Industry News
Automobile Rental Reimbursement for Tree Care Companies
Author, Rory Anderson, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
A tree care company’s auto fleet includes specialty vehicles like bucket and box trucks. These vehicles are important assets for the company and critical for completing jobs. Getting into an auto accident is already stressful, but what can add more grief is if the vehicle that gets damaged is vital for your business. In this case, you will be looking to rent a replacement vehicle during the repair window so that your business can maintain productivity and profitability. With this in mind, rental reimbursement coverage helps cover the rental cost incurred while your vehicle is repaired after a covered loss.
Three Changes to Your Routine That Increases Safety
Author, Greg Garcia, Account Executive, Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Every landscape company wants to be safe. So, I want to discuss three ways to improve safety in your workplace starting today: routine equipment maintenance, personal protective equipment (PPE) checks, and finally, assessing job site hazards.
Work-Related Automobile Accidents and Their Correlation With Workers’ Compensation Claims
Author, Kevin Howard, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
In California, motor vehicle accidents are among the leading cause of severe injuries on a daily basis. From a risk management perspective, a company’s fleet safety program has a primary goal of keeping employees safe while driving which lowers the amount of annual auto premiums paid.
OSHA Proposes to Expand Electronic Form Submission Requirements
Author, Lauren Stumpf, Media Communications & Client Services Specialist, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently released a proposed rule that would increase electronic reporting requirements for businesses summiting OSHA logs.
Cal/OSHA Releases Final COVID-19 ETS
Author, Alyssa Burley, Media Communications and Client Services Manager, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
On Wednesday, April 6, 2022, Cal/OSHA released its third and final version of its COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that was approved by the Standards Board at its April 21, 2022 meeting. The revised standard is expected to remain in effect from May 6, 2022 through December 31, 2022.
Is Your Business Safe From a Business Email Compromise Claim?
Author, Jeremy Hoolihan, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Cybercrimes are at an all-time high. News sources report cybercrimes almost on a daily basis with most of the press relating to company breaches and cyber extortion. However, one of the biggest cyber threats that is often overlooked is Business Email Compromise (BEC).
Surety Industry Forced to Innovate
Author, Andy Roberts, Account Executive, Surety Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Rarely are the words surety and technology advancement synonymous, and that’s because it’s hard to introduce advancements to an industry where so many obligees still require raised seals and wet signatures on the bonds they are receiving. However, due to some challenges that bond companies, insurance agencies and obligees have faced during the pandemic, the industry is being forced to innovate.
WCIRB Proposes Expected Loss Rate Decrease for Landscape Industry
Author, Drew Garcia, Vice President, Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) has proposed a 2% decrease (from $2.42 to $2.37) in the expected loss rate for the landscape class code 0042.
Wearable Technology Is the Future of Jobsite Safety
Author, Sam Clayton, Vice President, Construction Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
The future is here and construction companies are starting to adopt wearable technology for their workers to reduce and prevent injuries from occurring on their jobsites. Wearable technology can be defined as any device that construction workers wear on his/her body. Since the construction industry accounts for nearly half of all fatal work injuries, this new type of personal protective equipment (PPE) is going to look radically different in the years ahead and should reduce both fatal and non-fatal injuries on jobsites worldwide. Below is an overview of five technologies in use today or soon to be in use in the near future.
Actual Impact of Auto Claims to Your Bottom Line?
Author, Dave Garcia, President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
In two previous articles/podcasts, we explored “below the surface” impacts from payroll inflation and lost time workers’ compensation claims. We provided detail on how these can negatively impact a business’s productivity and profitability and what companies can do to mitigate those impacts. Today, let’s look at another area where you need a keen awareness to really understand all the impacts.
Is Now the Time for a Performance-Based Insurance Program?
Author, Dave Garcia, President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
In the three preceding articles in this series, we took a deep dive into some areas where a business’s productivity and profitability could be impacted by various factors emerging in the insurance marketplace. In the course of those articles, we also examined some tools, strategies and ideas that a company might implement to help manage and mitigate those impacts. Today, we will look at a way to exert the most control over your insurance program and premium outcome through performance-based insurance programs.
How Higher Average Pay Can Lead to Work Comp Savings
Author, Casey Craig, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Wage thresholds have increased consistently in the past decade. This has pushed owners to give sizable raises every few years to maximize employee compensation, but also reducing insurance cost. The experience modification (MOD) and payrolls are key factors in developing a company’s net rates for workers’ compensation, but average wage per hour represents a big differentiator for most carriers and can lead to even more savings.
Construction Law and the Future of the Industry With Carlin Law Group
Rancho Mesa's Director of Surety Matt Gaynor interviewed Kevin Carlin of Carlin Law Group on Wednesday, March 23, 2022 to learn about his background, where he started his law career, and current hot topic’s in the construction industry. Kevin is a well-respected construction attorney here in Southern California who represents a number of Rancho Mesa clients.
Preventing Stress Claims
Author, Jack Marrs, Associate Account Executive, Human Services Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Specializing in non-profit insurance has opened my eyes to how difficult it is for some non-profit employees to deal with the stress related to their jobs. It’s the nature of the work. Helping people through difficult situations can be rewarding for an employee, but it can also be emotionally draining when they become invested in their clients to the point where it can lead to burnout.
Signing Up for Safety
Author, Greg Garcia, Account Executive, Landscape Group, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
There are many tips, ideas, and systems involved in creating a safe culture in the landscape industry. The most common practice landscape companies implement with regards to safety are regular safety meetings.
Understanding the DART and TCIR Calculations
Author, Lauren Stumpf, Media Communications and Client Services Specialist, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
When a project owner asks you to provide the company’s DART or TCIR rate, it may seem a little overwhelming at first. But, the two numbers are really a score that can be used to compare contractors’ safety history. These numbers can be important during the bidding process when comparing multiple bids and could be a determining factor for who is awarded the contract.
Artisans Captive – Risk Control Workshop Recap
Author, Amber Webb, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
On January 20th and 21st of 2022, Captive Resources hosted the Artisans Captive Risk Control Workshop at The US Grant in San Diego, CA. The workshop was intended for all Artisans’ risk and/or safety mangers, human resources, claims managers, supervisors, owners, brokers and any others who wished to attend.
Nonprofits Insurance Alliance® Discusses Their Mission
On February 8th, 2022 Sam Brown, Vice President of Human Services Group, welcomed Nonprofits Insurance Alliance® (NIA) founder, president, and CEO Pamela E. Davis to Rancho Mesa’s StudioOne® podcast. Pamela shared how she turned a graduate school project and a vision for insuring nonprofits into $250 million in written premium. Sam and Pamela discuss how a nonprofit specialist broker serves clients, and how NIA provides cost-saving tools tailored for nonprofit leaders and brokers.
How is Payroll Inflation Impacting Your Workers' Compensation Premium?
Author, Dave Garcia, President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
Inflation is rampant everywhere from consumer goods like groceries and gasoline to increased housing costs to labor. Today, I want to talk with you about the specific impact that payroll inflation is having on the workers’ compensation marketplace and ultimately on your premium cost.
What is the True Cost of a Lost Time Workers’ Compensation Claim?
Author, Dave Garcia, President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.
There are many insurance professionals that have tried to quantify the real cost of indemnity or lost time claims, using multipliers anywhere from 2 to 4 times the claim amount in an effort to determine what the real cost of a claim will be to a company. While this may be true, it remains subjective to many. Let me help you understand the ways this type of claim will impact you and then you can decide the real impact to your business.