Tag Archives: safety

Safety is priority number 1 for all employers. This keeps employees happy that their well-being is important to their superior, and it keeps the employers out of costly workers comp claims, settlements, and lawsuits.

National Safety Stand-Down Week Announced ( With INFOGRAPHIC)

OSHA recently announced that the National Safety Stand-Down Week will take place September 14-18, 2020. This week is to recognize fall dangers, and, in general, work-site safety. Fall-related injuries continue to be the number one leader in deaths and injuries in the construction industry. Over ⅓ of workplace deaths in construction were due to falls in 2018. Here are a few ways to “celebrate” the tradition.

If you’d still like more information on job site safety or need help with risk management, contact one of our Risk Advisors today or call 914-357-8444.

Safety Meetings: Advice and Tips

Safety meetings are common in the workplace, and will be almost necessary once normal work resumes post covid-19. The problem that arises from safety meetings is that sometimes they are inefficient. They are too long, planned at the wrong times, and/or not executed correctly. There are 4 simple steps to correctly have a safety meeting in a normal work setting.

Step 1: Prepare and Plan

This is the first part when setting up a safety meeting. Know who will be attending, who will be leading the safety meeting, location, etc. Making sure everyone that needs to be at the meeting is informed and reminded in proper time. Have a general outline of the main goal/statement you want your employees to hear. From there, you can create the safety meeting around that information.
The worst thing for a safety meeting is to show unpreparedness with nothing but as a topic for your safety meeting and ramble. No one is given helpful information. Employees feel you have wasted their time and morale lowers. Make sure you plan ahead.

Step 2: Timing your Safety Meetings

How long your meeting will last and what time and day the meeting occurs is crucial. Picking a time when employees are most attentive is best. That happens to be at the start of the work day/shift.
The day is also important. Mondays seems to be when employees are most tired and least focused. Friday seems to be when workers are out the most and their mind is not fully focused on work.
Routine is the last part that is important to plan. Planning for a safety meeting one Tuesday is perfectly fine. We do not suggest you plan your next meeting next Thursday. Have a routine time and day. Once a month, every other week, or something along those lines is perfect.
Wait until 4 and the only thing on your workers’ mind is what bar has a happy hour. Try the first Wednesday of every month at 9:30.

Step 3: Delivery in your Safety Meetings

Let’s face it, your employees are most likely doing something more important. They want to get back to work to meet deadlines. The safety meeting should be a routine quick “check-up” on guidelines. For us, quick may be 15-20 minutes, 30 at the max.

Don’t just read off a piece of paper. Have some slides or graphics ready! People are more attentive when they can visually see the information. That can include images, facts, or important statements.

Allow for employees to ask 5 minutes worth of questions. How do you know what you said made complete sense to them? If they have questions, make sure to give them the floor.

Step 4: Following Up After the Safety Meeting

Try and get some interaction with your audience either at the end of some of your meetings or through a reply email. Your employees are the ones who witnessed the safety meeting. They have the best opinions on whether or not it was executed well. Try asking a question on how to improve.

Also follow-up to make sure they understood the message. Possibly leaving an email with a “quiz question” attached to answer in a sentence. These are a few ways to engage with your audience.

 

Still have a question? Consult a risk advisor today at 914-357-8444 or visit us here at our website

Returning To The Office During COVID-19

Returning to the office has proven to be challenging for employers. Organizations of all sizes are struggling to determine which employee health screenings they can execute without infringing on their employees’ rights. From scheduled questionnaires to employee temperature checks, employers are working hard to adapt to this new normal.

Employee health screenings need to be voluntary. Hourly employees should be considered on the clock if they are waiting in line for testing and while the test is being administered. If an employee is sent home because they are ill they should be paid for the time out of work, if possible. If the employee refuses to take the test or respond to the survey, it is within your rights as an employer to send them home without pay. 


Temperature Checks

Before COVID-19, temperature checks were considered to be a part of a medical exam. Employers need to follow the following rules to ensure that employee health screenings are minimally invasive and confidential. 

Health screenings are voluntary but a necessary way for employers to best protect the entire workforce. Reassure your employees that these screenings are completely private and confidential.  If your business does not have an on-site nurse, determine which employee will be responsible for taking the other employees’ temperatures. 

Employees should be considered on the clock while waiting in line for and while the test is being administered. If an employee is sent home ill they should be paid for the time out of work if possible. If the employee refuses to take the test, it is within your rights as an employer to send them home without pay. 

