2015 Spring Newsletter

 
 
 

President's


MESSAGE

To remain successful over the long haul Paul Hanson Partners has continually evaluated the marketplace while remaining true to its core values. With 2015 well underway, we have taken to the chalkboard to re-examine what we do with an eye to the emerging needs of our customers.

At our core we are in the insurance business focusing on transportation. Our primary mission has remained the same � to be a trusted partner and resource to this niche of the industry while using our expertise to focus on trends and the shifting needs of our customers.

We hope to utilize this edition of our newsletter to not only bring value to our customers but to cover the diverse segments of the moving and storage industry.

We understand that our brokers and customers are interested in everything from underwriting to hot topics. In this edition we will be reviewing new Cyber and Business Identity coverages available for small to mid-size business, new OSHA requirements, technicalities of your shipping documents, and carrier loss control information to help prepare your fleet for the upcoming busy summer months.

As I noted earlier, our goal remains the same: to be the trusted source of industry knowledge. We continue to challenge ourselves on how we can be even more connected and bring our customers and brokers more value as they navigate the evolving world of transportation.

Lisa R. Paul, CPCU
President, CEO
Paul Hanson Partners
  Lisa Paul


 
 
  Issues that
MATTER

Employers will now be required to report all work-related fatalities within 8 hours and all in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, or loss of an eye within 24 hours of finding out about the incident.

Previously, employers were only required to report all workplace fatalities or when three or more workers were hospitalized in the same incident.
These updated reporting requirements were enacted to enable employers and workers to prevent future injuries by identifying and eliminating the most serious workplace hazards.

The requirement to complete the OSHA 300 and 300a form have not changed. The 300 form logs a businesses work-related injuries during the year and the 300a is the summary that must be posted from February 1st to April 30th.

What have changed are the incidents that need to be reported directly to OSHA very promptly.

Beginning January 1, 2015, employers must report direct to OSHA the following:
  • All work-related fatalities within 8 hours
  • All in-patient hospitalizations, amputations or loss of an eye within 24 hours of learning about it.

To file the report, businesses can call their local OSHA Area Office or the 24-hour hotline at 1-800-321-6742. OSHA is also developing a method to report on-line that should be available shortly. The information they need will be the following:

  • Establishment name
  • Location and time of the work-related incident
  • Type of reportable event (i.e. fatality, amputation, etc.)
  • Number of employees who suffered the event
  • Names of those employees
  • Contact person and his or her phone number
  • Brief description of the incident

Businesses are not required to report an event if it is the result of a motor vehicle accident on a public roadway (unless it occurred in a construction work zone) or if the hospitalizations due to a heart attack or if it is just for observation.

These changes are serious. Failure to follow these procedures could result in fines. It also re-enforces the reason why we need to be OSHA Compliant.

Certain areas of the country the state OSHA requirements are already ahead of the Federal OSHA requirements. For example, California was ahead of the curve and had most of the new Federal requirements already incorporated into the Cal OSHA regulations. For state specific requirements remember to look to a local OSHA consultant or go to the state website.

If you would like to read more please visit our newsletter and announcements page on our website.

 
 
  Underwriting
CORNER

Criminals are finding many ways to steal a business�s identity, often manipulating and falsifying business filings and records. Their goal is to defraud a business�s creditors and suppliers, financial institutions, business' owners and officers, unsuspecting consumers and even the government.

Just as companies invest in workplace safety, sophisticated companies also will invest in strong cyber security.

Mover�s Choice has written two briefings on this topic:

Cyber Insurance is in the spotlight with the U.S. Senate as well. There have been three hearings exploring the growing cybersecurity risk and the coverage, challenges, and opportunities.

Watch all three hearings here:

  1. Building a More Secure Cyber Future: Examining Private Sector Experience with the NIST Framework,� examined the federal National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)�s partnership with the private sector to improve critical infrastructure cybersecurity.
  2. Getting It Right on Data Breach and Notification Legislation in the
    114thCongress,
    � provided the Committee with more information to assist its efforts in drafting a federal data breach bill.
  3. Examining the Evolving Cyber Insurance Marketplace.� The hearing
    explored the growing cybersecurity risk insurance market and heard from experts about coverage, challenges, and opportunities in the industry and the impact on cybersecurity.


 
 
  Claims
CORNER

Everyone associated with the moving process should be well-versed in the significant distinctions between those two terms so that they can advise shippers about what is, and what isn�t, provided in the cost of a move.

There are a couple of basics to keep in mind when describing valuation options to a customer:

  • Rule #1: Don�t Use the �I� Word
  • Rule #2: Don�t Use Terms Associated with the �I� Word
  • Rule #3: Make Sure Shipping Documents are Consistent With Rules 1 and 2

To learn more about the Do�s & Don�ts please read the full whitepaper article written by Gregg Garfinkel on our website. Gregg S. Garfinkel is a partner with Nemecek & Cole in Sherman Oaks. His practice focuses on the defense of motor carriers and warehouseman.

He can be reached at [email protected].


 
 
  Special
BULLETINS

Memorial Day is just around the corner and it is the calendar date that typically marks the beginning of the moving industry�s �busy season�. According to the American Moving and Storage Association, 11 to 13 percent of all moves occur during the summer months, compared to eight percent or less in non-summer months.

With so many Americans and their goods on the move, the influx of activity creates opportunity to be prepared in advance. Our carrier partners have great loss control topics that focus on getting back to basics: Inspection of Automobiles, Vans, and Light Trucks and Basic Driving Practices.

 
 
Behind the
SCENES

Our employees are passionate about their jobs and committed to delivering excellence, please help us welcome our newest team members. We�re not all work though, we also like to have fun and laugh together. Here are some behind the scenes shots of our Spring Fling Disc Golf outing.

Yolanda Ybarra
Customer Service Representative

 

Saniya Rangi
Claims Assistant

 
  Connect with
PAUL HANSON PARTNERS


Mailing Address: P.O. Box 5990 Napa, CA 94581
Physical Address: 1319 First Street, Napa, CA 94559
Toll Free: (800) 852-1968
Fax: (707) 252-5905