In the event that a fire occurs at your commercial property, having measures in place to slow the spread of the flames and minimize potential damages is crucial. That’s where fire doors can help. These doors are specifically designed to withstand the extreme heat of a fire for a period of time, temporarily blocking flames from traveling from one area of a building to another.
Considering that time is of the essence when it comes to keeping a fire under control, these doors can make all the difference in allowing additional building occupants to safely escape the premises and preventing property damage. Yet, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards—namely, NFPA 80—emphasize that fire doors must be routinely inspected and adequately maintained in order to be effective.
Review the following guidance to learn more about how fire doors work and best practices for keeping these doors fully operational.
How Fire Doors Work
A fire door consists of multiple components—including the door, door frame, hinges, handle and additional hardware. Collectively, these parts are designed to withstand fire exposures for a set period of time, slowing the spread of flames and smoke throughout different sections of the affected property.
These doors can vary in size, materials and layout (e.g., a swinging, sliding, hinged or rolling door). These doors are typically utilized within the wall openings and stairwells of buildings. Installing fire doors in wall openings can help keep flames from spreading to additional areas on the same floor of a property. Implementing these doors in stairwells can deter a fire from traveling between different stories of a property and potentially allow additional building occupants to safely escape via the stairs. Fire doors can also provide firefighters with better access to the property overall, bolstering fire suppression efforts.
Each fire door is designed to meet the standards of its resistance rating, which represents how long the door can actually withstand fire exposures before eventually succumbing to the heat and smoke. This rating is determined through various testing procedures, and applies not only to the door, but also to its collective parts. Fire door resistance ratings can range from 20 minutes to three hours. For example, if the door can withstand fire exposures for one hour, then it will be rated as a one-hour fire door.
Fire doors are also considered in the process of establishing a property’s fire divisions. While some buildings only consist of a single fire division, a property may contain multiple fire divisions if there are measures in place to limit a fire from reaching different areas of the building. With this in mind, properties with approved fire divisions by way of fire doors in place may benefit from reduced commercial insurance rates, seeing as there is a lower risk of a fire spreading across the entirety of the building.
On the other hand, properties that remove or don’t incorporate fire doors and thus lack multiple fire divisions may encounter higher commercial insurance rates, since a fire is increasingly likely to affect the entire building and result in more severe damages.
Maintaining Fire Doors
While fire doors can certainly offer numerous advantages to a property, it’s important to note that these doors must be properly maintained to remain effective. In particular, some fire doors need to stay fully closed in order to work. Otherwise, flames and smoke will easily travel through any openings, defeating the purpose of the doors altogether.
However, fire doors that are equipped with fusible links—which are heat-activated devices designed to ensure that such doors adequately close in the presence of a fire—do not need to stay shut at all times. In these circumstances, the doors can be kept open as long as there are no obstructions (e.g., a door wedge) in the way that could potentially prevent them from closing when necessary. Keep in mind that most rolling fire doors are equipped with fusible links.
In addition to keeping fire doors closed or unobstructed, NFPA 80 also outlines the following installation, inspection and maintenance requirements:
Ensure all fire doors at your property contain a fire label and resistance rating from Underwriter Laboratories or Warnock Hersey—both of which are trusted safety certification organizations.
Only allow a competent, qualified contractor to install fire doors or make modifications to existing fire doors at your property. Modifying a fire door with the wrong components or hardware could result in the door becoming ineffective and losing its resistance rating. Also, be sure to consult the contractor about the possibility of equipping your fire doors with fusible links.
Regularly inspect fire doors for potential damages (e.g., large gaps, broken seals, loose hinges or missing screws). Further, make sure that each door can connect firmly to its latch without getting stuck on the frame before fully closing. Schedule repairs when necessary.
Have a certified professional conduct a visual inspection and—in the case of rolling doors—a drop test (a test that confirms the door works as it should and completely closes) on your property’s fire doors at least once every year. Based on the results, schedule repairs and make door replacements as needed.