Additional Safety Measures 

Cloth-Face Masks 

Cloth Face masks are not appropriate substitutes for workers who must wear N94 respiratory masks or medical/surgical face masks. A cloth face mask should cover the nose and mouth to contain the wearer’s potentially infectious respiratory droplets. Cloth face masks will not protect the wearer from airborne transmissible infectious agents due to their lack of seal or inadequate filtration.  (Click here to view the CDC Recommendations for Masks and Cloth Face Coverings

Provide employees with guidelines of when they can and cannot take off their masks. For example, some office employees may not be required to wear their mask at their desks, but do need to wear them in common areas while food service employees  may be required to wear their masks their entire shifts. Make sure to express these guidelines and requirements to your employees. Address any concerns they may have regarding the new policy. Post these new guidelines and rules throughout the business in places where employees can see them. 

 

Keeping a minimum 6-ft distance between workers

Employees should keep a minimum of 6 ft away (two arms lengths away) from each other. Workspaces should allow employees to sit a comfortable distance away from other employees. If needed, consider rearranging the workspace and adding additional protective barriers for employees. Businesses considering to reopen should consult the “Reopening the workplace during a pandemic” decision chart released by the CDC. 

 

Keep Common Areas and Surfaces Clean 

While returning to your office space, be aware of how often you’re cleaning. You might be questioning if you’re cleaning enough. Wiping down shared areas multiple times a day with the proper cleaning products is one way to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. 

  • Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes common areas, tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
  • If these surfaces appear to be dirty, wash them with soap and water before using chemical disinfectants. The EPA released this list of common household disinfectants that will help prevent the spread of COVID-19 

 

Still want more info on how to carefully reopen your business in a Post-COVID19 world? Contact A Risk Advisor at 914-357-8444.

Ransomware and other cyber security threats – what you can do.

The recent outbreak of the Wannacry ransomware brought renewed attention to the importance of a well-crafted cybersecurity strategy.  Every company should have a strategy in place regardless of its size.  If you don’t have one yet, there is no time like the present to begin.  We previously published an article detailing some key-focus points that should be addressed when developing an organizational-wide cybersecurity strategy.

In this article, we drill down into a handful of steps that can be taken now to begin securing your company’s network and data.  This is not meant to be an all-encompassing guide.  This is only a starting point.   These steps should already be familiar for those that have already implemented a cybersecurity plan.  However, the most comprehensive plans are worthless if they are not being executed.

 

1. Make sure all OS & software updates/patches have been applied.

Microsoft and other software developers such as Adobe and Oracle release updates and patches on a regular basis to improve usability and, more importantly, address security issues.  Secure your computer systems by taking the time to install these updates.  Turn on automatic updates whenever possible.  Set reminders for yourself to check for and install any updates and patches.  If you forget once, it is easier to forget again and before you know it months have gone by.

If you are running a PC with a version of Windows earlier than 10, be sure to install any updates and then run the tool to check for available updates again.  In many cases, certain updates will not be available until other updates have already been installed.

2. Migrate to a Current Operating System.

Organizations are keeping their existing computers longer than they once did.  There can be any number of reasons for this – the computers are “fast enough” to serve the needs of the company, the cost to replace the machines may be too high, or perhaps you need them to support a piece of legacy software that cannot run on new computers.  These are all valid reasons but as an OS matures fewer security patches are issued.  Eventually, the developer will cease all support.  Most newer operating systems will run on older hardware.  However, if your hardware cannot support the latest operating system, it may be time for an upgrade as well.

3. Install Antivirus Software.

This should be a no brainer.  Many people think they’ll never be a target for an attack and as such don’t bother.  For those of you out there thinking you’re “too small” to be a target, here is a sobering statistic: 85% of targets are small businesses.  Do your research.  There are some good options out there, many of which are free.   Make sure protection is installed on all computers.  Run scans on a regular basis.  Check for and install updates on a regular basis.  Antivirus software cannot do its job if it doesn’t know what to protect you from.

4. Password Administration.

More than 50% of people use the same password for all of their logins. Remembering one password is far easier than having a different one for each and every service.  This makes compromising access to your corporate systems much easier.  Employees should be required to use complex passwords. You can also request passwords to be changed on a regular basis.

5. Set User Access Permissions.

Employees only need access to the data required to do their job.  Do they need access to certain sensitive information? Do they need permission to install programs?  Narrow an employee’s access and permission only to what is needed.  This will better protect your systems should their login be compromised.

