As we’ve quickly ushered in a new year, now is a perfect time to take a step back and reimagine your risk management processes to prepare for another year of providing a strong, safe foundation for your employees. Check out the latest risk management tips from our team to yours. As always, we’re here to help, so Keep Calm and Trust Telcom! Read on to learn more. |
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Presidential Matters
Keep Calm. Trust Telcom in 2023
Peter Elliott, TIG President & CEO
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Change is inevitable and when you are prepared for it, it doesn't have to be stressful, it can be calm and positive. Last year at this time, we were prepared to react to change in the roster of insurance providers for telecom businesses. Ultimately, things did not pan out as we envisioned and that was all right.
While we were prepared for change, we were also prepared to stay on our current course. Should things have gone as we thought, we would have been there for many telecoms to help minimize the disruption that occurs anytime a provider of product and services exits.
Our new tagline "Keep Calm. Trust Telcom." is applicable, even despite events of last year not transpiring. Here is why: The world and the US continue to experience catastrophes that exceed expectations. The damages to property and life reach billions of dollars. Even when you aren't in the direct line of the catastrophe, everyone feels the impact emotionally and financially.
The emotional toll is easy to envision. The financial toll is not always that evident. It appears when supplies and the supply chain are already strained, a catastrophe wipes out some of the existing supplies, and adds to demand for more, resulting in more stress.
Also, economics tells us that costs go up when supplies are down, and this exacerbates the cost challenge we already face from inflation. There are plenty of customers of ours that can attest to us being a calming force in a storm. We have earned trust and built relationships that stand the test of time. “Keep Calm. Trust Telcom Insurance.” is the foundation for more telecoms than not. We are the leading insurer of telecom businesses, and the second place isn't even close.
We take pride in providing stability and support. For 2023 and for much longer, join us, and Keep Calm. Trust Telcom.
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Join us for the RTIME Meeting & Expo
It’s an exciting time in our industry. We know you have a busy schedule, but we thought we’d let you know where we’re going to be during the meeting so that we can connect with you all, our friends and family.
We hope we’ll get to visit at one or all of these events:
Monday, February 20th: Bright and early from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 a.m., our policyholders, Board, and shareholders are invited to join us for a special “Thank You” breakfast. It is invitation only and you must RSVP so that we can have enough food and fabulous goodies for everyone. Contact Marilyn at MAB@telcominsgrp.com, if you have questions. The Expo Open House and the FRS Pool party will conclude the day.
Tuesday, February 21st: TIG and RTIC’s Board of Directors meetup. This will be followed by the Expo and PAC event in the evening.
Expo: We’re at booth #708. We’d love to say, “Hi,” visit with you, and talk about some new opportunities.
Exact locations and times are subject to modification. Please be sure to check out the program when you arrive for specific details. We look forward to this opportunity to see so many of our Telcom family members and get acquainted with some new ones too in sunny San Diego.
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Account Executive Matters
The Insurance Renewal Process
Sean Benefiel, Account Executive
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There’s one ever present question that I receive as an Account Executive: “Why do we start so early?” The 90-day timeline that we strive to use for renewals is intended to hedge against potential hurdles that may come up along the way. The timeline ensures appropriate time for the necessary changes to be made, along with the sometimes-multiple conversations that need to take place surrounding coverage, risk, and options.
We recognize that regardless of what time of year your renewal falls, you as a business are likely already inundated with work – whether it’s an audit, board meetings, key employees out of office, internal restructuring, grant applications, or deadlines for data submittal to comply with federal program guidelines. Due to all the potential time commitments and challenges listed above (and many others), the 90-day timeline was adopted to help both you as the business in staying on course for a productive and beneficial renewal process, and us as the insurance company to serve you to our fullest capabilities.
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Safety Matters
The Importance of Hydration in the Winter
Marilyn A. Blake, COO & Corporate Secretary
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Trying to attain a comfortable body temperature during the winter is one of the hardest things to achieve. You are too hot from all the layers you have packed on but attempt to take one off and you find yourself freezing to death. While trying to find the magic balance between cold and hot, we often disregard the importance of taking the necessary precautions to ensure proper health and safety during winter months. One of the precautions most often overlooked is proper hydration.
We are definitely not as inclined to intake fluids during the winter as during the hot summer months because we do not appear to be as active, and we are not exposed to extreme heat. However, contrary to popular belief it remains just as vital to keep properly hydrated. In the winter, we lose fluids in different ways, starting with the silly little nuisance of having to go to the bathroom every time we get cold. The extra fluid loss causes a decrease in plasma volume, thickens the blood, and causes a decrease in blood flow and therefore heat delivery to the extremities, such as the hands and feet, increasing the risk of frostbite.
By keeping yourself properly hydrated, you also do yourself the favor of flushing out the toxins that potentially could cause a nasty cold or the flu.
