Risk & Business

Image via Wikipedia In case you were't aware, the Delaware Compensation Rating Bureau (DCRB) recently filed to stop the further pending rate decreases to workers compensation mandated by the Delaware Insurance Commissioner 's office. The DCRB had disputed the cost savings that were to be realized by the medical savings containment measures in Sentate Bill 1 of the 144th Delaware General Assembly . Ruling against the DCRB on July 24th, the Delaware Chancery Court and the Supreme Court upheld the pending rate decreases as previously set forth by the commissioner 's office. Hopefully the cost containment measures put into place by Senate Bill 1 will realize the savings projected in the bill. If not, the prior and pending rate decreases may be for naught, since the obvious fix may be the reversal of these rate decreases, putting us in the same place as before.

Image via Wikipedia When was the last time you took a few minutes to perform a quick safety inspection of your workplace? You might be a small business owner and don't have a risk manager on staff so it falls to you to ensure that there are proper safety procedures in place and risk is mitigated for customers and employees alike. After all, a simple slip and fall can have a disastrous effect on either your workers compensation policy, in the case of an employee mishap, or on your general liability policy, should a customer suffer an injury. Take a few minutes to inspect all signs for emergency exits , fire extinguishers and alarms to make sure they are clearly visible/lit in the event of an emergency. Also, look for trip and fall hazards, wiring looking frayed or worn, and make sure you have surge protectors installed. It might not sound like much, but just a few minutes paying attention to safety related details can save you a bunch of premium dollars down the road. ...

Image via Wikipedia According to the latest circular released by the Delaware Compensation Rating Bureau, (DCRB), after a period of review the rates in Delaware for workers compensation have been decreased an average of 9.74% for residual market rates and 11.3% in voluntary market rates effective this past December 1st. Obviously, with the state of the economy locally, this can't hurt. Hopefully with all the stimulas money coming out of Washington some of it will trickle down to our State and put our local contractors to work, either through infrastructure improvements needed or get the banks lending again and create a possible increase in housing construction. Reblog this post [with Zemanta]">

Image via Wikipedia While recently reading the current issue of an insurance industry trade magazine , American Agent & Broker, I came across an article discussing workers compensation . The article, entitled "Workers' Comp: 7 Biggest Mistakes", discussed proactive steps the employer should consider in order to increase the chances of the injured worker returning to work quickly, and also cut down on the cost to the employer. Some steps mentioned are - meeting with care providers to discuss the care of the employee; having regular on site file reviews of the injured workers case; using a medical doctor of their choosing to review medical records and reports instead of relying solely on the adjuster to make medical decisions, and simply staying involved with the process from start to finish. They did throw in one other step that's quite important, asking for and receiving assistance from your agent. While the agent cannot get involved in the actual adjus...

Image via Wikipedia Matt Denn , the outgoing Delaware Insurance Commissioner , soon to be Lieutenant Governor , has ordered up additional cuts to the Delaware workers compensation rating structure. According to the insurance department's website, "The latest order by Commissioner Denn requires that the state’s workers’ compensation insurance companies discount average premiums by 6 percent each year in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and by 5 percent in 2011." Based upon their information, with these rate cuts and previous cuts already put into place since November of 2007, the total decrease in rates will add up to 45%. This is certainly good news for the Delaware business owner , especially in these lean economic times.