6. Backup Your Data.

You may need to restore lost or corrupted data should you be hit with ransomware or your systems are disrupted by another type of attack.  Backing up your data to an external hard drive that is always connected to your computer or network isn’t enough. That data can become compromised as well if your backup is connected to the same computer or network that suffers an attack.  Hard drives are relatively inexpensive these days.  Keep multiple backups off-site and swap them out on a regular basis.  It is far easier and less costly to recreate or update a few files than to have to try to recreate years’ worth of data.  Another option is to use a cloud-based backup service.  Your data is stored off-site and most (but not all) of the burden of protection is transferred to your storage vendors such as Amazon Drive or Carbonite.

7. Transition All Your Data to the Cloud.

This step is a little more advanced than the others.  As we discussed in point 6, having your data in the cloud takes a lot of the burden of protecting that data off you and transfers it to your storage vendor.  You are reducing the impact ransomware can have by not storing critical information on your computer or network.  Keep in mind, however, cloud storage can still be vulnerable to ransomware if you upload an infected file.  That is why it is imperative you look for a vendor that can retain multiple versions of files if you decide to go the cloud storage route.  You can restore a previous clean version with minimal effort should a file become infected.

8. Discuss Cyber Liability Insurance with a Risk Advisor.

You can do everything to protect your computer network and data. The reality is no system is perfect.  Cyber liability can’t stop you from having a ransomware attack or data breach.   It will help to cover the costs of investigating the breach.  It will help you in the defense of claims from the attack & potential data loss.  Many policies may also include cyber extortion costs to address a ransomware attack.

Cyber liability tends to be written on the basis that at least some basic security controls are in place. It is easy to say you are performing these steps on an application.  However, if a claim results which could have been prevented by following these steps, it may not be covered.

Contact one of our Risk Advisors today by clicking here to learn more about cyber liability and how it can help your company.

National “Safety Stand-Down” Week 2019

OSHA announced May 6-10th is “National Safety Stand-Down” week. Falls are the number 1 on the job cause of death for the construction industry.

Here is a list of resources & ideas for events and conversations to have with your employees during “National Safety Stand-Down” week:

  • Have a discussion about your Ladders Safety Program. If you do not have a ladder safety program in place, now is the time to start one. It is never too late to implement a job site safety program.
  • Download our infographic on the leading causes of workplace accidents.
  • Have a Tool-Talk, a 10-15 minute conversation about workplace and job site safety.
  • Looking for something fun? Play Spot the Hazard, courtesy of Stop Construction Falls
  • Review your near-misses with your supervisors, then have a conversation with the rest of your staff about ways you can improve your site safety.

Job site safety is only part of having a strong risk management solution. The other part is having tangible metrics to track your near misses and accidents. This way, you learn from past mistakes before they become a very expensive problem. If you’d like more information on job site safety or need help with risk management, contact one of our Risk Advisors today or call 914-357-8444.

Pre-Shift Safety Meetings in Construction

In addition to a number of site safety prerequisites regarding construction superintendents local law 204 necessitates pre-shift safety meetings for workers at construction sites.

A permit holder who requires a site safety manager, site safety coordinator and construction superintendent must have a safety meeting with workers who are on site and under a permit holder or by a performing subcontractor. It is imperative that this meeting takes place before the initiation of any construction or demolition work.

Hold the safety meeting under these following conditions:

  1. Have a Competent Person Conduct the Pre-Shift Safety Meetings: When the permit holder designates this person, they must have a pre-shift safety meeting before the commencement of any construction or demolition work. The competent person must be able to communicate with each worker at the meeting.

Click Here to Read More About Competent Workers.

      2. The Pre-Shift Meeting Content: The meeting covers a review of the activities and duties to accomplish during the shift, along with detailed information regarding the safety and risks associated with specific tasks.

      3. Records: The permit holder must maintain a record for each worker and meetings must be held once a week. The records must include the following:

  • The name, title and company associated to each worker who has participated.
  • The name, title and company association of the competent person who held the meeting along with their signature.
  • The date and time of the meeting.

This law has taken effect as of May 16th, 2018.  The commissioner of buildings may take certain measures such as promoting rules to ensure the implementation of the law.

Stay ahead of the curve and speak with one of our risk advisors today!

