Switch to Word Press

Dear Friends,

Effective immediately, I am switching over my blog page to Word Press from Blogger. What that means for you is that there is a NEW URL address to use to read my blogs.

Please change your setting to http://blog.toroinsurance.com. I will double post for several weeks in the transition.

You will find it much easier to post and navigate in my web site. Your comments are always welcome.

Dan

Fire safety for the summer

July is normally the month every place starts heating up...even Washington. The 4th of July is right around the corner and fireworks will be par for everyone's course. That being said, make sure there aren't any fireworks at your business this year. Now is a great time to check out your fire safety with these quick tips...

1. Smoking is a problem. If you have a business where employees or customers are allowed to smoke on your perimeter, make sure you have appropriate safety measures. You should have a special cigarette trash receptacle outside in several areas for the smokers to throw away their butts. Too often, I’ve seen cigarette butts on the ground in areas where flammables are nearby. Make sure you are giving smokers a place to park their butts. In addition, you should be as diligent as Disneyland employees in picking up any stray cigarette butts.
   

2. Housekeeping in general is critical. Keep all refuse and garbage in proper containers and dumpsters. Cardboard can be often left lying around. This is a poor practice anytime but especially now.
   

3. Talk with your employees. Communication on key safety issues should always be communicated with your employees. This is no exception. Remind them of increased fire dangers during the summer and ask them to police the grounds. This should be a team effort. It may also keep them aware of their own personal fire safety at home.
   

4. If your business has a kitchen, make sure everything inside is also being cared for. Housekeeping counts here too. Remind everyone that their mother doesn’t live there and to make sure all appliances that turn on and off are OFF when they leave.
   

5. Make sure all electrical wiring is safe. This is a good time for an inspection of your grounds and buildings. Look for areas that might be cause for concern. Not only will you be protecting your business from a fire hazard, you may be catching other issues as well.

Whether your at home or at work, fire safety is a year-round concern. During the summer, it intensifies. Make sure you are protecting yourself and your valuable assets this summer.

Dan

Program for Agents this Thursday

If you happen to be an insurance agent in the Kitsap County area, you have the opportunity to see me give a presentation on Commercial Property and Casualty coverages and how they relate to your clients. I am doing a workshop in Silverdale for the Professional Insurance Women in the afternoon of Thursday, July, 19th. You will walk away with strategies to help you become a better advocate for your client.

What's this mean for you? It means higher retention, better relationships, and less chance of errors and omissions claims. Sound good?

For more information, contact me at 360-697-1058 or dan@toroic.com.

Dan

You MUST See This!!!

Check out this great blog article from my Ergonomic-geek friend Tim Longley from e-Office Innovations. Think this guy has been sitting behind his computer tool long!

Click here to go to Tim's blog and watch (2 minutes, 51 seconds).

Dan

Are You Voting Employees off the Island?

If you want to be appalled at what happens in certain schools in our country, read this article. It may make your blood boil a little like mine did. Voting a kindergarten kid out of the class when you know he has a disability that effects his behavior is idiotic.

Now, we can all look at that and see lots of dollars in lawsuits and deservedly so. This is a case where discrimination, harassment, and just poor judgement will cost that school district big bucks.

How does this apply to your work environment? Could you be treating employees in similar ways? Certainly, you may not literally be voting employees off the "island", but allowing certain things to happen in the workplace or making life challenging for difficult employees can happen, even if you don't mean for it to.

Here's the deal...

Employment Practice Liability claims are getting more and more common and costly. You may not even realize that an employee is feeling harassed or discriminated by other employees or supervisors. That is until you get the subpoena!

Make sure that you are doing everything possible to monitor your employees behaviors and document areas of concern. Being sued is the last thing you want. Or being kicked off your own island.

Dan

100 Most Dangerous Days

Happy Memorial Day! In addition to firing up the BBQ or heading to the ball game (like I am tonight for the Mariners and Red Sox), you should keep one item in the back of your mind for the next few months.

Starting today and running through Labor Day are the 100 most dangerous days to drive for Americans. Pretty sobering thought to bring up on a holiday, but that's what we risk managers do. Why are the next 100 days so dangerous? You probably know most of the answers...

1. Speaking of sober, you guessed it - too much drinking and driving. All those summer, graduation, and wedding parties add up to too much alcohol on the road.
2. All those teenagers and college students are on the road again. Usually driving way too fast!
3. Vacation time means more people on the road. Unfortunately, when we as a society head for a break, we are usually in a hurry to get there. So we drive fast and are impatient. A bad combination behind the wheel.
4. We are in too much of a hurry. In our fast-paced world, it all has to happen now. We tend to be late all the time and trying to make up time.
5. Distracted driving. Cell phones, eating and drinking, reading the newspaper (you've all seen it), and other distractions are making us less focused. This happens all year round but can be exacerbated during summer.

Add to it that a consequence of many of these is the growing concern of Road Rage. When you mix all these factors together, you can see how dangerous it is every time you get behind the wheel.

Here are some tips to help you stay safe this summer...

• Leave early - wherever you are headed, give yourself plenty of time. Many of our accidents happen because we are trying to make up time.
• Don't get involved with an aggressive driver. Let them pass, don't make eye contact and don't stop. If they follow you, drive to a public place - never drive home.
• Don't drink and drive. Enough said!
• Avoid distractions like cell phones and eating in the car. There's too much to keep your mind occupied as it is.
• Be a defensive driver. Pay attention and don't make it a competition.

Whether its for work or pleasure, make sure you are safe not only these next 100 days, but always!

Dan

Are you ready to re-charge your batteries?

I just got done reading a blog from a good friend of mine, Pete McDowell. Pete is a business coach and has some valuable insight on re-charging those batteries this holiday weekend. To read his insightful article, click here...

Best wishes for a great weekend.

Dan