California’s Leader in Insurance and Risk Management
As one of the fastest-growing agencies in California, GDI Insurance Agency, Inc. is able to provide its clients with the latest and greatest of what the insurance industry has to offer and much, much more. The GDI team has developed an “insurance cost reduction” quoting plan, that provides you with the best coverage at the best rate!
We are headquartered in Turlock, CA, with locations across the heart of California’s Central Valley, Northern California and beyond to provide a local feel to the solutions and services we provide our clients. We pride ourselves on exceeding our client’s expectations in every interaction to make sure that our clients know how much we value and appreciate their business.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air has higher levels of pollutants than outdoor air, and consequently can pose environmentally related health problems. Health care facilities must take particular care of indoor air quality; many of those in the hospital are especially susceptible to air quality problems, such as immunosuppressed, elderly or chemotherapy patients, and those being treated in bone marrow, neonatal or burn units. Your Health Care Facility needs to take particular notice of air quality. Hospitals also face unique risks regarding air quality:
The risk of spread of infectious diseases and other biological hazards
Chemical hazards
Ventilation requirements
Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)
When a substantial number of a facility’s occupants experience health and comfort troubles related to working indoors, the outbreak is referred to as sick building syndrome. The reported symptoms do not follow the patterns of any particular illnesses, are often difficult to trace to any specific source and relief from the symptoms tends to occur when leaving the facility. Employees may experience headaches, eye, nose and throat irritation, dry or itchy skin, fatigue, dizziness, nausea and loss of concentration.
Building-Related Illnesses (BRI)
A facility is characterized with BRI when a relatively small number of occupants experience health problems. The symptoms associated with BRIs are similar to those of SBS and are often accompanied by physical signs identified by a physician or laboratory test. Sufferers of BRI may also experience upper respiratory irritation, skin irritations, chills, fever, cough, chest tightness, congestion, sneezing, runny nose, muscle aches and pneumonia. These symptoms may be caused by the following conditions brought on my indoor air pollutants: asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, multiple chemical sensitivity and Legionnaires’ disease.
Contributing Factors
There are numerous concerns regarding health care facility air quality. The following are some that can be controlled by the facility.
Use of Mercury
Mercury is a bioaccumulative, persistent, toxic substance that threatens the health of humans. It is found in many health care settings, including pathology labs, patient areas, and clinical procedure and medicines. It is found in blood pressure monitors, dental amalgam, thermometers or thermostats, esophageal dilators, Cantor tubes and Miller Abott tubes, and histology fixatives and stains.
Mercury evaporates, and can be inhaled. Even a few drops of metallic mercury, when released into an enclosed space, can raise air concentrations of mercury to levels that are harmful to health. If mercury is not handled and disposed of properly, mercury can pose a serious health threat to staff and patients. There are mercury-free alternatives for almost all of these items. Your efforts can make a big difference.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
PVC is used in common plastic products like IV bags, surgical tubing and other medical supplies. If products containing PVC are incinerated on site, they produce a potent carcinogen called dioxin, which interferes with normal reproduction and development even at low doses.
Latex
Latex protein molecules can bind with cornstarch powder on the outside and inside of gloves and be inhaled by staff and patients in a large area. Many health care workers and patients have a latex allergy, and inhaling the substance puts them at risk of an allergic reaction, which can range from skin irritations to breathing problems.
Health Care Facility and Ventilation Systems
Biological contaminants including bacteria, mold and viruses can breed in stagnant water that can accumulate in ducts, humidifiers and drain pans of ventilation systems, increasing the risk of infection in all areas of the facility.
Proper maintenance of these systems and use of HEPA filters is fundamental to preventing the spread of disease. Without maintenance, filters become overloaded, allowing irritants and microbes to circulate in the air. A thorough inspection of your ventilation system should verify the following.
Outdoor air supply dampers are opened as they were originally designed and remain unobstructed.
Fan belts are properly operating, in good condition and replaced when necessary.
Equipment parts are lubricated.
Motors are properly functioning and in good operating condition.
Diffusers are open and unobstructed for adequate air mixing.
The system is properly balanced.
