NYC Trucking Insurance Safety Matters: How to Properly Lift Heavy Loads

It only takes one careless mistake to sustain a serious, long-term injury from improper lifting. Use these tips as helpful guidelines for lifting any size load.

How to Properly Lift Heavy Loads

At work, much of your day is spent lifting, carrying and transporting heavy objects. While in many cases a machine does the grunt work, it only takes one careless mistake to sustain a serious, long-term injury due to improper lifting technique. The following safety tips will give you helpful ergonomic guidelines for lifting any size load.

Before Lifting

• If you are lifting a heavy object from the loading dock to a vehicle, make sure to chock all the wheels.
• Make sure the transition from loading dock to trailer is smooth and any dock levelers can withstand the weight.
• Consider whether you will need a second person or a machine to help you.
• Consider whether the size or shape of the load creates additional challenges.
• Determine if you will have to turn or change direction while carrying the load.
• Find out if the route you will take with the load is clear of obstructions and hazards.

Ground Level Lifting

• Get as close as possible to the load, keeping it against your body.
• Bend from the knees, not the back.
• Get a good grip on the object.

Overhead Lifting

• Stand on a stable surface.
• Take the object off the shelf or support carefully, maintaining your balance.
• Bring the load down to waist level while maintaining control.
• Avoid reaching and lifting simultaneously.

Carrying

• Make sure your path is clear.
• Always walk forward instead of backward on or near loading docks.
• Avoid stairs if possible.
• Have someone else open doors, gates or other closed entries for you.
• Change direction by moving your feet, not your hips.
• Keep shoulders, hips and feet aligned – do not twist at the waist or change direction by moving your hips instead of your feet.
• Set the load down if it becomes too heavy or unstable.

Setting Loads Down

• Bend at your knees, not your waist.
• Set down the corner or edge of the object closest to you first, keeping your fingers out from under the load.

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Trucking Insurance NYC Risk Advisor: CVSA Roadcheck in June

CVSA Roadcheck to Take Place June 4-6

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) annual International Roadcheck will run June 4-6, 2019. During the International Roadcheck, inspectors will conduct the North American Standard Level I Inspection, a 37-step procedure that includes an examination of driver operating requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness. This year’s blitz will place a special emphasis on steering and suspension systems.

Over the 72-hour blitz period, commercial motor vehicle inspectors in jurisdictions throughout North America will conduct assessments of commercial motor vehicles and drivers. Drivers are required to provide their license, Medical Examiner’s Certificate and Skill Performance Evaluation Certificate (if applicable), record of duty status and vehicle inspection reports (if applicable).

If no critical inspection item violations are found during the inspection, a CVSA decal will be applied to the vehicle, indicating that the vehicle successfully passed a decal-eligible inspection conducted by a CVSA-certified inspector.

If an inspector identifies any violations, they may render the driver or vehicle out of service. This means that the driver cannot operate the vehicle until the violations are corrected. To read the official release from the CVSA about this year’s road check, click here.

 

Trucking Insurance: Preventative Maintenance Tips for Drivers

In order to preserve the safety and longevity of a fleet, regular maintenance and inspections are critical. Drivers play a key role in these practices, and their efforts help minimize service interruptions, manage costs for employers and, above all, ensure vehicles are safe for the road. While specific procedures are often part of a larger preventive maintenance program, there are several responsibilities all drivers have when it comes to avoiding costly vehicle breakdowns.

Before and after every trip, drivers should do the following:

• Check all lights and signals, including taillights, headlights, brake lights, high beams, and turn signals. Ensure tires are in good condition. Be sure to check the tire pressure and tread levels.
• Review fluid levels, verifying that engine oil, coolant, transmission, brake, and power steering fluids are at appropriate levels. When it comes to changing fluids, follow manufacturer-provided suggestions.
• Inspect brakes to ensure they are functioning properly. When checking your brakes, listen closely for any grinding noises, as this could indicate a more serious issue.
• Clean the exterior of your truck. This can prevent dirt and debris buildup, which can deteriorate a truck’s paint job or undercarriage over time.
• Test the battery. Examine all belts and hoses in the engine bay. These hoses help direct coolant flow and prevent engines from overheating.

Regular maintenance and inspections can go a long way toward identifying potential issues. Consider establishing a preventive maintenance program for continued fleet safety.

Get a free quote for NYC trucking insurance by calling Enforce Coverage Group at (212) 947-4298 today!

 

Source: Zywave, Inc.

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All You Need to Know about Commercial Auto Insurance

New York Commercial Automobile Insurance: What You Need to Know

New York Commercial Automobile insurance serves as a safeguard against financial hardship in the event of an auto accident and assists in paying for damages if your company vehicle(s) is damaged, starts on fire or is stolen. Every state, with the exception of New Hampshire, requires all drivers to carry liability insurance.

