Choose the Right Gym

Are you considering joining a health club? Start by visiting the facility and take a tour before signing a contract. With help from your observations and asking a few questions, you can choose the health club that is right for you and your lifestyle.

• Are the staff members friendly and helpful?


• Is the facility clean and well-maintained?


• Does the fitness staff have adequate educational backgrounds and/or accredited fitness certifications?


• Are new members offered an orientation that includes instruction on how to use the equipment?


• Does the club have the right equipment to help you reach your fitness goals?


• Does the club offer a variety of group fitness programs?


• Is the club too crowded at the time you would be working out? And is there adequate parking?


• Is child care available if you need it?

Supply Chain Trends and Business Interruption Risks

While lean manufacturing has become a cornerstone of successful supply chain management and a way for businesses to stay flexible and responsive to changing tastes in their markets, the dependence on suppliers resulting from outsourcing and minimizing stock creates a host of exposures for businesses taking advantage of supply chains.

A key supplier or buyer can be debilitated for a number of reasons: natural (floods, pandemics, earthquakes, severe storms), human (terrorism, civil disorder, electronic security breaches) or technical (power failure, hardware or software viruses). These disruptions are more common than one might imagine.

A survey of corporate risk managers and supply chain risk managers by insurer Zurich Services Corporation revealed that 74 percent of respondents had experienced a supply chain disruption in the last 12 months, and that these interruptions caused approximately 10 percent in lower sales and 11 percent in higher costs. Beyond these direct losses, it is important to consider the lasting damage to your brand and possible loss of market share you could suffer after an interruption in your supply chain or energy supply. Consider the following steps you can take to mitigate your business’s risk:

• Choose suppliers carefully, and conduct regular audits and inspections if possible to ensure that their commitment to business interruption prevention matches yours.


• Work with your broker to understand the extent of your exposure, and create a business interruption worksheet to quantify as accurately as possible the effect these exposures could have on revenue and profit. Re-evaluate it on a regular basis to account for changes in the market or your business model.


• Transfer your risk by purchasing appropriate coverage, which could include business income disruption and other special endorsements specific to your exposures.

Do You Need Workplace Violence Coverage?

The employee shooting at Hartford Distributors in Manchester, Conn., this August serves as a powerful reminder of the prevalent threat of violence in the workplace and of potential holes in standard business coverage. The greatest number of violence incidents occurs in companies that deal with the public, exchange money, deliver goods and services, and operate late at night, but no business is immune. Criminals, disgruntled employees, angry customers or even stalkers can pose threats. Any situation that puts employees under excess stress – from office politics to a romance gone wrong – is a risk.

The costs of an incident can be extensive, especially considering the cost of hiring independent security consultants and public relations experts, payment of benefits and business interruption expenses. Medium- and long-term losses include compensation claims, lost productivity, counseling for employees, extra security and lawsuits.

Employers commonly insure their business against violence using a combination of workers’ compensation, general liability and employment-practices liability coverage. Remaining holes can be filled with specialty workplace violence coverage.
According to a July report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average of 564 people per year were killed at work between 2004 and 2008. The threat of an incident remains a significant concern for all types of businesses. To protect yours, discuss ways of mitigating your risk with the insurance professionals at CLG Insurance.

H1N1 Pandemic has Run its Course

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief recently announced that the H1N1 pandemic is over. Director-General Margaret Chan said the world was lucky that the virus did not mutate into a deadlier form and that the vaccine developed remained effective against it.

Although the threat of an H1N1 pandemic that could have resulted in business interruption or other disruptions has now subsided, the H1N1 virus continues to threaten high-risk groups including pregnant women and the elderly. Flu experts say that influenza viruses have notoriously unpredictable behavior and no two pandemics are alike.

With an eye to the future, it is important that every business consider its plan in the case of a business interruption due to pandemics or other catastrophic events.

Mop Away the Stress

When you’re feeling a little stressed and down in the dumps, just 20 minutes of brisk cleaning can help! According to RealAge.com, cleaning can help reduce symptoms of depression and stress levels by up to 20 percent.

Whether it’s vacuuming, dusting, ironing, organizing clutter, washing the floors or cleaning the kitchen, taking care of messes will help you feel more organized and less stressed in your home. When you take control of messes and clutter in your home, you are, in a way, removing clutter from your life.

And if the thought of cleaning the house stresses you out as it is, RealAge reports that any physical activity of 20 minutes or more can have a similar positive effect. Why? When you increase your physical activity, your stress level decreases – and this has a positive impact on your overall mood.

