain above 15є F. It must be combined with other chemicals to melt ice at lower temperatures.
  • Magnesium chloride melts snow and ice until the temperature drops below -13є F. It releases nearly 40 percent less chloride into the environment than either rock salt or calcium chloride. It is also less damaging to concrete surfaces and is less toxic to plants, trees and shrubs.

Once you have selected your deicing agent, follow these tips from the Iowa Transportation Center at Iowa State University to be sure you maintain an ice and snow-free walkway:

  • Apply deicing chemicals before a storm and remove snow/ice during and after the storm. Use plenty of deicing materials. Using too little will leave patches of ice.
  • Aim for evaporation. If the water can drain and there is full sun or even reasonable wind, the ice will evaporate. Dry pavement is a clear indication there is no ice.
  • Use a friction additive. Sand is the most popular because it’s inexpensive. Use enough to ensure that anyone walking on the surface has enough traction.
  • Check and treat surfaces every morning, especially around snow piles where melting may have created new problem areas. Reevaluate during the day and re-treat as needed.
  • Remember that a clean-looking surface is only “safe” if it is dry. A wet surface can quickly become icy in the shade or overnight.
  • Train those responsible for safety procedures how to safely maintain walkway surfaces during icy/snowy weather.

Third Party Coverage Is a Key Coverage of Employment Practices Liability Insurance

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The purpose of third-party coverage in an Employment Practices Liability (EPLI) policy is to protect an organization and its employees from accusations of wrongful acts committed against customers, clients, vendors, and suppliers. Some EPLI policies also cover wrongful acts committed by third parties against the insured’s employees.

Harassment and all forms of discrimination are covered under wrongful acts. Discrimination claims include discriminatory practices against a person based on their race, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, pregnancy or sexual orientation. Harassment involves unwanted sexual advances or requests for sexual favors. Both verbal and physical conduct, as well as other forms of harassment that create a hostile or offensive work environment, are covered. Some policies also cover accusations of mental anguish, emotional distress, humiliation and assault.

If your organization has a lot of interaction with the public, it is especially vulnerable to third-party claims like those described above. In some cases, EPLI carriers may not provide third-party coverage to firms with a high potential for claims. What they might offer instead is limited coverage, such as covering accusations of discrimination, but not harassment claims.

To protect your organization from third-party claims, you need to go beyond just purchasing coverage. You must implement policies and procedures that address discrimination and harassment issues, both from the standpoint of an employee’s actions and the actions of third parties. EPLI insurers are increasingly requiring employers to implement these practices before they will issue a policy.

Having policies in place will offer little help to stop third-party claims if employees aren’t adequately trained. New employee orientation programs should include a presentation outlining the organization’s harassment/discrimination policies. The training must also include how to report and handle a third-party claim. However, hearing the information once is not enough to insure compliance. Employees must be periodically retrained through departmental meetings. To maintain the effectiveness of departmental training sessions, be sure that supervisors are provided with copies of all policy updates and procedural changes.

One important caveat to keep in mind is that most EPLI policies don’t provide third-party coverage for accusations involving the violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Nevertheless, you should review your EPLI policy’s definition of a claim to determine the policy’s interpretation. Many policies define a claim as a “demand for monetary damages.” This definition can present a problem in an ADA claim, because many of these claims are asking for reasonable accommodations, not monetary awards. That’s why it is important to ensure that your policy’s definition of a claim includes claims for non-monetary damages. A policy with this expanded definition will cover defense costs and indemnity connected with an ADA claim, but will not provide the funds to bring your organization into compliance with the provisions of the law.

Federal Rules Governing Civil Litigation Require Businesses to Keep Better Tabs on e-Documents

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New rules, which took effect on December 1, 2006, require U.S. companies to keep better track of their employees’ e-mails, instant messages and other electronic documents in the event the companies are sued. These new rules are part of amendments to federal guidelines governing civil litigation and were approved by the Supreme Court in April 2006 after a five-year review.

Under the new rules, a company that is party to federal litigation must produce electronically stored information as part of discovery. This is the process by which both sides share evidence before a trial. Federal and state courts have already been requiring such evidence in individual cases. The new rules now make the production of such evidence mandatory for companies involved in federal lawsuits. Furthermore, any information technology employee who copies over a backup computer tape once a lawsuit has been filed could be accused of committing “virtual shredding.” Companies are still permitted to purge databases if the information they contain isn’t relevant to pending cases or cases the company anticipates being a party to in the future. However, sectors, such as financial services, remain subject to the data-retention rules they have always followed. In-house attorneys and IT staff will have to work together to ensure routine erasing of backup data doesn’t present legal issues. Lawyers must also know where company data is stored.

Many large companies are unaware of the data they have on hand, which makes them unprepared if sued. Because they lack a real knowledge of what data they house and where it is located, these companies are more likely to settle lawsuits to avoid the costs associated with electronic discovery. Better organization of the data will lower these costs and enable companies to avoid settling.

On the other hand, large companies are likely to face higher costs from organizing their data. The new rules make it necessary for companies to know about items more difficult to track, like work-related digital photos on employee cell phones and information on removable memory cards. As a result, firms that help businesses track and search their electronic data are experiencing a huge surge in new business.

Most legal experts agree that it isn’t a question of companies changing how they keep electronic files, but rather a question of having a more complete knowledge of where documents are stored. The new rules also provide more direction as to how electronic evidence is to be handled in federal litigation. This includes guidelines on how companies can be exempted from providing data that isn’t reasonably accessible, which could lessen the burden of electronic discovery.

More Workers’ Compensation Claims Made As the Result of Work-Related Traffic Accidents

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According to the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, both on- and off-the-job motor vehicle crashes cost employers $60 billion annually from 1998 through 2000. The problem is so widespread, that in a recent study, the National Council on Compensation Insurance Inc (NCCI) noted that traffic accidents are the leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States. The study also said that workers’ compensation claims resulting from motor vehicle accidents are more severe than the average claim. Although they make up approximately 2 percent of all claims, they account for more than 5.5 percent of all losses because they cover a disproportionate share of the most severe claim types.

While workers’ compensation claims from motor vehicle accidents are growing, their frequency is declining but at a slower pace than for workers’ compensation claims in general. There are some other important characteristics about these claims that the NCCI noted in its study:

 

  • They almost always involve time lost from work.
  • Neck injuries are the most frequent diagnoses in these claims.
  • The average duration for a motor vehicle claim is 70 percent longer than for other types of claims.
  • They are three times as likely to involve a claimant attorney as compared to other types of claims.

 

The leading cause of these claims is a traffic accident that happened because the driver became distracted. The study revealed that almost 80 percent of the crashes and 65 percent of the near crashes resulted from the driver becoming distracted within three seconds of the event. The chief causes of the distraction were drowsiness and cell phone use.

The researchers had some specific suggestions regarding the steps employers can take to reduce the frequency and severity of these claims:

 

  • Encourage your employees to use seat belts – Failure to use seat belts cost employers roughly $2.1 billion yearly from work-related crashes between 1998-2000.
  • Be sure your employees never drive under the influence of alcohol – During 1998-2000, work-related crashes that resulted from drivers being intoxicated cost employers $3.1 billion annually.
  • Encourage employees to take defensive driving courses – These courses teach drivers how to react during an emergency so as to lessen the severity of the accident or avoid it all together.
  • Provide internal driver’s education courses – Teach employees good driving practices like pre-planning the trip route, realistically estimating how long the trip will take, being sure the vehicle is in good condition before hitting the road, and informing colleagues about travel plans.