Types of Commercial Auto Insurance Coverage

A basic automobile insurance policy contains the following six types of coverage:

• Bodily injury liability and property damage liability
  • Liability insurance covers the costs of damage that you may do to others, including property damage and bodily harm. It also covers legal fees, if you were the driver who caused the accident.
  • Property damage liability coverage compensates to replace or repair property that you destroy (e.g., other vehicles, fences, buildings).
  • Bodily injury coverage compensates for medical bills and lost wages. It also pays for pain and suffering damages up to your policy limits.
• Collision coverage
  • Pays to repair your own vehicle after an accident.
  • Coverage applies after deductible is met.
• Comprehensive coverage
  • Pays for damages to your car that were not caused by an accident, such as fire, theft, vandalism, natural disasters and hitting an animal.
  • Glass coverage is also covered under this portion of the policy.
  • Coverage applies after deductible is met.
• Medical Payments
  • Medical payments (MedPay) coverage compensates for medical expenses for the driver and his or her passengers as a result of an accident, regardless of who was at fault.
• Personal injury protection and no-fault coverage
  • Personal injury protection (PIP) coverage pays for medical expenses and lost wages for the driver and his or her passengers who are injured in an accident. PIP also covers funeral expenses, and is required in 16 states.
  • No-fault coverage pays for losses, regardless of who was at-fault in the accident.
• Uninsured/underinsured motorists coverage
  • Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage pays for medical bills if you are hit by a driver who does not have automobile insurance or if you are involved in a hit and run accident. This coverage is required in many states.
  • Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage takes effect when you are hit by a driver who does not have enough automobile insurance to cover all of your medical bills. In this circumstance, the at-fault driver’s insurance would pay to its maximum, and then UIM would cover the remainder up to your maximum.
  • In some states, UM and UIM cover property damage.

Business Fleet Insurance Add-ons

There are also several add-ons available to beef up your automobile coverage and ensure that your business vehicles are properly covered:

• Rental reimbursement coverage pays for a rental car if your vehicle is lost or stolen.
• Towing and labor coverage pays for fees as a result of breakdowns.

Gap coverage for new vehicles pays the difference between the actual cash value of the vehicle and the remainder left on a vehicle loan, if the vehicle is totaled.

Enforce Coverage Group understands that your company vehicles need protecting and we are here to help. Please contact us today at (212) 947-4298 to learn more about our automobile insurance solutions.

Source: Zywave Inc.

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Insurance for Fitness Centers & Gyms

Fitness centers are popular destinations for those looking to get in shape, and the owners and operators of these facilities are passionate about helping their members better their health. However, to best serve their members, owners of fitness centers need to address the unique risks associated with their business. The condition of your gym, trainers you hire, the types of equipment you provide, and the fitness classes and services available to your members can all contribute to your exposures. What’s more, potential losses for your business extend well beyond broken exercise equipment or injury concerns, and can even include damaging professional liability claims. The list below provides an overview of these fitness center risks and more—helping you identify potential blind spots in your risk management and insurance programs. Insurance for Fitness Centers & Gyms
	Property exposures exist for fitness centers due to the amount of equipment needed and the hazards associated with them. What’s more, should a fire or other incidents occur, multiple aspects of your facility can be affected (e.g., workout areas, offices and locker rooms). Complicating risks, expensive exercise equipment can break if it’s misused, leading to costly repairs and poor member experience.
	While most trainers you hire may be exemplary employees, they can be a source of serious professional liability. For example, a trainer could encourage a patron to exercise above their ability during a workout, causing serious physical or emotional trauma. In addition, because trainers work closely with their clients, the risk of sexual and other types of harassment increases in fitness facilities. In fact, any negligent act committed by your dieticians, trainers or physical therapists could lead to claims against your business.
	Fitness centers depend on functioning exercise equipment to ensure a thriving facility. In the face of an equipment breakdown, fitness centers can experience business interruptions or even prolonged closures. Specifically, a business’s workout equipment, computers, electronic equipment, and mechanical, electrical and HVAC systems all have the potential to break down, causing major disruptions that can impact your reputation and bottom line.
	Crime can be a challenge for fitness centers. Because locker rooms are designed for privacy, the likelihood of assault, vandalism or theft is high. In this day and age, thieves (including your employees) do not need direct access to cash to steal from you—sensitive information, facility tools, and supplies are all fair game.
	Because patrons of your facility are running, jumping and using heavy equipment in crowded workout areas, liability exposures are vast. While accidents related to slips, trips, and falls are a source of concern for all businesses, fitness centers have to manage a plethora of other hazards. Improper use of exercise equipment and weights can cause broken bones, sprains and other types of injuries. What’s more, spas, pools, rock walls, workout classes, and gym courts have their own set of injury risks you will need to address in order to keep patrons safe.
	As more and more fitness facilities move to online systems for enrollment and class scheduling, cyber exposures will continue to increase. Small businesses are often easier to hack, which means that your customers’ data—their names and addresses—could be a target for cybercriminals. In fact, fitness centers are a common target for cybercriminals, as these businesses often process a high volume of credit and debit card information when enrolling members. In addition, employees who are improperly trained on computer and data safety could put your organization at risk to ransomware, viruses, phishing scams and malware.
	Any time one of your employees is injured on the job, your business could be subjected to expensive workers’ compensation claims. Common sources of on-the-job accidents for fitness centers include slips, trips, falls, musculoskeletal injuries caused by repetitive tasks, sprains, and strains. Normal, everyday tasks related to cleaning pool and locker-room areas or leading fitness classes can lead to accidents and, in turn, increased costs for your business.

