​​With an economic downturn and lockdown due to Covid- 19 it seemed like the perfect time to heap on more “doom and gloom” so how about a little reminder about the “big one”. The US geological survey estimates there’s a 99% chance of another Northridge size quake occurring in California within the next 30 years  I’m no statistician but 99% sounds a bit like some high probability. If it’s going happen, my vote is in Year 29 or 30 but in case it should happen sooner there’s some basic things we should all be doing.
 
I would encourage all to at least think about buying earthquake coverage. In full disclosure, I do not personally buy earthquake coverage for my home because frankly I think the high deductible requirement and annual premium is a bit of a rip off- Oh sorry, I mean doesn’t quite make sense. However, my home is not worth multiple millions like many businesses with significant assets. With this in mind, I would at least encourage you to explore the cost of adding earthquake coverage for your business.  
 
From a personal perspective, it would be wise to make efforts to store fresh water, food, candles and some cash including smaller denominations. I also think it would make sense to make arrangements on how our families can connect/ rendezvous in the event of a large quake with significant infrastructure damage.

At the end of the day, at least we aren’t in Kansas because I would really hate to come home and see my house on top of the neighborhood witch.
 
Let our team know if we can assist with anything.

We know COVID-19 has turned everyone’s world upside down, in more ways than one, with potentially long-lasting effects on many businesses. We also know that humans are resilient and hopefully one day soon, recovery can begin, and we won’t need to air-hug our loved ones from six feet away or face the horror of running out of toilet paper at home.

In the meantime, we are here for you and your ongoing needs. Rest assured, we are doing our utmost to promote the safety of our people while maintaining the same level of attention to which you are accustomed. We have invested and continue to invest heavily in our team and the technology that allows us to provide you with uninterrupted service. Don't hesitate to reach out to us though our normal channels. 

We’ll see you IN PERSON on the other side.

The Team
​The Brokerage Commercial Insurance Services, Inc.
Phone: 949.287.5677
Email: support@thebrokerageins.com or your usual contact email
Fax: 949.335.0621

Although we’re not trying to stoke the pandemic fires, we thought it was important to send a quick note to share with you the actions our team at The Brokerage is taking in case our region encounters broad-based disruptions from the Coronavirus. The health of our team and the continuity of our client focused service is of paramount importance. As a result, we are enhancing our business continuity protocols to make certain we can continue to deliver uninterrupted customer service and continue to be your advocate no matter what is thrown at us.
 
Your WC Coverage:
If it was determined that one of your employees contracted the virus as a result of a work-related exposure, than your workers compensation coverage would apply. What would not be provided is the defense and indemnification (50% of an applicable permanent disability award) for allegations of Serious and Willful related to the disease. Although this is remote and would be difficult to support, an argument could be made that an employer is responsible if they failed to take “appropriate steps” to warn and encourage potentially impacted employees to stay home.
​
What you should think about:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended a number of strategies for employers that include:

• Actively encourage sick employees to stay home and not come to work until they are free of fever (100.4° F [37.8° C] or greater using an oral thermometer), signs of a fever, and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines (e.g. cough suppressants). Employees should notify their supervisor and stay home if they are sick.
• Limit non-essential travel and even then re-evaluate any travel to see if the purpose of the trip can be achieved via teleconference or web meetings.
• Ensure that your sick leave policies are flexible and consistent with public health guidance and that employees are aware of these policies.
• Do not require a healthcare provider’s note for employees who are sick with acute respiratory illness to validate their illness or to return to work, as healthcare provider offices and medical facilities may be extremely busy and not able to provide such documentation in a timely way.
• Employers should maintain flexible policies that permit employees to stay home to care for a sick family member. Employers should be aware that more employees may need to stay at home to care for sick children or other sick family members than is usual.
• Employees who appear to have acute respiratory illness symptoms (i.e. cough, shortness of breath) upon arrival to work or become sick during the day should be separated from other employees and be sent home immediately. Sick employees should cover their noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or an elbow or shoulder if no tissue is available).
• Place postings that encourage staying home when sick, cough and sneeze etiquette, and hand hygiene at the entrance to your workplace and in other workplace areas where they are likely to be seen.
• Provide tissues and no-touch disposal receptacles for use by employees.
• Instruct employees to clean their hands often with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60-95% alcohol, or wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Soap and water should be used preferentially if hands are visibly dirty.
• Provide soap and water and alcohol-based hand rubs in the workplace. Ensure that adequate supplies are maintained and place hand rubs in multiple locations or in conference rooms to encourage hand hygiene.
• Routinely clean all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, countertops, and doorknobs. Use the cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas and follow the directions on the label.