TV...The Death of You?

According to a study reported by Health.com, watching too much television can actually shorten your life.

The study consisted of 8,800 healthy adults. The findings? People who watched more than four hours of television a day were 80 percent more likely to die from heart disease and 46 percent more likely to die from any cause, compared to those who watched less than two hours per day. Furthermore, each additional hour spent in front of the TV increased the risk of dying from heart disease by 18 percent (and the overall risk of death by 11 percent).

Researchers think that the problem is not the act of viewing television, but more the position one sits in while watching it – leading to muscle inactivity.

Get up and get active during commercial breaks!
If you enjoy television, why not put the treadmill in front of it and walk a couple miles? Or, get up and do stretches, push-ups and/or crunches during commercial breaks. Your body will thank you!

Workplace Injury & Workers' Compensation

Workers’ compensation benefits are a form of insurance that is available to employees who suffer an on-the-job injury or illness. If a physician deems that an employee must take time away from work to recover, then the employee will be reimbursed for lost wages and medical expenses relating to treatment and rehabilitation. The wage reimbursement is typically a percentage of the regular wages earned by the employee.

If you have an on-the-job injury or illness:

1. Notify your supervisor to fill out a report.


2. Seek medical attention to determine your treatment options and the amount of time you must be away from work. Benefits will be paid at a weekly rate specified by the state in which the accident occurred.


3. You may be required to take an Independent Medical Exam conducted by a medical professional other than your treating physician. This is done so insurance carriers and employers can confirm the original diagnosis and treatment plan.


4. Once you, your employer and your treating physician determine that you can get back to a transitional or regular position, normal duties will resume.

Did You Know?
Workman’s compensation (as it was formerly called) was first enacted in Maryland in 1902 to reduce the need for litigation between employees and employers.

Eye Guards: Safe Sight for Sports

Did you know that the majority of childhood eye injuries occur while playing sports? And prescription glasses or sunglasses do not provide adequate protection to your child’s eyes while participating in sports.

It is recommended that you invest in eye guards for your child, and they should fit securely and comfortably. Help find the right eye guards for your child:

• Purchase eye guards at a sports or optical store to be sure they have been tested for sports use.


• Ask your eye care professional to fit your child with prescription eye guards if he or she wears prescription glasses.


• Make sure the lenses are either part of the frame, or if the lenses are separate that they pop outward, away from your child’s face.


• Eye guards may feel uncomfortable for your child at first. Assure your child that this feeling is temporary and will help keep him or her in the game!

Office Ergonomics

The discomfort and pain from slouching at a desk for long periods of time is very common, with one in every three office workers suffering pain at least once a week. If you are working at an ergonomically incorrect workstation and don’t practice proper posture, you can suffer from neck, shoulder, wrist and elbow discomfort.
The key to preventing work-related neck and back injuries is to evaluate your workstation. Make sure it is ergonomically correct and promotes good posture. The following tips can help.

• Adjust the height of your chair so that your feet rest comfortably on the floor. Your knees should be level with your hips, and make sure your seat is not pressing against the back of your knees.


• Keep your spine straight, shoulders back, and abdomen and buttocks pulled in. If your chair doesn’t allow this, consider placing a cushion between the curve of your lower back and the back of the chair.


• Position your monitor 18 to 30 inches from your eyes. The top of your screen should be positioned at eye level or below so you look slightly down at your work.

Employee Wellness Can Benefit Your Bottom Line

Not only is a wellness program beneficial for your employees’ waistlines, researchers now find that wellness initiatives can benefit your company’s bottom line as well. According to Risk and Insurance magazine, U.S. workers are now heavier than ever before. The direct costs of obesity are estimated at $75 billion with an additional $139 billion allocated for indirect costs.

Employers are responsible for $45 billion in medical expenses and excessive absenteeism costs as well. This is on top of workers’ compensation costs, which are typically significantly higher for obese workers than healthy weight individuals.

To assist your employees in getting healthy and consequently reducing their risk of workplace injury or illness consider implementing the following:

• Biometric screenings


• Health coaching


• Telephone and Internet-based health advisor


• Disease management programs with guidance from licensed professionals


• Mental health counseling and benefits


• Educational safety and health seminars


• Offer incentives to employees who reach health-related goals


• Offer monthly safety tips
  

Are We There Yet?