Filters are properly installed and replaced at specific intervals.
Damaged components are replaced or repaired.
Condensate pans are properly drained and are in good condition.
Carbon dioxide levels are under 1000 ppm, which is the maximum recommended level by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc.
Ways to Reduce Your Health Care Facility Risk
Reduce or eliminate the presence of dangerous chemicals in your facility by purchasing products that do not contain them or handling them in the proper manner.
Use mercury-free instruments and supplies
Avoid PVC and do not incinerate PVC-containing materials
Use latex-free or powder-free gloves
Focus on your ventilation systems. Ensure that the fresh air supply and air pressure are sufficient for each part of the facility. Make proper maintenance of these systems a priority.
Develop a training and communication program aimed at increasing the general awareness of the impacts of these irritants, and a protocol for use and disposal.
Avoid overcrowding staff and patients in one area, and make sure the amount of fresh air in the room is appropriate for the average number of occupants.
Clean and disinfect all surfaces regularly where irritants and moisture can collect.
California’s Leader in Insurance and Risk Management
As one of the fastest-growing agencies in California, GDI Insurance Agency, Inc. is able to provide its clients with the latest and greatest of what the insurance industry has to offer and much, much more. The GDI team has developed an “insurance cost reduction” quoting plan, that provides you with the best coverage at the best rate!
We are headquartered in Turlock, CA, with locations across the heart of California’s Central Valley, Northern California and beyond to provide a local feel to the solutions and services we provide our clients. We pride ourselves on exceeding our client’s expectations in every interaction to make sure that our client’s know how much we value and appreciate their business.
Contact GDI Insurance Agency, Inc. for more information about risk management and loss prevention strategies for health care facilities, including a complete Dental Labs Insurance program.
Everyone is susceptible to vehicle theft, whether they live in a metropolitan area, the neighboring suburbs or the rural countryside. In fact, after a downward trend in the frequency of vehicle thefts, there was a dramatic increase in 2020, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).
According to an NICB study, there were 873,080 vehicle thefts in 2020, a 9.2% increase over 2019. The NICB said the pandemic, economic downturn, loss of juvenile outreach programs, and public safety budgetary and resource limitations are likely contributing factors to this increase.
Thieves are opportunity seekers, often seeking vehicles that are consistently parked in the same location or that are unsecured. While not everyone will have their vehicle stolen, an increase in vehicle crimes can increase insurance rates. The NICB reported that about one-fourth of a typical comprehensive auto insurance premium pays for auto theft claims.
Anti-theft Safeguards to Follow
Adding multiple layers of protection can help safeguard your vehicle against theft. The NICB recommends the following:
Basic protections—Always remove keys from the ignition, lock doors and windows, and park in well-lit areas. Don’t leave your car unlocked and unattended with the engine running. Never store spare keys inside your vehicle. Safely hide valuables from plain sight.
Warning devices—Aftermarket alarms are available for all makes and models of cars. A qualified mechanic can install a visible and audible alarm system in your vehicle. Visual devices include column collars, steering wheel locks and brake locks.
Immobilizing devices—Prevent thieves from bypassing the ignition and hot-wiring your vehicle with an immobilizing device. Many options are available, including smart keys; fuse cut-offs, kill switches; starter, ignition and fuel pump disablers; and wireless ignition authentication. To determine the best device for your vehicle, seek the advice of a qualified mechanic.
Tracking devices—Tracking devices are very effective in recovering stolen vehicles. A qualified mechanic can install a tracking system in your vehicle that emits a signal to the police or a monitoring service if it is stolen. Some systems combine GPS and wireless technologies to allow remote monitoring of your vehicle. If a thief moves your vehicle, the system alerts you and you can track it on your computer.
Thieves can steal any vehicle, but, by adding layers of protection, you can make your vehicle a more difficult target for criminals.
California’s Leader in Insurance and Risk Management
As one of the fastest-growing agencies in California, GDI Insurance Agency, Inc. is able to provide its clients with the latest and greatest of what the insurance industry has to offer and much, much more. The GDI team has developed an “insurance cost reduction” quoting plan, that provides you with the best coverage at the best rate!