For More Information about Fitness Center Workers Comp Insurance & General Liability Coverage

While the proper risk management practices can reduce certain exposures, no system is 100 percent effective in ensuring an incident-free workplace. As a result, it’s all the more crucial to work with a qualified insurance broker to not only assess your exposures but secure the appropriate coverage as well. To learn more about insurance for fitness centers & gyms, contact Enforce Coverage Group today.

 

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Top 10 Ways to Control Your Mod

Your experience modification factor, or mod, is an important component used in calculating your New York workers comp insurance premium. If you can control your mod, you can lower your price — so we’ve gathered top tips to help you impact your bottom line.

 

 

1. Investigate accidents immediately and thoroughly; take corrective action to eliminate hazards and be aware of fraud.
2. Report all claims to your carrier immediately. Alert the carrier to any serious, potentially serious or suspect claims. Frequently monitor the status of the claim and communicate with the adjuster to resolve them as quickly as possible.
3. Take an aggressive approach to provide light duty to all injured employees upon their release from treatment. Supervise light duty employees to ensure their conformance with restrictions.
4. In serious cases that involve lost time, communicate with the claims adjuster to demonstrate your interest in returning the injured employee back to gainful employment.
5. Set safety performance goals for those with supervisory responsibility. Success in achieving safety goals should be used as one measure during performance appraisals.
6. Develop a written safety program, and train employees in their responsibilities for safety. Incorporate a disciplinary policy into the program that holds employees accountable for breaking rules or rewards them for correctly following safety procedures.
7. Frequently communicate with employees, both formally and informally, regarding the importance of safety.
8. Make safety a priority – senior management must be visible in the safety effort and must support improvement.
9. Evaluate accident history and near-misses at least monthly. Look for trends in experience and take corrective action on the worst problems first.
10.  Hire Enforce Coverage Group to ensure success for your New York workers comp insurance coverage.

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Umbrella Insurance for Your Business and Peace of Mind

In a culture where litigation is commonplace, business owners have many more worries than making profits and retaining top employees. If your product injures a consumer, your organization could face a devastating lawsuit, exponential damages and a tainted reputation in the marketplace. To assist with the financial burden of a claim, many business owners purchase commercial umbrella insurance on top of their standard commercial general liability (CGL) insurance policies.

NYC Business Insurance Insights: Umbrella Coverage

Most CGL policies have an aggregate limit that, once exhausted, will not cover any other excess claims. Experienced business professionals understand that the litigious nature of our society combined with surmounting liability judgments are reason enough to purchase additional coverage.

Lawsuits frequently impose multimillion-dollar penalties on businesses—far outside the coverage provided by most CGL policies. As a result, common losses such as vehicle accidents, employment claims, and hazardous substance spills can pose a serious financial threat.

Businesses are also liable for the health and safety of their employees and for their employees’ behavior. For instance, your business could be held liable after your holiday party results in property damage to a rented banquet hall. You may also face litigation if your business office has a carbon monoxide leak that causes a number of employees to get extremely ill. To protect against an unforeseen claim similar to these, commercial umbrella insurance protection is a must.

Purpose of Umbrella Insurance Coverage

Umbrella coverage is designed to protect an organization against monumental liability claims that can demolish a business through a large financial judgment. Typically, an umbrella policy serves the following purposes:

• Provides coverage for potential damages and court defense fees that exceed underlying insurance policies (typically CGL policies).
• Provides coverage in situations that are not covered by underlying insurance policies but are not excluded from the umbrella policy. This benefit is subject to self-insured retention (SIR), similar to a deductible, in which the policyholder is responsible for losses up to the SIR amount.
• Applies to claims where the aggregate limit of the underlying policy has been met. The umbrella policy will cover the portion of the claim that cannot be paid with the underlying policy because there are not enough funds available in the policy to cover the entire claim. For instance, if at the time of a claim your CGL policy has $500,000 remaining and the claim in question is $1.5 million, then the CGL policy will cover $500,000 and then the umbrella policy will cover the remaining $1 million.

