VACATION SEASON IS OPEN SEASON FOR BURGLARS

Americans not only love to travel, many have second homes where they live for extended periods. However, vacation time provides prime opportunties for burglars, who may target retirement havens or homes that appear unoccupied.

Here are a few tips you can share with your insureds to help prevent a break-in.

When I was a risk manager for a public entity, I received a call one Sunday night on a sewer backup. “It's a big one," the public works director warned me, so I drove to the location. A lightning strike earlier that day had hit a sewer lift station. The problem? The newly built home had no sewer backflow preventer installed, and the entire area's lift station had malfunctioned and dumped its massive load into the home. The neighbors knew the owners were out of state at their daughter's wedding, but had no phone number to reach them. We made the decision to hire a locksmith and enter the home to remove everything we could salvage. However, if the homeowner had provided a neighbor with a phone number before their trip, we'd have been on much safer legal grounds.

If your homeowner has an alarm, he or she can usually set specific codes so the homeowner knows who entered the home. A trusted neighbor can be a lifesaver if the a water leak or burglary occurs. That neighbor may also be willing to pick up newspapers or flyers left in the homeowner's absence. Keeping the home maintained helps prevent the appearance of an unoccupied home.

Because many burglaries occur at night, lighting the home's exterior and putting interior lights on timers can help deter a break-in. Driveways, security lights that come on when someone approaches the property, and interior lighting set to come on at dusk are all great ways to prevent crime.

Never alert the media, and by this, I mean social media. It's always tempting to post those lovely vacation photos or to check in at the airport citing a great destination. However, if no one is watching the home, that can be an open invitation for a break-in. Remind your clients that while it's great to post pictures, it may be safer to post upon their return home. If they do decide to post, they might refer glowingly to their (imaginary?) housesitter so it's clear someone is caretaking their home.

Recommend your clients remove expensive jewelry or other valuables in their homes. A few days before they leave, suggest they go through their home to collect valuables like jewelry, guns, even credit cards they may leave behind, and secure them in their bank's safety deposit box. It's also a great time to remind your insureds about the benefits of scheduling valuable items like jewelry and cameras. Remind them to check any special limits on their homeowners policies for firearms, jewelry, cash and other personal property. Avoid listing special limits because homeowners and dwelling policies can provide various personal property limits.

This article is an opportunity to invite your insureds to call you to discuss questions they have on their homeowners or dwelling poliicies. You can review their limits, using these conversations as an opportunity to cross-sell or improve coverage.

Many of us now travel with our laptops, which contain a great deal of personal identifying information. Your clients' home computers are also a hot commodity for today's burglars. Your clients should use a hard-to-break password to protect all their computers, whether laptop or desktop, travel or home-based.

Vacations and long summer visits should be stress free. No one wants a call from the police department, or to return home to a house that's been vandalized. Summer is a great time to remind your clients that installing a home alarm system can provide a credit on their homeowner's policy. Burglar alarms are no longer “nice-to-have" accessories, they're becoming a necessity for peace of mind for many of today's homeowners.

While there's no guarantee that homeowners can avoid a burglary, these tips can help your clients feel more secure when they travel or temporarily relocate to cooler climates.

This article was originally published on iamagazine.com in May 2022.

> Nancy Germond, Executive Director, Risk Management and Education, Big

I came across a new piece of research by Korn Ferry recently that confirmed my suspicions about our professional lives: We are beginning to return to our pre-pandemic habits and routines en masse.

But, as the Korn Ferry article notes, there’s a major problem. After three years of mostly virtual work and online-only interactions, we are collectively out of practice when it comes to face-to-face contact. Whether it’s networking or business travel or building corporate culture, we’re rusty.

As one staffing executive told Korn Ferry: “It’s as if we were in jail, and now we’re all free again.”

Apparently this is causing an intense return to networking, as people are desperate for in-person meetings and connections. But—and this should come as no surprise—simply sending out a flurry of LinkedIn invitations or handing out your business card to every person who passes your table at a conference isn’t doing you any favors.

Rather, you need to work to truly connect with the people you’re trying to build a relationship with. Experts told Korn Ferry that many of the conversations they’re having around jobs are now more open, frank, and vulnerable post-pandemic.

I can tell you from personal experience that this results in deeper, more meaningful relationships and better cultural fits between employee and employer. I’m sure you’ve had a similar experience.

Rebuilding our work environments also takes time and concerted effort. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was your company culture.

Korn Ferry and Work Forum noted that to improve office satisfaction, we should be removing any barriers or implied classifications among our workers. It shouldn’t matter whether you’re in the office or working remotely: You’re treated the same and have access to the same opportunities.

Your company messaging should capture your company values and be consistent from your initial recruiting efforts through to employment and beyond, although the mediums through which you reach your people should adapt to meet them where they are. For example, you can communicate transparency for those in the office by adopting an open floor plan and open-door policy, while regular Zoom check-ins and online availability can do the same for remote workers.

Of course, none of it is possible without modeling of the desired behaviors and attitudes by company leadership. In other words, our leaders must “walk the walk” to authenticate our corporate cultures.

Ultimately, the Korn Ferry report highlight to me how ready we are to embrace the new hybrid workplace. How are you doing that in your company? What lessons have you learned?

The last few years have seen a large increase in deaths from overdoses. The administration of Narcan, also called Naloxone, can reverse an overdose and save lives. According to one study, emergency medical responders reported the administration of Narcan saved up to 93.5 percent of overdose victims.