We are headquartered in Turlock, CA, with locations across the heart of California’s Central Valley, Northern California and beyond to provide a local feel to the solutions and services we provide our clients. We pride ourselves on exceeding our client’s expectations in every interaction to make sure that our client’s know how much we value and appreciate their business.
Contact us today 1-209-634-2929 for your comprehensive auto insurance quote!
OSHA Mitigation and Prevention Guidance for COVID-19
On Jan. 29, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued guidance on mitigating and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. The guidance applies to employers and employees in settings outside of the health care industry, and is meant to help them determine appropriate COVID-19 control measures for the workplace. Employers can use this OSHA guidance to plan and evaluate their COVID-19 prevention and mitigation procedures. With this guidance, OSHA strongly recommends that employers implement COVID-19 prevention programs. According to OSHA, the most effective programs engage employees and their union or representatives in the development and planning stages.
COVID-19 Prevention Program
OSHA asserts that the most effective way to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 at work is for employers to implement a workplace prevention program. For this reason, OSHA recommends that employers appoint a workplace coordinator to manage the employer’s COVID-19 response efforts. OSHA’s guidance outlines the following key elements for an effective COVID-19 prevention program and should contain the requirements below.
Hazard Assessments
Employers should complete thorough hazard assessments to identify potential COVID-19 workplace hazards. Employee participation in these assessments will increase the efficiency of this process because employees are the most familiar with the conditions they face. Once hazards are identified, employers should follow the principles of the hierarchy of controls to limit the spread of COVID-19 and implement other safety measures. Acceptable control measures include eliminating the hazard, engineering controls, workplace administrative policies and using personal protective equipment (PPE). Key examples include:
Separating and sending home infected or suspected infected employees from the workplace
Practicing physical distancing in all communal work areas
Installing barriers in areas where physical distancing is not applicable
Requiring the use of face coverings
Improving ventilation, hygiene and sanitation
Policies and Practices
OSHA guidance states that employers must ensure that their employees understand their right to a safe and healthy work environment. Employers should consider the following issues as they develop and implement workplace policies, practices and procedures:
Protecting employees at higher risk: Employers should implement protections for employees who are at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. For example, employees with disabilities may be legally entitled to “reasonable accommodations” that protect them from the risk of contracting COVID-19. In addition, employers should consider reasonable job modifications for employees identified as high-risk, including remote work or working in a less densely occupied, better-ventilated facility.
Communicating effectively with employees: Efficient employer-employee communication systems should be able to track which employees have been informed (and when they were informed) of COVID-19 facts and employer policies, procedures and practices. Employer communications to employees should address:
Basic COVID-19 facts, including how it is spread and the importance of social distancing, use of face coverings and hand hygiene;
A description of workplace policies and procedures implemented to protect employees from COVID-19 hazards; and
The procedure employees must follow and the contact information for the person to address questions or concerns about workplace safety and health issues.
Facilitating employee reporting: Employees should be able to report to their employer, without fear of retaliation, any COVID-19 symptoms, possible exposures or hazards in the workplace. Employers must communicate all policies and procedures implemented for responding to sick and exposed employees in the workplace to employees in a language all employees understand. A best practice is to create and test two-way communication
systems that employees can use to self-report if they are sick or have been exposed and that employers can use to notify employees of exposures and closures.
Training managers and supervisors: Supervisors must be familiar with workplace flexibilities and other human resource policies and procedures.
Isolation or Separation
Employers must instruct employees who have a confirmed case of COVID-19 to stay home, and isolate or quarantine. Similarly, employers should immediately separate employees who appear to have symptoms upon arrival to work or who develop symptoms during their work shift, from other employees, customers and visitors. Employers should also consider sending these employees home and encourage them to seek medical attention.
Employees’ isolation should follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) isolation and return-to-work guidelines. Please note that some employees may need to stay home and isolate longer than 10 days as recommended by their health care providers.
