Industry News
Revised 2022 COVID-19 Prevention Program Template Now Available
Author, Alyssa Burley, Media Communications and Client Services Manager, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Rancho Mesa has revised its written COVID-19 Prevention Program Template based on the Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) adopted by California’s Department of Industrial Relations Occupational Safety & Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) in December 2021 and effective as of January 14, 2022.
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.
2022 Workers' Compensation Expectations for CA Landscape Industry
Rancho Mesa's Alyssa Burley and Drew Garcia, Vice President of the Landscape Group set the stage for insurance expectations in 2022.
The Field Guide to Navigating Your Insurance in 2022
Author, Dave Garcia, President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
As a business owner preparing for 2022, what areas of insurable risk should cause you the biggest concerns? During the 2021 year, we experienced a hardening insurance market. All lines of insurance were negatively impacted as a result of the catastrophic events we experienced such as wildfires, flooding, hurricanes, and the emergence of COVID-19. Large national and worldwide crises like these caused underwriting losses in the billions of dollars to both front line insurers and reinsurers.
Wage Inflation’s Impact On Workers’ Compensation
Author, Casey Craig, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Following up on a great article by fellow construction team member Kevin Howard, about anticipated wage threshold increases coming in 2022, I wanted to highlight the building problems resulting from substantial hourly wage increases.
Timely Reporting of Workers’ Compensation Claims Lower Overall Costs
Author, Jack Marrs, Associate Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Leading into 2022, it is important for employers to examine their workplace injury reporting practices. Specifically, employers should report all injuries including medical-only workplace injuries to their workers’ compensation insurance company. Best practices dictate all claims should be reported within the first 24 hours in order to improve treatment to the injured worker and reduce the overall cost of the claim to the employer.
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.
Understanding Single and Aggregate Surety Bond Limits
Author, Matt Gaynor, Director of Surety, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
When we work with the bonding carriers on surety credit programs for our contractor customers, we traditionally put into place single and aggregate bond limits. This provides our contractor clients certain parameters when they are considering a maximum project size for bonding purposes.
A Deep Dive into Workers’ Comp Claims in the Landscape Industry
Author, Greg Garcia, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Workers’ compensation premiums typically represent one of the largest overhead expenses for landscape companies. Premium costs are driven by the number and severity of claims a company has had over a five-year period. Thus, fewer claims often equate to a lower premium paid for workers’ compensation insurance.
OSHA Issues ETS Addressing Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination or Testing
Author, Sam Clayton, Vice President, Construction Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a new emergency temporary standard (ETS) to protect more than 84 million workers from the spread of the coronavirus on the job.
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 Janitorial Firms Can Avoid OSHA Fines
Author, Jeremy Hoolihan, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Avoiding government standards in the janitorial industry can be costly in the event of an unexpected OSHA visit or after a serious injury. In an industry that generally has lean profit margins, OSHA fines could be detrimental to the stability of the business. Knowing the most common OSHA violations and protecting your business from them can help insulate your organization from costly fines while also keeping your company safe. Here are five of the most common OSHA violations in the janitorial industry and strategies to avoid potential fines.
Premium Cost Per Vehicle Continues to Increase for Landscape Professionals
Author, Drew Garcia, Vice President, Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Commercial auto premiums for landscape companies continue seeing heavy increases, and there is no end in sight.
Pure Premium and How It Impacts Your Company
Author, Casey Craig, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) is an agency that compiles essential data annually which determines how your Experience MOD is impacted.. These factors establish the baseline average MOD of 1.00 for California companies that produce enough payroll and premium to qualify within the guidelines. These factors can change year to year and represent a key rate trend indicator for all policyholders.
ADR Workers' Compensation Programs Reduce Litigation
Author, Sam Clayton, Vice President, Construction Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Workers’ compensation rates have fallen steadily over the last ten years, but businesses in California still pay the highest rates in the country. In addition, California has the highest frequency of permanent disability clams, the highest medical cost per claim and the highest litigation rates per claim.
Surety Keith Clements from Tokio Marine HCC
Author, Alyssa Burley, Media Communications and Client Services Manager, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Rancho Mesa's Director of Surety Matt Gaynor interviewed Vice President of Tokio Marine HCC Surety, Keith Clements on Wednesday, September 15, 2021 to learn about his background, his role with Tokio Marine HCC and how the company fits into the surety marketplace.
Best Practice Controls for Solar Contractors
Author, Kevin Howard, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
As we continually build broad and competitive insurance programs for solar contractors in southern California, we recently interviewed a Senior Underwriter from a national workers’ compensation carrier in an effort to learn best practice controls for these types of risks. To our delight, this underwriter provided the top five controls their team looks for while reviewing a submission to quote. Having these controls in place can show an underwriter that your company deserves the best possible pricing available in the insurance marketplace…
Performance-Based Workers’ Compensation Programs – Are Retros In Your Future?
Author, Dave Garcia, President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
In the past, we explored performance-based workers’ compensation programs. These plans can create a competitive advantage and an opportunity to monetize your company’s insurance program.