Alleging negligence of any type that involves allegations of bodily injury or property damage should trigger your GL given no on-point exclusions. There is no exclusion in the CGL that applies to this type of activity. However, if an employer administers Narcan to an employee, the employer should submit any subsequent medical treatment costs to the workers' compensation insurer. That should cover medical bills and lost wages, although state workers compensation statutes guide that decision. Liability arising from that employee's exposure if one were to allege negligence could trigger the employers' liability coverage on the work comp policy.

Here is an overview of the basics and safety factors around administering (intranasal) Narcan. Intranasal is what locations usually stock that are not medical facilities, although first responders may carry injectables. “When law enforcement or first responders feel the use of intranasal naloxone poses too great a risk, there is another lower risk option. Intramuscular naloxone is usually injected into the thigh muscle - far away from the nose and mouth - thereby reducing the risk to the rescuer," per the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The bottom line regarding a claim involving Narcan administration is this: If your insured has the Narcan on site, they'd be just as likely to get sued for failure to administer as administering.

However, here are more issues to consider.

• There are risks, so training is imperative. Your insured could contact the local state department of health; they usually provide training or know who will.

• It's now sometimes taking first responders more than one dose to save someone who is overdosing on Fentanyl based on its potency. One dose may not be enough.

• Always have gloves and safety glasses right by the Narcan to help to avoid an exposure for the person administering and this still isn't a guarantee. Those who administer should wash up immediately post administering.

• Respiratory personal protective equipment is highly recommended when administering since Fentanyl can aerosolize. Aerosolized exposure is exceedingly rare but is more potent and faster than skin contact.

• Don't “require" employees to administer Narcan. Organizations should provide training only to those willing to administer, in my opinion. Forcing someone to administer could open the door to several liability issues, including employment liability issues.

The best approach is to immediately call 911 while administering Narcan if available, to obtain help from trained first responders. Once on site, they can manage the situation. However, even the Society for Human Resources (SHRM) has, since 2018, recommended that employers stock and administer Narcan.

For those who administer Narcan, the Good Samaritan law should apply in many states and many states are still addressing this topic with legislation. This article contains an overview of stage legislation regarding Narcan.

This outlines some tips first responders use; however, it's important to call 911 immediately to activate first responders. They deal with this daily, even in rural communities.

The mainly rural county of Yavapai, Arizona, saw sixtyeight drug overdoses deaths in 2022, with 28% of those females. However, they are seeing more deaths in the 60-year old plus population, with a 600% increase in 2022 of 14 60-plus year old deaths.

Jack Schwartz, a risk management consultant in New York, offers a few words of warning on professional liability coverage from. “Those in the nonprofit and social service industries who may administer naloxone to reverse an opioid overdose should verify that such actions are not excluded by their professional liability coverage."

According to Schwartz, policies for human and social service organizations often contain professional liability coverage as part of their general liability policy or broader package policy. The terms of such coverage vary between carriers and their different forms. Depending on the form, some carriers may exclude coverage for the administering of Narcan.

Some carriers will include a specific endorsement affirmatively granting coverage and removing any doubt, but for those carriers that don't, pay attention to the wording to ensure no exclusions apply, according to Schwartz.

I spoke with Brad Storey, Vice President of Risk Management, and Dawn Martin, Vice President of Underwriting, of the Irwin Siegel Agency in New York, a managing general agency specializing in social services insurance and risk management.

According to Martin, their programs have no exclusions for administering Narcan whether by a licensed or unlicensed employee.

As far as claims history involving administering Narcan, “When Narcan recently became available over the counter, we reviewed our claims as far back as Narcan use approval in 2015, and we've had no claims," Storey said.

“Our insureds are on the front lines of serving some of the most vulnerable populations. At a time when the opioid epidemic continues to rise, Narcan is a necessary tool and saves lives" Storey said.

“Our insureds are on the front lines of serving some of the most vulnerable populations. At a time when the opioid epidemic continues to rise, Narcan is a necessary tool and saves lives" Storey said.

Many people working front-line in substance abuse such as needle exchange and treatment centers specialize in preventing overdose and administering Narcan and will almost always be very open to providing information and advice.

A SHRM article on the subject states, “Increasingly, state laws shield employers from being liable for administering it." They also recommended that employers consider the industry they are in, like construction, where given the injury frequency, employees may be more prone to substance use. While this article says it should be kept locked, I do not see this practice at any place where I've seen it. Immediate access is imperative and it's simple to administer.

Remember, too, that once treated, the person treated may have a seizure and sometimes become agitated, so there is always that consideration. Training usually warns about that risk and recommends that two work to administer. I would recommend one administering and one standing back watching to assist while staying on the phone with 911, because any fentanyl exposure can then be more limited to the person administering.

This is a timely and urgent topic. In 2021,106,999 people died in the U.S. from drug overdose deaths. There was a slight decline in 2022, probably linked to more effective use of Narcan. The US Surgeon General Jerome Adams recommended in a talk in 2018 that Narcan access should be as prevalent as EpiPens or defibrillators.

While I found few lawsuits involving the use of Narcan, all one needs to do to present a claim is to assert some type of negligence. In one instance, a person allegedly rendered a quadriplegic after mistakenly being administered Narcan after suffering respiratory distress sued the local township, fire department and several first responders.

As with any emerging risk, more issues may arise. However, when faced with saving a life, we must act quickly and decisively, and any of these life-saving decisions, whether they involve a defibrillator or Narcan, carry inherent risk.