One final recommendation is to make sure the confidentiality requirements of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are adhered to when notifying other employees of possibly impacted employees. Employees exposed to a co-worker with confirmed COVID-19 should refer to CDC guidance for how to conduct a risk assessment of their potential exposure.
Thank you for allowing us to be your advocate.
 
 
The Team
THE BROKERAGE
COMMERCIAL INSURANCE SERVICES, INC.

                                          
The World Wide Web is a scary place, folks. As if you didn’t know already, amiright?
 
The advent and growth of the internet gave us the best of things (online shopping, cat videos, etc.) but, with that, came the worst of things:
 
“Trolls” – People who hide behind the shield of anonymity to say mean things to others they don’t know.
“Influencers” – At least the ones that have become entitled pseudo-celebrities in the habit of attempting to trade (air quotes) exposure (air quotes) in exchange for free stuff from businesses.
 
…and perhaps worst of all, hackers and scammers*.

As my parents age, I become more terrified that one day I’ll find out they’ve sent their life savings to a prince in Nigeria. My dad has lost many a laptop to viral contamination because he tends to click on anything that tells him to do so. The saving grace is he’s not a business owner and that’s not a business laptop he’s putting at risk everyday he’s searching for the perfect putter.
 
The Cyber world is indeed a scary one. And for those who don’t quite understand it all (which is most of us), just take a peek at your Spam/Junk email folder. Believe it or not, there are people out there who work day in and day out to scam money or data they can sell for money. Think of how hard you work at YOUR job. These are people who have a similar “work ethic”…except…well, they’re doing crime.
 
We’re not IT experts but there are a few simple things you can do to help prevent you and your employees from becoming victims of what the insurance world is calling “Social Engineering” (somehow tricking you into voluntarily parting with your assets) and phishing attempts (data mining):
 
Tip #1 – Pick up the phone! Always be sure to verify requested transactions or new banking information by speaking with the person directly. Your CEO sends you new bank information and wants you to transfer money? Pick up the phone and talk to her/him. (It goes without saying if you’re not familiar with the originating email writer, speak to someone you do know.)
 
Tip #2 – Don’t click on ANYTHING. Did someone send you a link purporting to be a file that was too big to email directly? If you weren’t expecting this transmission, refer to Tip #1. (Hint: Pick up the phone.)
 
Tip #3 – Don’t forget that your mobile devices, like that snazzy three-eyed smartphone you just picked up also contains sensitive information or access to it (like work email). Our recommendation is that you require more than just a 4-digit PIN on a phone being used for work.
 
Tip #4 – (Here comes the sell!) Consider buying Cyber Liability insurance. The term “Liability” is really a misnomer as the policy includes very rich first party coverages such as Forensics, Business Interruption, Extortion and the aforementioned Social Engineering. Granted nothing beats being proactive about not getting hacked/scammed, but you’ll be glad to have Cyber coverage in your pocket if you are breached. And nowadays, it’s more a matter of “when” and not “if”, statistically speaking. You think you don't have exposure but you do. Everyone does. Call me and I'll talk your ear off on how.
 
We used to say that all it takes to remain breach free is common sense. But with more things being accessible “online” (please Google “Internet of Things”), it now almost takes a Spidey-sense! The above, of course, is just the basics. If you think you have system vulnerabilities or haven’t updated your antivirus since you downloaded the free version three years ago, we recommend you check in with an IT professional to plug those holes.
 
We’re a phone call away if you have any questions about cyber risks, want to gripe about your junk mail or are merely curious to know how else to protect your assets from those lurkers on the internet.
 
*Not saying hackers and scammers are a new thing, if the 1995 movie Hackers starring Angelina Jolie is anything to go by. But with more things being done and accessed online, it’s created a burgeoning job market, so to speak, for these people.