If you’re planning a family vacation, you’re most likely focused on finding accommodations and someone to bring in your mail. But it is important to keep your children in mind; some get anxious about leaving home, even if it’s with family. If your child is uneasy about leaving home, consider these tips:

• If your children are old enough, ask them to help you plan the vacation. They will be pleased they helped and feel excited when their portion of the trip arrives.


• Get your children books, pictures, or brochures about where you are headed if it is an unfamiliar location. Explain why you chose this site and what types of things you plan to do upon arrival.


• Ensure everyone gets a good night’s sleep the night before a trip. It will lessen the stress of the morning rush.


• If you are going on a long road trip, keep your children busy. Bring food, games, books, etc. to keep their minds off the length of the car ride.


• Let your children bring something familiar from home, such as a blanket, stuffed animal, or picture of their friends or pet.


• On the trip, don’t force your children to endure adult-oriented activities such as formal dinners, long museum visits or plays in languages they don’t understand. Stick with trips to the zoo, beach, park or souvenir shop.


• Pack extra food made especially for kids, such as juice boxes, fruit snacks and granola bars. Your children may be picky in certain restaurants.


• If you will be away from home for an extended period of time, allow your children to call their friends or the person who is pet-sitting so that they can hear a familiar voice and find out what is going on back in their world. 

Dangers of Driving Drowsy

We all know that driving while sleepy isn’t smart, but just how dangerous is it? Studies show that driving while sleep deprived can be just as hazardous as driving while intoxicated. Both result in a decrease in alertness, impairing your reaction time. Keep these tips in mind and make it safely to your destination:

• Avoid driving between midnight and 6 a.m. if possible.


• Pull over and stop if you feel sleepy. Even a 20-minute nap can make a difference in your alertness.


• Caffeine may keep you alert, but it is only a temporary solution.


• Avoid making long drives after you’ve lost sleep.


• Above all, call for a ride if you’re too sleepy to drive!

Occupational Fraud and Theft On The Rise

A recent report by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners revealed the breadth and scope as well as emerging trends in occupational fraud across the globe. From Ponzi schemes to data breaches and falsified expense reports, fraud poses a serious threat across all industries. Following is a sampling of the study’s findings.

• It is estimated that the typical organization loses 5 percent of its annual revenue to fraud.


• Small organizations are disproportionately affected by occupational fraud; they often lack the anti-fraud controls of their larger counterparts.


• Surprise audits can be useful in both uncovering fraud and deterring it by creating a perception of detection. Organizations generally rely on audits too much; in fact, external audits were the control mechanism most widely used by fraud victims in the survey.


• Frauds lasted a median of 18 months before detection.


• Executive-level frauds, partially because of their extended detection time, proved to be three times as costly as those committed by managers and nine times those committed by employees.


• Ninety percent of fraud cases were a form of asset misappropriation, with a median loss of $135,000. Rare, but with a median loss of more than $4 million, are financial statement fraud schemes.

Taking steps to prevent occupational fraud through employee education and the institution of fraud reporting mechanisms could save your company serious loss.

Safe Biking Tips

If it's been a while since you last rode your bicycle, and you're going to do it now, here are a few reminders to keep you safe.

Get your bicycle checked and serviced: If your bike has been sitting in the garage all winter, there’s a good chance that it could use a tune-up. Visit a local bike shop and have them check it for you. Many bike shops offer spring servicing specials and can get your brakes, gears and tires in good working condition before you take your first ride.

Visit your doctor: If you haven’t ridden your bike in a few years, it’s a good idea to see your doctor to make sure your health status hasn’t changed and that biking is still a safe form of exercise for you. In most cases your doctor will be supportive, but he/she may have some helpful tips.

Be prepared: If you don’t already have a helmet, now is the time to get one. It can save your life in accident, and there are many styles to fit your individual biking needs. Make sure you’re wearing proper clothing for riding, bring water and dress for the weather.

Practice safety: Before heading off on longer rides, consider riding around in a local park or empty parking lot. This will help you regain your confidence on your bike and consider safe riding techniques. Practice skills like checking for cars, making safe turns, using hand signals, changing gears and stopping suddenly. You will be a safer biker when riding among cars and pedestrians.

Know the rules of the road: There are many ways to avoid having an accident on your bike. When biking remember to:

- Ride with the flow of traffic
- Do not ride on the sidewalk
- Plan your routes to stay on trails, paved road shoulders and bike lanes
- Wear reflective gear
- Check behind and alongside you for turning traffic
- Look for cars turning left across your path
- Watch for gravel, trash or anything that may cause you to fall