Considerations When Starting A Safety Committee

One of the main parts of a solid safety program is to promote better communication between employees and management. We believe safety committees are one of the most cost effective, high yielding solutions for safety challenged organizations. Hopefully we can make a case for your organization to start one even if educations hasn’t yet become expensive. Here are some considerations when starting a safety committee.

A well-developed safety committee serves as a two-way channel of communication promoting safety awareness keeping safety top of mind and to better improve operations protocols which will lead to better efficiencies and outcomes throughout the workplace which complete the virtuous circle of lowering costs and engaging your employees.

This article will focus on considerations when starting a safety committee, how to sell the idea to management and who to invite. This will be one of 3 articles on starting a safety committee.

Selling Management On Starting A Safety Committee :  

Safety Meeting Considerations

Contingent on your role in the organization whether it be safety manager, supervisor, C.F.O. , HR Director your goals are the same. Safety pays huge dividends in terms of costs, productivity, and quality. We always found it extremely helpful when consulting with upper management to speak in the language they understand best; COST ! Our first objective is to study historical data to dollarize the problem for management as that is what they understand best. Chances are if you are reading this and thinking of building a safety committee something is driving that. That something is usually employee injury claims.

There is a great tool OSHA has that helps businesses understand the high cost of employee injuries. It’s called SAFETY PAYS. Here are some other considerations:

  • Order all loss runs for all lines of insurance over the last 5 years and execute a loss pic. This is a profitability ratio correlating the insurance premiums paid in versus claims incurred. Anything over 50% you’re getting surcharged on that particular line of insurance.
  • What’s your EMR (Experience Modification Rating on your workers compensation policy. If it’ 1.00 or higher your at a competitive disadvantage to your toughest peers and competitors. Know what the lowest possible modification factor is for your business and set that as a goal. The difference between the lowest EMR and your EMR is an opportunity cost.
  • How much does your company spend in fines, legal fees and deductibles over the last 3 to 5 years? That’s money and resources that could be utilized elsewhere.

I think you get where we are going. Once you can demonstrate to management what your cost over runs are you will have their attention. Their next question SHOULD be, what do you suggest? If it’s not your probably at the wrong company as they are chasing the wrong rabbit which is usually top line growth at the expense of healthy profit. If you need help dollarizing your challenge  contact a Risk Advisor. We make the business case for safety to corporate boards and C suite everyday. We are happy to help with this challenge at no cost to you. You can also download our free E – Book THE SECRETS TO LOWERING YOUR WORKERS COMPENSATION COSTS.

 

SAFETY COMMITTEE APPROVED! NOW WHAT? :

Careful what you wish for right? No worries trying something is better than keep getting a punch in the face of your P&L.

START HERE :

  • Build a list of potential employees that have the following characteristics.

    • High achievers / Over Achievers.
    • Leaders in their peer group, or at least well respected.
    • Line employees and not supervisors (more on this later).
    • Could or should be recognized.
    • Rotate membership so that members exposed to Safety & Health Committee issues are “circulated” back into the workforce and others are brought in. Always have it merit-based as you want folks to aspire to be on the committee.
  • Make a splashy announcement.

Make it so an invitation to this committee is a privilege and recognition for good work, attendance, attitude whatever you find important. This accomplishes two things. It rewards and recognizes the folks that are your high valued employees. Further, it should motivate the folks that were not selected to make the list next time. We also suggest that gift cards, time off, or some other low-cost rewards accompany membership to the committee. It doesn’t have to be big, just something like an exchange of value for their input.

  • Be smart about when you set the meetings.

Be cognizant of their schedules and your workflow needs. Meetings should be fairly short and concise. They should also not be too often. You could start once a month to get some traction then go to quarterly once you feel like you’re in a groove. We find the optimal time is once every month or two months.

  • Build structure around the meetings.

Open with a review of last meetings pending, open up to new incidents or items that have come to the companies attention. Have some great questions for the participants. Have reports and K.R.I’s to review so we can track progress. What’s critical here is that your role is to be facilitator NOT to call these folks in the room to hear you tell them what you think. Draw them out. There are no bad ideas…thank everyone for sharing. Recognize their ideas and opinions as everyone wants acknoledgement. Be positive, emphasize pockets of success. Treat failings and opportunities for improvements.

  • There is great free software to help you organize and structure your meetings and committees.