Coverage Details for Umbrella Policies

A typical umbrella policy has the following features:

• Offers coverage for worldwide; personal injury; blanket contractual liability protection; care, custody, and control; non-owned aircraft liability; watercraft liability; advertisers liability; liquor law liability; and explosion, collapse, and underground (XCU) liability.
• Offers an extension of insurance protection for additional insureds.
• Policies follow form, meaning they abide by similar provisions and cover similar losses as the underlying policy. If claims are not covered by an underlying policy, the umbrella policy makes the business responsible for the loss if it exceeds SIR limits. The damage must also involve personal injury, property damage or advertising injury.
• The insurer has the right to investigate all claims not covered by any underlying insurance.
• Policies either cover all individuals or cover parties that gain insured status within the contract. Policies also protect an organization’s executive officers, regular employees, directors, and stockholders acting on behalf of the organization. Protection for additional insureds is typically excluded when claims involve motorized vehicles, watercraft, and aircraft.

Beyond these stipulations, a commercial umbrella policy ascertains that an organization must hold an underlying insurance policy during the term of the policy. To learn more about averting your business risks with commercial umbrella insurance, contact Enforce Coverage Group at (212) 947-4298 today.

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E-Liability Insurance: What Are Your Risks?

Internet-related liabilities are present whether your company simply uses email or is actively involved in e-commerce. Do you have the appropriate coverage?  

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Traditional comprehensive commercial general liability (CGL) policies cover many of a business’s typical risks: claims of bodily injury, personal injury, advertising injury and property damage as a result of your products, premises or operation are commonly included. However, the prevalent use of technology in almost all businesses now presents a new set of common business risks that your CGL might not protect against. Some carriers do cover some risks related to e-liability in their CGL policies, but many are avoiding liability by including specific exclusions and requiring endorsements for this coverage.

However, insurance carriers are now offering a selection of products specific to the risks technology presents. Recognizing the ins and outs of each product is key in proper policy selection. That’s where Enforce Coverage Group can assist you, providing the expertise to make sure you have the appropriate coverage and risk management solutions to meet your needs.

Cyber Liability Coverage: e-liability insurance

Cyber liability coverage may include an e-liability insurance comprehensive policy. This policy may cover losses caused by fraudulent modification, accidental alteration or destruction to electronically stored information. In addition, losses caused by malicious copying of trade secrets, extortion and introduction of a virus could be covered.

Media Liability

Media liability addresses the losses associated with libel, slander, and invasion of privacy and infringement of copyrights.

Email Usage Policies & the Internet

Email is an essential business communications tool, but its use can cause complications for your company. Employees often misuse company email accounts for personal matters, potentially landing them and their employer in hot water. As well, employers can be held responsible for whatever actions employees take while using the Internet at work. It’s important to establish an email usage policy and educate employees on the proper use of email and the Internet.

“Employees often misuse company email accounts for personal matters, potentially landing them and their employer in hot water.”

Computer Virus Protection & Stolen Business Data

Defend against loss or damage caused by viruses with specialty computer virus transmission coverage. Unauthorized access and use coverage insure against losses when third-party information is stolen, which is important for any business storing confidential or personal information.

Your company may also be entitled to rehabilitation expenses to re-establish your reputation and market share after a loss. Each carrier’s Internet-related insurance products need to be closely examined to determine what they will and will not cover, and who will pay the defense expenses.

Another detail we oversee is whether the policy itself is a claims-made or an occurrence policy. Claims made policies will only cover losses that are made and reported during that policy period. If this is the case, an extended reporting period (ERP) may need to be negotiated.

E-commerce presents today’s risk managers with new challenges—the information in this brochure only scratches the surface. To ensure the success of your e-commerce initiatives, Enforce Coverage Group recommends a comprehensive risk assessment be conducted to identify potential gaps and appropriate levels of e-liability insurance coverage.

Contact us to further discuss your e-liability and the solutions available to mitigate and transfer your risk.

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About Enforce

Enforce Coverage Group is one of the most experienced property and casualty insurance brokerage firms in the state.

We are proud to have an experienced team of employees serving some of the region’s finest businesses. This team represents the full array of property and casualty insurance carriers. Their knowledge and experience have earned the trust of many small and large firms throughout the area.

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