Besides the health and economic devastation that the COVID-19 pandemic has left in its wake, it has also caused supply chain disruptions that have affected a number of industries.

Simply stated, the term “lean process” refers to identifying opportunities for improvement, implementing changes, and measuring the impact of those changes. Any industry can benefit from the lean process, but it’s not something that can be done overnight. Instead, big results come from many small changes occurring over time.

​In manufacturing, lean process is about optimizing processes, decreasing production time, and eliminating waste – that is anything that doesn’t add value. There are several types of waste:

Companies with global operations may face many political risks not typically covered under their existing insurance policies. Increased demand for protection against international risk exposures has led insurance companies to develop policies such as Political Risk and Credit Insurance. 

When a workplace injury occurs, it’s important to respond quickly by conducting an incident investigation. Quick and planned actions demonstrate your commitment to workplace safety and prevention of future incidents.
​
Every incident needs to be investigated. This process helps employers look beyond what happened and discover why it happened. If you have prepared an incident investigation plan, you can be confident that you’re taking the appropriate steps to investigate and address the causes in an effort prevent similar incidents from happening again.

Most goods in the U.S. are delivered by long-haul truck drivers. Businesses don’t often think about the unhealthy side effects that come with the truck-driving profession, and that can spell trouble for the drivers and for business profitability.

Thinking about using a drone for your business and expect your company's general liability policy to cover any accidents and damage it may cause? Be sure to read the policy.

Most general liability policies contain a broad exclusion that applies to aircraft (as well as autos and watercraft). The exclusion eliminates coverage for any bodily injury or property damage that you (or any other insured) cause while owning, maintaining, or using an aircraft.

The exclusion also applies to aircraft that you rent, borrow, or entrust to someone else. Here is an example of how the exclusion might apply.
​
While that exclusionary language would seem to not include drones, a recent court decision said it does apply to them. The standard language was written before drones really came on the scene, but the ruling said that drones fall into the catchall term for "aircraft."

One by-product of a strong economy is more employment, but the increased activity usually results in more workplace injuries.

That's because there are more inexperienced people on worksites and when a company is busy and there is more activity, the chances of an incident occurring also increase. This is especially the case in manual labor environments from production facilities, warehousing and logistics to construction and other trades.

The September USG + U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index found that 80% of contractors said that the skilled labor shortage is affecting jobsite safety and it's the number one factor increasing safety risk on the jobsite.
​

When you have business insurance policies you will often hear the terms “insurance binder” and “certificate of insurance,” but do you know the difference?

A binder is a contract of insurance. It's called a binder because it "binds" your coverage and creates an insurance contract and is used temporarily until the policy is issued.

A certificate of insurance is a form of proof of insurance warranting that you have coverage for a specific period.
​

Employers have options when it comes to their workers' compensation coverage. Before making a decision, it's important to understand the differences among self-insured, self-insured group, and fully-insured workers’ compensation insurance. Because a self-insured employer assumes the risk of paying the workers' compensation claim costs for its employees, it must have the financial resources to meet this obligation. Further, when considering a self-insured group, employers need to understand how the program works, the financial strength of the group, and how the group is managed.

Learn about these options in our article "Understanding self-insured vs fully-insured workers' compensation coverage," prepared for Iowa Association of Business and Industry.

Injuries due to slips and falls are one of the most frequently reported workers’ compensation claims. While these accidents can happen anywhere, any time, they typically spike during the winter months. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 20,000 workplace injuries due to falls from snow, sleet, and ice occurred in 2016. Of those, 28 percent resulted in more than a month off of work.

Employees and visitors alike are at risk, but with a proactive safety plan, slips and falls can be prevented.
​