We suggest a tool like ASANA. It’s fabulously collaborative and FREE. It’s so important to be succinct and efficient in your meetings and to set up action plans and delegate task items to members for the next meeting. One of the reasons a lot of committees fail is there is no follow up, action plan or loop closure. This becomes obvious to everyone that no progress is being made. Having a tool like Asana that helps everyone stay on point and moving forward is critical.

Some Additional Safety Committee Considerations : 

  1. Conduct Safety/Housekeeping inspection(s) of one or more departments as part of each meeting.
  2. Review and update safety rules and safe operating procedures.
  3. Review accidents and “near miss” incidents reported since the last meeting. Suggest means for preventing future occurrences using the % Why’s.
  4. Convey, review and comment on safety suggestions submitted by Employees (pick top 3 to install)
  5. Create, Plan and carry out various safety promotion activities (such as contests, award programs, etc.) consistent with your goals. 
  6. Create & promote safety awareness among all employees through safe attitudes and day-to-day interactions.
  7. Review the safety impacts of equipment/facility changes and multi-shift operations.
  8. Track previous initiatives to find pockets of success to expand on. Lose the initiatives that aren’t achieving your goals to prevent mission creep.
  9. Take great notes, assign tasks and follow up on tasks completed for the next meeting. Log the minutes somewhere and make sure to share with senior management and other committee members. This is important work and is an organization imperative. Not sharing the minutes puts the committee and it’s work out in left field. Instead, management should emphasize and back it. Nothing could be worse than management either not being aware of the committee’s suggestions or worse. Glossing over their suggestions and implementing nothing. That is despondent leading ultimately to frustration and committee failure. If senior management is not fully committed to the backing and supporting the safety committee everyone is wasting their time.

Our next article in the series focuses on building the right K.R.I’s and other tools to help guide your important work. If you have suggestions for us on this article you may email directly at info@metropolitanrisk.com. Put in the subject line “Safety Committee Article 1”. We hope you found this article helpful.

 

 

Building A Ladders Last Safety Program Yields Cost Savings On Your Construction Liability Insurance

Fall protection and safety is a major concern at construction sites. In fact, OSHA cites injuries from falls as one of its top 10 worksite injuries and a huge driver of insurance costs in states like NY which have laws that specifically address falls from a height.

Falls and falling objects result from unstable working surfaces, ladders not safely positioned and misuse of fall protection. Workers are also subject to falls or the dangers of falling objects if you can not maintain proper protection of sides, edges, floor holes and wall openings. Any time you are working at a height of six feet or more on the construction site, you must be protected.

What is “Ladders Last”?

“Ladders Last” is a program that will save lives. The idea is based on prevention rather than protection. Accomplish this by identifying other means of access and/or elevated work platforms that protect workers and support safe production, rather than defaulting to the choice of a ladder.

We Suggest :

  •       Identifying other means of access and or elevated work platforms that better protect workers and support safe production. 
Devices like scissor lifts, podium ladders, bakers racks or mobile mechanical  hydraulic lifts should be your first option.
  •       Ladders will be used on construction projects only after it has been determined that there is no other feasible method to perform the elevated work. 

  •       All ladder work will be permitted but will require sign off by your Superintendent or your Safety Manager. 

  •       Subcontractors shall complete  a Construction Ladder Use Permit and have it reviewed and approved by the  Superintendent or Safety Manager. 

  •       While working on/from the ladder, 3 points of contact must be maintained at all times. If you can not maintain 3 points, utilize 100% tie off when above a 4’ working height. 

  •       Lanyards will not be acceptable fall protection while working from a ladder. The only acceptable personal fall arrest system used when working from a ladder is retractable. 

  •       Job Built Ladders will only be allowed with approval of the Site Superintendent and Project’s Safety Manager on a case by case basis. 

  •       Extension ladders when Permitted must have walk through extensions. 

  •       Platform Ladders should be the ladder of choice on your construction projects when a ladder has been 
approved.
  •       We also suggest using A Frame ladders when ladders must be used as another potential alternative. 

  •       Daily Ladder Inspection Tag with sign off by user will be attached to each ladder. 

  •       Lastly it’s important that the ladders last program be inserted into your OSHA Site Safety Manual which should be your go to safety document.

Ladder Permits (Please Provide) :

  • Mandatory Engagement (Superintendent / Safety Manager  Project Team inspection of use & sign off) 

  • Elevated documented oversight 

  • Correct ladder size and set-up 

  • Training documentation for use 


National Statistics

  • A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that falls remain a leading cause of death and nearly half of those deadly falls have been from ladders. 