To the extent possible, employers should make telework or the ability to work in an area isolated from others, available to these employees. If telework or separation options are not possible, employers should allow these employees to use paid sick leave, if available, or consider implementing paid leave policies to reduce the drive for sick employees to report to work, thus lowering the risk of infection for everyone at the workplace. To assist with this decision, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act provides certain employers 100% reimbursement through tax credits if they provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19 through March 31, 2021.
Sanitation
An area may only be used again once it has been appropriately disinfected. Employers should not allow employees to share objects or tools. However, if sharing is unavoidable, employers should make sure shared equipment, objects and surfaces are cleaned and disinfected between uses. Employers should provide disposable disinfecting supplies so that employees can clean and disinfect commonly used surfaces before each use.
Employers should follow the CDC’s cleaning and disinfection recommendations if someone has been in the facility and is suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19. When cleaning and disinfecting the workplace, employers should consider opening outside doors and windows, as well as blocking off and sanitizing all potentially infected and immediate work areas and equipment. Additional cleaning and disinfection is not necessary if seven or more days have passed since an infected person visited or used the facility. Employees without close contact with a potentially infected person can return to the area immediately after disinfection.
Screening and Testing
Employers should follow state or local guidance and priorities for screening and vital testing at the workplace. Testing in the workplace may be arranged through a company’s occupational health provider or in consultation with the local or state health department.
Employers must inform employees of employer testing requirements and the availability of testing options (if any). The CDC has published strategies for consideration when incorporating viral COVID-19 testing into workplace preparedness, response and control plans.
Please note that screening and performing health checks is not a replacement for other protective measures, such as requiring face coverings and enforcing physical distancing. Asymptomatic individuals or individuals with mild non-specific symptoms may not realize they are infected, and some infections may not be detected during screenings.
Physical Distancing
Employers must implement physical distancing measures in all communal work areas. Physical distancing prevents workers from breathing in airborne particles produced by infected individuals when they stay at least 6 feet away. Employers can strengthen physical distancing measures by reducing the number of people or the density of employees at the workplace. To reduce workplace employee density, employers can implement flexible worksites, work hours, meetings and travel times, or allow employees to work remotely when possible.
In places where physical distancing cannot be practiced, employers should install transparent shields or other solid barriers to separate employees from others. Barriers must block face-to-face pathways between individuals in order to prevent direct transmission of respiratory droplets. When barrier openings are necessary, they should be as small as possible.
Face Coverings
Employers must provide all employees with face coverings. Face coverings must be made of at least two layers of tightly woven breathable fabric, such as cotton, and should not have exhalation valves or vents. However, when an employee’s job tasks require a respirator, employers must follow OSHA’s requirements for respiratory protection.
All individuals must be required to wear a face covering, except for:
Individuals under the age of 2; or
Individuals actively consuming food or beverages on-site.
Hygiene Practices
Employers must promote personal health monitoring and good personal hygiene, including hand-washing and respiratory etiquette. To accomplish this, employers should provide employees with time to wash their hands often or to use hand sanitizer. Posters should be prominently displayed in workplace areas to encourage good hand hygiene and physical distancing.
In addition, employers should ensure that employees, customers and visitors have adequate supplies to frequently clean their hands and cover their coughs and sneezes. Necessary supplies may include, but are not limited to:
Tissues and no-touch trash cans
Soap and warm water at fixed worksites and, if not available, alcohol-based hand sanitizer that’s at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol
Touchless hand sanitizer stations in multiple locations
Ventilation
The CDC has released guidance on ways to improve ventilation and reduce the spread of COVID-19 in buildings. Some of the CDC’s recommendations are based on the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Guidance for Building Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Some of these recommendations include:
Increasing ventilation rates when possible;
Increasing fresh outdoor air by opening windows and doors;
Using fans to increase effectiveness of open windows;
Checking filters to ensure they are within service life and appropriately installed; and
Considering the use of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation as a supplement to help inactivate SARS-CoV-2, especially if options for increasing room ventilation are limited.
Personal Protective Equipment
When the measures above cannot be implemented or do not protect employees fully, OSHA standards require employers to provide PPE to supplement other engineering or administrative controls.
