Industry News
What to Consider When Hiring a Bond Agent
Author, Andy Roberts, Account Executive, Surety Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
With the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, there is $125 billion of federal funds available for procurement. This provides a significant amount of federal construction work which will be put out to bid, with a vast majority of it requiring bonding.
Your Commercial Vehicle May Require a Motor Carrier Permit
Author, Jeremy Hoolihan, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
When a company has vehicles on the road, it’s important to understand all the commercial vehicle requirements in order to stay in compliance.
Cal/OSHA Adopts Revised ETS Through April 2022
Author, Alyssa Burley, Media Communications and Client Services Manager, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
On Thursday, December 16, 2021, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board voted in favor, 6 to 1, of adopting the revised COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). This is the third iteration of the ETS since it originally went into effect in November 2020 and it happens to be the second and final re-adoption that’s allowed.
2022 Construction Dual Wage Thresholds - An Early Look
Author, Kevin Howard, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
There are 16 construction workers’ compensation class code pairs in California, each set up as dual wage classifications. The purpose of these “split” class codes allows the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) and California insurers to better predict future risk and underwrite with more accuracy.
Top Five Workers’ Compensation Claims That Impact a MEP’s Bottom Line
Author, Amber Webb, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
If you are an MEP contractor who wants to impact both your productivity and profitably, then the following is crucial for your success. Our MEP Group at Rancho Mesa understands the importance of identifying the top five workers’ compensation claims that impact your industry while providing pertinent resources to help mitigate that risk.
How Year End Financial Statement Preparation Influences Bonding Programs
Author, Andy Roberts, Account Executive, Surety Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
As a contractor looking to qualify for a contract surety bond program, your team should be aware that company financial statements will be required by underwriters in most cases. This is largely due to the fact that a company’s financials, their balance sheet and an income statement, represent the primary source of information that a surety will use when building a bond program. And, the way this information is presented goes a long way in determining the amount of credit that a bond company is willing to extend. There are a few different options for presenting year-end financials, with the two most common being internal financials and CPA-reviewed financials.
SB 606 Broadens Cal/OSHA’s Enforcement Reach
Author, Sam Brown, Vice President, Human Services Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed into law Senate Bill 606 (SB 606), greatly expanding Cal/OSHA’s enforcement powers and monetary penalty amounts. The new law will take effect January 1, 2022, so California employers have only a few months to tighten their safety practices or face steep monetary fines.
How Improving Equity Impacts Your Bond Program
Author, Andy Roberts, Account Executive, Surety Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
In our current series of articles, we are taking a deeper look into the properties of a balance sheet that will affect a contractor’s bonding capacity. We have previously discussed bonding capacity and summarized working capital in regards to the impact it can have on a contractor’s capacity. However, another very important component on the balance sheet that surety underwriters will consider is net worth, also referred to as equity.
How Increased Material Costs Leave Contractors Underinsured
Author, Sam Clayton, Vice President, Construction Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Over the last 15 months, COVID-19 has brought numerous challenges to the construction industry. Second to only the labor shortage, the most pressing challenge faced by contractors is the spike in material costs which can leave them underinsured if a proper installation floater is not updated.
ANSI Releases New Mobile Elevating Work Platforms Standards
Author, Casey Craig, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Last year, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) updated their aerial lift standard, starting with renaming it Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWP). This has been in the works since 2018 and is designed to align training, certifications, and equipment used on a more universal standard. According to the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), roughly 26 people die from MEWP each year. This prompted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to increase training requirements to keep accidents to a minimum. Obviously, MEWP are essential for completing a wide variety of construction jobs. So, what should you, as a business owner, be doing to ensure your employees are safe and in compliance when OSHA comes by your jobsites?
Cyber Attacks Threaten One-in-Six Firms’ Survival
Author, Sam Brown, Vice President of the Human Services Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The dramatic increase in cyber-attacks since 2020 has resulted in employer pain and made headlines as the economic cost skyrockets. The recent Hiscox Cyber Readiness Report 2021 states that the number of firms attacked rose from 38% to 43%. Not surprisingly, more than 28% of those employers suffered multiple cyber-attacks.
SB 93 Impacts Janitorial Companies’ Hiring Practices
Author, Jeremy Hoolihan, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
As businesses continue moving towards fully reopening, certain California employers will be faced with reemployment or recall requirements, due to Senate Bill 93 (SB 93). SB 93 was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on April 16, 2021. The law requires that covered employers offer their employees who were laid-off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, available employment based on a preference system.
Experience Mod KPI Provides Trend Analysis, Opportunity Assessment, and Vital Management Tools
Author, Drew Garcia, Vice President, Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
In January 2021, we launched the Safety Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Dashboard to provide a tool for our customers to use as a bridge between their experience mod and safety performance.
A Contractor’s Guide to Bonding Capacity
Author, Andy Roberts, Account Executive, Surety Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
For contractors that do a lot of bonded work, their bonding capacity is a critical element of their business. Capacity often determines which projects a company can and cannot pursue, so it is managed very closely. However, for contractors that are new to bonding or have not bonded previously but remain interested in performing bonded work, this is likely a foreign concept to them. So, what is bonding capacity, and what items determine the amount of capacity that a surety carrier is willing to offer?
Implementing an Effective Fall Safety Program Can Have Serious Impacts
Author, Casey Craig, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Year after year, falls are among the leading type of workers’ compensation claims and generate the highest claim costs. They account for multiple infractions on the top 10 most frequently cited standards, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. How can you, as a business owner, control your exposure and keep your employees productive and healthy?
The Construction Risk Management Guide
Author, Daniel Frazee, Executive Vice President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
As a business or firm, you are most likely aware of many risks that come with construction projects. Whether it is meeting the terms of a contract, maintaining employee safety on the job site, or dealing with natural disasters, every project has its own set of hazards. If not managed, these risks can compromise your projects and prove fatal to your bottom line.
How to Choose a Workers’ Compensation Carrier Partner
Author, Dave Garcia, President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Many years ago, when I was a young producer, one workers’ compensation carrier legend pulled me aside and told me never to forget that a workers’ compensation decision is not a one-year decision, but at least a 4-year decision. Of course, policies are only written on a one-year basis but what he was teaching me was that the carrier you choose will handle all the claims you have through your Experience Modification cycle. So, evaluating and recommending a workers’ compensation partner for my clients just became a much more thorough analysis of many critical factors beyond just the premium.
How Rising Pure Premium Rates Will Impact the Tree Care Industry
Author, Rory Anderson, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
In California, each workers’ compensation insurance company has its own set of base rates for each class of business. In order to come up with their base rate for each class code, the insurance carrier applies their Loss Cost Multiplier (LCM) to the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s (WCIRB) pure premium rates.
Bondability Letters – Surety Prequalification for Owners and General Contractors
Author, Matt Gaynor, Director of Surety, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
In the normal process of bidding a construction project, our contractor clients are required to post a 10% bid bond to guarantee that they will execute and deliver a signed contract along with 100% performance and payment bonds, if they are awarded the referenced project. While this is a requirement for public projects, bid bonds have also become more prevalent for certain private projects. By approving the required bid bond, the surety company provides their stamp of approval that they have reviewed the bidding documents and are willing to support the contractor for the specific project.
Builder’s Risk Reporter Form Policy: The Ultimate Time Saver
Author, Kevin Howard, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Builder’s risk policies protect construction materials while they are being stored on a jobsite or have been installed during the course of a project, prior to the completion of the work. These policies are often required by the project owners or developers and provide protection from day one up until the last speck of paint is dry when the project is completed.