RURAL MUTUAL

To help keep your family, farm and business safe, we've compiled a list of the top 10 most encountered hazards identified by Rural Mutual Insurance staff. Please use this as a self-inspection to look around your property. Did you know that 40 percent of small businesses permanently close after a significant loss occurs? About 25 percent of those that reopen will fail within one year, and 90 percent of those that reopen will fail within two years according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. As an insurance company, we can help provide some financial guarantees to protect you from loss, but there are a host of factors that add to these sobering statistics.

It's important to understand that generally no single factor causes a loss. In nearly all post-incident root causes analysis, a list of contributing and causal factors combined to result in the loss. Some of these hazards may seem less impactful than others. When combined with the other factors that routinely are identified in a loss, correcting that one minor hazard may break the chain of factors and events that will lead to a significant loss.

1. Are portable fire extinguishers provided in adequate number and type, mounted (42-48 inches above floor as measured to the top of handle) in readily accessible locations, and inspected annually with the inspection date noted on the inspection tag? [OSHA 29 CFR 1910.157(e)(3)] 2. Are diesel and gasoline fueling tanks more than 110-gallon capacity located at least 40 feet from the nearest building? Unless a containment system is provided, consult with Loss Control for assistance with containment systems) [WI Administrative Code SPS 310.630(2)(a)], and protected from vehicle impact? Suitable barriers would be 4 inches in diameter steel pipe filled with concrete, set 3 feet deep in concrete footing with a footing not less than 15 inches in diameter, spaced 4 feet apart and 5 feet from the protected object. [NFPA 30:4.3.7.2] Rocks, concrete blocks/barriers or other barrier devices capable of preventing vehicle contact with the tank also are acceptable. [Rural Mutual Insurance requirement].

3. Are eyewash or shower stations provided for the quickdrenching or flushing of the eyes and body within 10 seconds unimpeded travel distance of where corrosive liquids or other injurious chemicals are handled? Testing of these facilities must be conducted and documented weekly. [OSHA 29 CFR 1910.151(c), ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 incorporated by reference]. 4. Are machine guards in place on equipment to protect employees from point of operation, nip points and rotating part hazards? [OSHA 29 CFR 1910.212(a)(1), OSHA 29 CFR 1928.57 for farming operations]. 5. Are electrical outlets, junctions, raceways, panels, etc.; covered, have knock-out plugs (or blanks) in-place and free of exposed wiring? [OSHA 29 CFR 1910.303(b)(7)(i)]. 6. Are compressed flammable gas cylinders stored in a wellprotected, well-ventilated, dry location, at least 20 (6.1 meters) feet from combustible materials? An assigned storage area must provide a method (rope or non-sparking chain) to secure cylinders from accidentally being knocked over. Cylinders shall not be kept in unventilated enclosures such as lockers and cupboards. [OSHA 29 CFR 1910.253(b)(2)(ii)] 7. Are manure pits and lagoons fenced to prevent unauthorized access? If fencing is not feasible, appropriate warning signs should be placed around the perimeter of the manure pit. If warning signs only are installed, the signs must be maintained in a visible and legible condition. Any issues of feasibility are subject to Underwriter/Loss Control approval. [NRCS Code 382, Item 12] Note: Signs can be purchased from Grainger using your Farm Bureau membership discount: grainger.com/product/ACCUFORM-Chemical-22CY14. 8. Are electrical panels provided with at least 36 inches of clearance and materials not stored in this clear area? It can be helpful to mark this area with yellow lines. Access path to the panels can be no less than 30 inches wide. [OSHA 29 CFR 1910.303(g)(1)(i)(B)] 9. Is the property free of any extension cords used for permanent applications? Extension cords should not be used in place of permanent wiring and should not be run through walls, across aisle ways or attached to the building structure. [OSHA 29 CFR 1910.305(g)(1)(ii)] 10. Are containers (i.e., cans, pails, tanks) labeled with the chemical name and hazard information (i.e., flammable, irritant, carcinogen, etc.)? [OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(6)]

From our family to yours, we wish you a safe, happy and healthy beginning to the new year.

As the Weather Gets Colder, Safety Risks Are Heating Up By Chris Schlechta, Safety and Loss Control Manager, Rural Mutual Insurance Company

Once again, it's that time of the year when Mother Nature turns off the heat outside, forcing us to turn up the heat indoors.

With the winter season also comes safety risks to be aware of as we heat our homes and businesses. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 48 percent of home heating fires occur during December, January and February. While that isn't a surprise with that being the coldest months in Wisconsin, there also isn't much guesswork to protecting yourself, family or property.

There aren't many things more relaxing than the warmth and smell of a fireplace or wood-burning stove. To truly enjoy it without worrying about the flames escaping their confinement takes a few simple safety tips. • Ensure your wood-burning appliance has been properly installed by a qualified contractor according to the manufacture's specifications. • Have your chimney inspected annually by a qualified professional and cleaned if necessary. Approximately 87 percent of the 56,000 residential fires attributed to home heating in a 2011 NFPA study, were a result of chimney fires due to lack of proper cleaning and inspection. A chimney by design isn't made for the high temperatures of direct-flame impingement and will fail quickly allowing the fire to spread into the home. • Maintain a 3-foot safety zone around fireplaces and woodburning appliances. Don't store any combustible materials within this area. Make sure your floor is protected with a noncombustible floor covering like a hearth pad within this area to catch wayward sparks. • Burn ONLY clean dry wood. NEVER burn garbage, plastics or other materials. The byproducts of burning anything other than clean dry wood will accumulate in the chimney and may lead to a fire inside the chimney. • When cleaning a fireplace or woodburning appliance, place ash into a metal bucket and stored outside for a week before disposing of it in a trash can. Embers can retain heat for several days and rekindle causing a fire. • Have a fire extinguisher nearby in case of emergency.