Employers must determine what PPE is necessary (e.g., respirator, face shield, protective gowns and gloves). When PPE is required, employers must:
Provide necessary PPE at no cost to their employees
Make sure that all PPE is used and provided in accordance with applicable OSHA standards and other industry-specific guidance.
There are times when PPE is not required under OSHA standards or other industry-specific guidance. However, some employees may still have a legal right to PPE as a “reasonable accommodation” under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In addition, some employees may also want to use PPE if they are concerned about their personal safety.
Recording and Reporting COVID-19
Employers are responsible for recording work-related cases of COVID-19 illness on their OSHA 300 log if the case:
Employers must report a fatality to OSHA if the fatality occurs within 30 days of the work-related incident. For COVID-19 cases, an incident means an exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace. In order for a case of COVID-19 to be reportable, a fatality due to COVID-19 must occur within 30 days of a work-related exposure. The employer must report the fatality within eight hours of knowing both that the employee has died and that the cause of death was a work-related case of COVID-19.
Employers must also report inpatient hospitalizations to OSHA if the hospitalization occurs within 24 hours of the work-related incident. For COVID-19 cases, an incident means an exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace. An inpatient hospitalization due to COVID-19 must occur within 24 hours of a work-related exposure. The employer must report such hospitalization within 24 hours of knowing both that the employee has been hospitalized within 24 hours of a work-related incident and that the cause of the inpatient hospitalization was a work-related case of COVID-19.
California’s Leader in Insurance and Risk Management
As one of the fastest-growing agencies in California, GDI Insurance Agency, Inc. is able to provide its clients with the latest and greatest of what the insurance industry has to offer and much, much more. The GDI team has developed an “insurance cost reduction” quoting plan, that provides you with the best coverage at the best rate!
We are headquartered in Turlock, CA, with locations across the heart of California’s Central Valley, Northern California and beyond to provide a local feel to the solutions and services we provide our clients. We pride ourselves on exceeding our client’s expectations in every interaction to make sure that our client’s know how much we value and appreciate their business.
Contact us today 1-209-634-2929 for your comprehensive insurance quote!
According to a recent report from the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), cyberattacks currently reign as the fastest growing form of crime. In addition to security and reputational repercussions, these attacks can often cause significant financial disruption—with global cybercrime costs estimated to reach a startling $6 trillion during 2021. The Top Cybersecurity Takeaways from 2020 are listed below.
No organizations are immune to cyberattacks. In fact, over half (53%) of respondents from ISACA’s report expect to experience a cyberattack within the coming year. With this in mind, it’s important to review top cyber trends from the last 12 months and respond accordingly to ensure your organization remains safe and secure in 2021. Here are some of the most common cyber concerns from 2020, as well as best practices for avoiding them:
Social engineering—Cybercriminals implement social engineering scams to manipulate their victims into sharing sensitive information. This manipulation usually occurs in the form of impersonating an individual or organization that the victim trusts, thus making the victim feel falsely comfortable with providing their information. While these scams can happen via text, phone call or email, the latter method (also known as phishing) is the most popular. To keep these scams from wreaking havoc on your organization, instruct staff to always verify the identity of the individual or organization they are communicating with and be wary of sharing any sensitive information over the phone or online.
Ransomware—Ransomware is a type of malicious software that cybercriminals use to compromise a device (or multiple devices) and demand a large payment be made before restoring the technology for the victim. Since ransomware often appears in the form of deceptive links or attachments, encourage employees to never click on suspicious links or download attachments from unknown senders.
Software update issues—Although conducting routine software updates may seem like an arbitrary act, it can make all the difference in protecting your organization. Failing to update your software regularly can create major cybersecurity gaps, making it easier for cybercriminals to infiltrate your systems. That being said, keep staff on a strict update schedule, and consider using a patch management system to further assist with updates.
Cybersecurity Takeaways: The Importance of Promoting Strong Passwords
Cyberattack methods continue to grow and evolve over time. One specific tactic that cybercriminals frequently utilize is hacking victims’ accounts or devices by cracking their passwords.