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Some symptoms of dehydration include fatigue, dizziness, and headaches. To avoid dehydration, you should drink at least eight cups of fluids daily. In the wintertime, hot drinks like hot chocolate, coffee, and tea are ideal treats. You have to remember though drinks that contain caffeine, which is a diuretic, actually work to eliminate fluid found in the body. If you drink a lot of caffeinated beverages, drink more water in addition to replenish your fluid levels. NEVER wait to drink something until you are thirsty, because the “thirst mechanism” only kicks in after dehydration has set in. Don’t think hydration is just important in the summer! |
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Risk Management Matters
Slips, Trips, and Falls (STF) Prevention
Craig Rapp, Risk Manager
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We usually discuss slips, trips, and falls during our OSHA classes we teach with NTCA, and many of you reading this have been through that course. However, many have not been through it, so we urge you to share this information throughout your establishments.
Statistics are always a good place to start. The latest I have is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2021 data. In 2021, there were 850 fatal falls recorded by OSHA, broken down into 33 separate categories of falls. Of those, the industries tracked are natural resources and mining, construction, manufacturing, services, trades, transportation, information, financial activities (which had 17 falling fatalities by the way), professional and business services, education and health, leisure and hospitality, and other services. We, in telecommunications might say our industry falls (pun intended) into construction, transportation (since we haul our equipment around), information, professional and business, and other services. We are right in the mix.
Did you know OSHA says slips, trips, and falls is one of the only categories of accidental deaths that has continued to grow in the last 50+ years? Maybe you think fatal falls only occur due to someone falling from an extreme height. While that does happen, it is by no means the only deadly way to fall. To demonstrate the reality of this, I wanted to share just a few of the shocking stats on same level falls. A staggering amount of people, 145, died from falling over onto the same level. Just fell over. Not heart attacks, not objects striking them and causing them to fall over, they just fell over. Another 30 people died while tripping over nothing. Fifteen died while tripping over something. Three employees died while tripping over their own feet (or as the BLS says, tripping over self). Four more employees died tripping while climbing stairs, steps, or curbs, and 27 people died while slipping and falling to the same level. A recent report from the BLS states that roughly 33,000 people acquire disabling injuries each year from falls on stairs. While this last stat is not about deaths, we must realize many lives and the lives of loved ones become permanently altered by these injuries.
We as employers, supervisors, HR pros, safety pros, lead people, safety committee members or the newly hired employees, are all obligated to identify and rectify STF hazards. We encourage you to look for areas that may pose a risk, and then notify the person responsible for fixing it, or better yet, fix it yourself. Look for worn and/or wet surfaces as they account for two of every three serious falls. Identify gaps in walking surfaces, misaligned tiles, or carpet that create even small disturbances in the levelness of walkways. Snow, ice, and even windblown sand and dust can cause a slipping hazard to not only your employees but your customers as well. You must post signs to alert others of spills and hazards and clean-up operations must take place. An injury of an employee is one thing, but an injury to a customer is a completely different scenario you do not want to find yourself.
As humans, we can all get lazy at times. Tools and equipment don’t always get put away use and pose significant STF hazards. Electrical cords are another problematic item left around often. Train staff to roll these up and hang them out of the way when tasks are completed, or even during lunch breaks.
Shoes play a factor as well. The soles of a shoe can be a real problem. If a shoe does not have a good sole that grips and causes an employee to slip, they can easily wrench their back if they attempt to catch themselves or prevent themselves from falling. Avoid shoes with leather soles as their coefficient of friction is not great and they easily slip. Shoes or boots that accumulate grease or mud also pose a problem, especially if they track that into another office or building. Employees need to have a place to either clean off their shoes or remove them before entering facilities.
Lighting is another avenue to consider when attempting to eliminate slips, trip, and fall risks. A good rule of thumb is if there is a light fixture, there needs to be a bulb in it. If your shop, warehouse, office, reception area or hallway is dark, add some light.
We use ladders frequently within the telecommunications world, and they do pose great risks if they are not respected.
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Slips, trips, and falls are definitely the type of incident we can all help to prevent. If you see it, fix it. Alert others to the risks and get them corrected. This time of year poses the risk of slippery surfaces, so keep your eyes open and your fellow employees safe. Avoid the risks. We are here to help with any of your insurance or risk management needs.
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Claims Matters
Reasons to Manage and Report Your Claims
Rebecca (Beckie) Menard, Claim Specialist
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A new year has begun and while I’m sure that most of you didn’t have managing your claims as a specific resolution, it is a great time to look back and review your claim reporting procedures. Take a look and ask your staff what’s been going well and what might be an area that needs improvement, and you may discover some uncertainty or questions on the best claim reporting practices. While we can’t prevent every accident from happening, the claim staff here at Telcom can help you with these questions and provide many resources in this area.
There are a few main reasons to focus on managing your claims; the number and cost of incurred claims is a component of the rates for each line of business, frequency of claims leads to having a severe claim, studies show that the longer the lag time (date of incident to the date it’s reported) the more it will ultimately cost, and finally, some policies have a reporting time requirement or the coverage can be denied.
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Save the Date for Telcom's RMC! |
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President's Day Fun Facts |
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