In addition to the fire risks, carbon monoxide is an ever-present danger with any type of heating appliance using a combustible fuel source. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas and is a byproduct of incomplete combustion. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, carbon monoxide poisoning kills more than 400 Americans every year and sends more than 20,000 to emergency rooms. • Ensure that the chimney, flues and other exhaust pipes for combustion appliances are unobstructed. In addition to animals creating obstructions, special attention should be paid to heating exhaust pipes that horizontally vent through a polyvinyl chloride pipe on the side of the hose during large snowfall events. Drifting snow will quickly cover exhaust pipes and cause exhaust to backup into the house. • Periodically inspect chimney connections to ensure that connections are properly sealed. • Any appliances that use a horizontal chimney connection pipe must be properly installed to provide at least a 1/4-inch rise for every 4 feet in horizontal run. This ensures a proper draft is maintained to expel exhaust out of the home. • Install a carbon monoxide detector on every floor and outside of bedrooms. • Have your furnace periodically inspected and maintained to identify conditions like a cracked heat exchanger that will cause carbon monoxide to leak into the home. • When warming up a vehicle, pull the vehicle out of the garage and close the garage door. Vehicle exhaust containing high concentrations of carbon monoxide can accumulate in the open garage and seep into the home.

Taking time to implement these safety tips will help to ensure that your winter heating season is safe. On behalf of our safety and loss control team, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a safe, joyous new year.

It's estimated the surface web— websites and data visible to everyone—represents less than five percent of the total information and locations on the internet. Beneath the surface lies the deep web—also known as the hidden, invisible and dark web. In this article, we will shine light on the dark web—what it is, how it's accessed, and what types of information end up there.

Dark Web may sound like the ominous abode of the Sith lord, but really, it's part of the internet where users are anonymous and information and activity is mostly unregulated.

The dark web was created by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and a lot of what takes place there isn't criminal. For example, the dark web also is home to journalists, human rights activists and whistleblowers who want to pass information securely and safely.

The anonymity also draws criminals and illegal activity. On the dark web, hackers and cybercriminals trade in identity information, stolen accounts and how-to guides for profiting from fraud. You don't want your personal or business data to end up in the wrong hands, but there are easy steps you can take to avoid that.

Pages in the dark web are not indexed by Google, Bing, Yahoo or other popular search engines used on the surface web. You can't reach dark web locations using a standard browser like Chrome, Safari or Firefox. Instead, deep web explorers use the TOR browser, which stands for The Onion Router. Today, more than 65,000 unique onion URLs can be found on the Tor network, and about one-half are estimated to be involved in criminal activity. The rest serve legitimate purposes such as chat room communications, marketplaces and file servers.

Many unsavory products are sold on the dark web. Some of the kinds of business and personal information transacted online by cybercriminals and identity thieves include: • Fake and Genuine Identities: Criminals sell fake identification documents (i.e., underage access to a bar) as well as identities of real people (i.e., to assume a new identity or to commit fraud). • User Logins for Financial Accounts: Just $70.91 can purchase access to a bank account. Thieves can try to transfer money out of a bank, charge up credit cards, take out a loan or perform an account takeover. • Medical Records: Millions of medical files are for sale and cybercriminals can access records for quality of identity information. • Business Network Credentials: You don't have to be a hacker to break into a corporate network. And with employees working at home during the pandemic, there were 69 percent more postings selling corporate network access logins during the first quarter of 2020. • Accounting Department Email Addresses: These are valuable to cybercriminals for phishing campaigns because the addresses belong to the personnel dealing with money in a company.

If you're taking steps to guard the security of your business and personal data, you don't need to worry about the dark web. For individuals, these steps include being careful with passwords, using two-factor authentication and using an identity monitoring service with dark web monitoring. Businesses also should conduct anti-phishing training for employees, deploy network protection and cybersecurity solutions and carry cyber insurance with breach resolution.

To learn more about digital defense tools that you can use to protect your personal information, contact your local Rural Mutual Insurance agent or visit ruralmutual.com.

1Computer Business Review, "What is the Deep Web and how to access it," Aug. 4, 2020. 2International Monetary Fund, "The Truth about the Dark Web," F&D magazine, Sept. 2019. 3Irish Tech News, "Your Entire Online Identity Could Be Worth Less than €900 On Dark Web, New Report Reveals," Feb. 23, 2019. 4CBS This Morning, "Hackers are stealing millions of medical records – and selling them on the dark web," Feb. 14, 2019. 5Positive Technologies, "Access for sale," May 20, 2020. 6Digital Shadows, Photon Research Team, "From Exposure to Takeover," 2020.