Automatic Drug and Alcohol Tests for Injured Employees Can Hurt Your Business

Imagine two accident scenarios. In the first, a construction worker falls off a ladder from 12 feet up and breaks his ankle. His employer has a policy requiring drug and alcohol testing for all workers who suffer work-related injuries that are likely to result in workers' compensation claims. Can the employer legally do that? If it can, is it a good idea?

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Better Never Than Late When It Comes to Reporting Claims

Jacqueline Butler did not receive a promotion from the Texas law firm where she worked, and she suspected that her race had something to do with it. In July 2001, she filed complaints with the Texas human rights commission and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC notified the employer, who responded a month later. The following spring, the EEOC informed Butler that she had the right to sue the employer, which she promptly did. In turn, the employer made a claim with the company that provided its employment practices liability insurance. Four weeks later, the insurance company denied the claim; the employer had no choice but to pay for its own legal defense and any potential settlement. In 2006, the employer sued the insurance company for the costs of its defense, but a federal court in 2007 upheld the claim denial.
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What Coverage Do You Get Under a Contractor's Equipment Policy?

Contractor's equipment insurance is an essential part of any construction firm's insurance program. Commercial property insurance covers a business's personal property while it is at a location listed on the policy, but it does not cover property that moves among different locations. Business automobile insurance does insure property that moves around, but it does not cover "mobile equipment" -- property such as bulldozers, loaders, digging equipment, and power tools that the business uses off its own premises. Power tools may cost only a few hundred dollars, but large pieces like backhoes and excavators may be worth tens of thousands of dollars. To properly insure such property, the firm needs contractor's equipment insurance.
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Laptop Lockdown: Safeguard Your Company's Laptops

According to the FBI, there were 221,009 laptops reported stolen from 2008 through 2009. As an increasing number of business men and women are traveling with laptops in tow each year, this already high number is likely to keep rising. Statistics show that the most popular targets for laptop thieves are office buildings, airports, hotel rooms and cars.
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Save on Workers' Compensation Costs By Keeping Losses Low

In 2008, U.S. employers reported 3.7 million nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While this number was down from the prior year, it still shows that workplace safety must be a priority for employers. When workers get hurt or sick on the job, productivity suffers, the employer becomes less attractive to the other employees, and managers' attention shifts away from growing the business. Preventable accidents also hurt the bottom line in another way -- they eventually raise workers' compensation costs by increasing the employer's experience modification factor.
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When Does Your Insurance Company Have to Defend You in Court?

Commercial general liability insurance pays for lawsuit settlements or court judgments that an organization would otherwise have to pay for certain types of harm others suffer. These include bodily injuries, property damage, advertising injuries, and personal injuries such as violations of privacy. Another benefit of this insurance, however, can be just as valuable or even more so: coverage for the cost of legal defense.
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Plan Now for the Disaster That Will Hit Your Business

Disaster can strike a business in a multitude of ways. Businesses located near the coast from Texas to Maine are highly susceptible to hurricane damage. Fires and explosions can devastate buildings regardless of where they're located. A building need not be the target of a terrorist attack to feel its effects, as many business owners discovered after the September 11 attacks. After a catastrophic event, evaluating the damage to the facilities quickly and accurately is essential for both insurance recovery purposes and for getting back into operation as soon as possible.
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To Improve Risk Management, Treat the Problem, Not the Symptoms

According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 969 construction workers suffered fatal injuries while on the job in 2008, almost one-fifth of all U.S. workplace fatalities that year. Another 314,000 workers suffered non-fatal injuries. When four construction workers die every weekday because they showed up for work, it is clear that the industry needs to improve its safety practices. Too often, however, companies take measures that treat the symptoms of the problem but not the problem itself.
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Use Behavior Modification Techniques to Instill Proper Safety Procedures

A key step to successfully implementing any new workplace program is to gain complete acceptance by employees. That means not only must everyone on the job accept the changes, they must truly embrace them for the changes to really take hold. The best way to achieve that kind of commitment is to make the changes a part of your corporate culture. Mostly everyone would agree that no program is more important to make a part of your culture than a safety program.
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The Pros and Cons of Employee Leasing

Employee leasing firms earned $68 billion in gross revenues in 2008, according to the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations. Their clients, primarily small businesses with fewer than 20 employees, outsource to leasing firms the responsibilities for payroll administration, employee benefits, workers' compensation claim management, human resource management, and related operations. Businesses trying to reduce costs and focus on growth may find employee leasing to be an attractive option. It is an option, however, that comes with advantages and disadvantages for both employer and employee.
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