  • Approximately 20% of fall injuries involve ladders. Among construction workers an estimated 81% of fall injuries treated in emergency rooms involve ladders. 

  • Over the last 10 years the amount of ladder-related injuries has increased 50% 

  • The construction industry has the highest Ladder Fall Injuries (LFI) rate compared to other industries 

  • Ladder Fall Injuries (LFI) increase with age 

  • Companies with the fewest employees have the highest fatality rates 

  • Head injuries were implicated in about half of the fatal injuries
  • More than 90,000 people receive emergency room treatment from ladder-related injuries every year.

WHY

  • Constant misuse
  • Failure to use ladders correctly
  • Failure to inspect
  • Failure to train employees

If you like the concept and want to pursue building your own ladders last program we suggest you start by downloading our FREE GUIDE HERE. Any questions contact one of our Risk Advisors today at (914) 357-8451.

Cyber Security Regulation

New York State is implementing a new Cyber Security Regulation effective March 1st, 2017.

“New York is the financial capital of the world, and it is critical that we do everything in our power to protect consumers and our financial system from the ever-increasing threat of cyber-attacks,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said February 16, 2017 in a statement.

Today’s marketplace continues to transition towards the way of the key stroke. It seems you can’t conduct a business transaction without a multitude of emails, electronically signed documents, or a cloud storing the most vital of information. These amenities have streamlined the means in which we conduct business, but have they left our information exposed? New York state seems to think so, and thus, has passed what appears to be the “first-in-nation” cyber security regulation.

Governor Cuomo continue in his above statement “These strong, first-in-the-nation protections will help ensure this industry has the necessary safeguards in place in order to protect themselves and the New Yorkers they serve from the serious economic harm caused by these devastating cyber crimes.”

The finalized cyber security regulation, which takes effect March 1, 2017, sets mandated standards for financial institutions (including treasurers and insurers) to continue the on-going battle with risk of cyber-attacks.

The regulation requires “regulated companies” to implement a cyber security plan, including requirements for a program that is adequately funded, staffed, overseen by qualified management, and reported periodically to the most senior governing body of the organization. Additionally, the new regulation calls on banks to scrutinize security at third-party vendors which are providing them services. In 2015, the New York Department of Financial Services found that a third of 40 banks polled did not require outside vendors to notify them of breaches that could compromise data.

“Throughout the regulatory review period, we emphasized how critical it is for insurers to have the ability to tailor and implement their cyber-security programs in a risk-based manner,” Alison Cooper, Albany, New York-based Northeast region vice president for the American Insurance Association, said in a statement. “While some challenges remain, overall the final cyber security regulation provides greater flexibility so insurers are able to better adapt to an evolving threat landscape.”

“With this landmark regulation, (the department) is ensuring that New York consumers can trust that their financial institutions have protocols in place to protect the security and privacy of their sensitive personal information,” Department of Financial Services Superintendent Maria Vullo said in a statement. “As our global financial network becomes even more interconnected and entities around the world increasingly suffer information breaches, New York is leading the charge to combat the ever-increasing risk of cyber attacks.”

At this point you’re probably thinking to yourself  “We’re not a bank, and we’re not a large corporation. So how does this affect my business?”

Directly it doesn’t, YET!  However  this new regulation should be viewed as a notice to all businesses, regardless of industry: cyber-attacks are an ever-increasing risk, and a potentially devastating exposure if left unacknowledged. It seems as though we’re constantly reading about the large corporations being hacked, leaving the small and mid-sized business owner to think “This can’t happen to us. Why would we be attacked?” The truth is, it can and it does happen to small and mid-sized businesses. Unfortunately, unlike the Home Depots and Targets of the world, one cyber-attack could be enough to force a business to close its doors.

Now is the time to evaluate your risk.  Do you have a contingency plan in force if an employee accidentally opens a link from a person they thought they knew, only to find out it’s ransomware? Is there an action plan in force in the event hackers use your company email to send out spam or a virus to your contacts? Do employees know the steps to take if somehow all of your clients’ or employees’ data are stolen? Worse if one of these events occurred what would be the cost implications to your business? IF you would like to take a deeper dive into this issue contact a Risk Advisor today by CLICKING HERE. They can help you take steps to protect your business that cost nothing. Further you can transfer the cost implications of many of these challenges to an insurance carrier through the purchase of a cyber liability policy. The world has become much more complicated and it continues to do so with the passing of each month. We are here to help.