This tactic is often all too easy for cybercriminals when their targets fail to create strong enough passwords to ward off password-cracking technology or—in some cases—simple guesses.
Nevertheless, cybersecurity experts confirm that establishing an effective password can increase the amount of time it would take for a cybercriminal to hack into an account or device from just a few hours to several years.
Taking this into consideration, password strength should be a top priority across your organization. Encourage your employees to create proper passwords with this guidance:
Focus on length—Choose a password that’s eight to 16 characters long.
Make it unique—Use at least two special characters within your password. Don’t use family or pet names, special dates or common phrases as your password.
Switch it up—Remember to change your password every 30-45 days.
Refrain from recycling—Never reuse or repeat a password across devices or accounts.
Cybersecurity Takeaways: How to Prevent a Malware Attack
Malware is a form of malicious software that cybercriminals deploy via unsafe links, downloaded attachments or other virus-ridden programs with the intention of disrupting normal computing operations, collecting sensitive information and controlling your organization’s technology system resources. Malware programs are being produced at an alarming rate and are consistently changing in form and purpose, making detection and prevention increasingly difficult for organizations across industry lines.
According to recent research, nearly 980 million (and counting) malware programs currently exist, while 350,000 new pieces of malware are discovered each day. What’s worse, an estimated four companies are targeted by a malware attack every minute.
Consider the following guidance to help prevent malware attacks:
Secure your systems—Take steps to protect your organizational devices from potential malware exposures. This may entail:
Using a virtual private network (VPN) for all internet-based activities (e.g., browsing and sending emails)
Installing (and regularly updating) antivirus software on all devices
Implementing a firewall to block cybercriminals from accessing your organization’s VPN
Restricting employees’ access to websites that aren’t secure
Limiting which employees receive administrative controls to prevent inexperienced staff from mistakenly downloading a malicious program
Educate your employees—Next, be sure to train your employees on how to prevent and respond to a malware attack. Give your staff these tips:
Avoid opening or responding to emails from individuals or organizations you don’t know. If an email claims to be from a trusted source, be sure to verify their identity by double-checking the address.
Never click on suspicious links or pop-ups—whether they’re in an email or on a website. Similarly, avoid downloading attachments or software programs from unknown sources or locations.
Only browse safe and secure websites on organizational devices. Refrain from using workplace devices for personal browsing.
If you suspect a malware attack, contact your manager or the IT department immediately for further guidance.
Ensure adequate coverage—Lastly, it’s crucial to secure proper insurance coverage to stay protected in the event of a cyberattack. After all, even with proper cybersecurity measures in place, attacks can still occur.
California’s Leader in Insurance and Risk Management
As one of the fastest-growing agencies in California, GDI Insurance Agency, Inc. is able to provide its clients with the latest and greatest of what the insurance industry has to offer and much, much more. The GDI team has developed an “insurance cost reduction” quoting plan, that provides you with the best coverage at the best rate!
We are headquartered in Turlock, CA, with locations across the heart of California’s Central Valley, Northern California and beyond to provide a local feel to the solutions and services we provide our clients. We pride ourselves on exceeding our client’s expectations in every interaction to make sure that our client’s know how much we value and appreciate their business.
Encouraging remote work has become a new normal for a variety of reasons. Whether it is to reduce costs of operating a physical place of business, address pandemic reasons or allow employees to have a better work-life balance, more and more workers are working from home. However, many organizations are not aware of how the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) oversees injuries that occur at an employee’s home. OSHA has provided guidance on how to deal with remote worker injuries and inspections.
Home Offices vs. Home-based Worksites
To start, it is important to distinguish home offices from home-based worksites for the purposes of OSHA inspections. Home offices are where an employee engages in office work activities. This consists of activities that use office equipment like computers and telephones.
In contrast, a home-based worksite is an area of an employee’s personal residence where the employee performs work of the employer (e.g., home manufacturing operations such as industrial sewing or woodworking).
The difference between the two is that one consists of office work and the other involves using an area of the home for employees to perform the work of the employer. This is important because the difference determines whether OSHA will perform an inspection.
OSHA Inspection Guidance for Remote Workers
OSHA has policies for both home offices and home-based worksites. The policy for home offices is that OSHA will not conduct inspections of an employee’s home office or hold employers liable for employees’ home offices. OSHA has never conducted inspections of home offices, but it will with certain types of home-based worksites that are dangerous or hazardous.
OSHA will only conduct inspections of other home-based worksites if it receives a complaint or referral that indicates one of the following:
There is a violation of a safety or health standard that threatens physical harm.
Imminent danger exists (including reports of a work-related fatality).
The inspection is limited only to the employee’s work activities since OSHA regulations do not apply to an employee’s house. For example, if a cabinet manufacturer sends home wood cutting tools for their employee to use for building cabinetry remotely, the inspection would be limited to the area in which the employee is working and would include the tools that were being used.
It is important for you to note as an employer that, in these situations, you are responsible for any hazards caused by materials, equipment or work processes that you provide or require to be used in the employee’s home.
If an inspection does occur, OSHA regulations will apply as they normally would, and the inspection process will be completed according to the standards—except what has been modified by the OSHA guidance for worksites in employees’ homes.
OSHA Liabilities for Remote Workers: Injury and Illness Tracking
Under OSHA, there are injury and illness recordkeeping requirements. An injury or illness that occurs while the employee is working from home is considered a work-related injury or illness if it directly relates to the activities of the job rather than the activities in the home environment. An injury is recordable if it is a work-related:
Fatality
Injury or illness that results in the loss of consciousness, days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job
Injury or illness requiring medical treatment beyond first aid
Needlestick or sharps injury, medical removal, hearing loss or tuberculosis
Employers must record work-related injuries that occur at home on the OSHA 300 logs like they would if employees were on-site and injured.
An example of a non-work-related injury is if an employee runs to pick up the work phone during work hours and trips, which results in an injury to the employee. Another example is when an employee hears their child crying, gets up to tend to their child and is injured in the process. Although both injuries occurred during work, they did not directly relate to the performance of the job. They occurred due to the general home environment.
While OSHA is not entering homes for inspections for home office complaints, you will still need to keep a record of those injuries or illnesses that are considered OSHA recordables. This will cause an increase in your incident rate that can be compared to industry standards under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). If your incident rate is high for the industry average, your organization can be flagged, alerting OSHA that there is an issue with your safety program. A high incident rate could likely initiate an audit at your facility.
Being Proactive
You can decrease the risk of recordable OSHA injuries by being proactive. Reducing these recordable injuries will lower your incident rate.
You should have a remote worker policy drafted and implemented so there is documentation of your expectations as an employer. The policy should define job tasks for each job description. This provides guidance to those working from home. It also helps provide documentation that may be needed to rebut a complaint from OSHA.
Job descriptions provide detailed information of what an employee should be doing for their job tasks. This is helpful because, if an employee is injured while performing an activity that is not within the job description, it does not have to be documented on the OSHA 300 logs.
You should also provide materials to assist employees in setting up their home office. Assisting employees with the setup of their home office to prevent any ergonomic issues is one way to reduce the risk of a remote office injury. This can be done by providing information to employees on:
How to set up their workstations
Proper posture
How often to take breaks
Stretches they can use during their shift
How exercise can help prevent injuries
A way to monitor the employee’s participation with proper setup of their workstation is to participate in virtual meetings where the employee can show the employer their workstation. This can be done by using a mobile webcam. Another option is to require employees to perform at home office inspections themselves (like a mini audit of their workstations) and have them submit them to you for review.
By providing training and assistance to your employees, it can help reduce the risk of having an OSHA recordable injury. Getting creative to drive safety initiatives without overstepping privacy boundaries of a person’s home can be challenging, but ultimately can be done. It can help prevent OSHA inspections and costly injuries, and reduce incident rates.
For more risk management guidance, contact GDI Insurance Agency, Inc. today.
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