Are You ready for winter weather?

10 ways to protect your home against cold weather

As winter fast approaches, it’s time to prepare your home for the cold weather. By accomplishing these 10 simple tasks, you can increase your home’s energy efficiency and protect it against damage caused by rain, snow and freezing temperatures.

1. Arrange for a home energy audit.

   This is done by a professional and can help you uncover any issues or problems with your home before the cold weather sets in.

2. Feel for under-door drafts.

   You may be surprised at how much energy we lose underneath doors that are not properly sealed. To cut down on energy loss, you can use a “draft snake” or replace the weather stripping beneath your door.

3. Seal around windows.

   You may be losing heat around your windows as well. By making sure they are properly caulked, you may cut your heating bill dramatically.

4. Add insulation.

   Many older homes have little or no insulation in the attic. Adding insulation to the attic, walls or floors can make a big difference in winter (conserving heat) and summer (keeping the cool air in).

5. Update your appliances.

   By upgrading an old furnace, or purchasing more efficient appliances, you can increase your home’s energy efficiency while keeping it warm during those cold weather months.

6. Change the direction of your ceiling fan.

   Did you know that rotating your fan clockwise produces warmer air, and counterclockwise produces cooler air? It’s true!

7. Install a programmable thermostat.

   Keeping temperatures lower at night can save you a lot of money on heating costs.Additionally, smart thermostats or temperature monitors will wirelessly alert you to unusually low temperatures in the home, which is a possible precursor to freezing pipes.

8. Lower your water heater temperature.

   By keeping the maximum temperature of your water heater just a little lower it will consume less energy, which can also save money.

9. Keep your home temperature no lower than 65 degrees.

   While you want to save money (especially if you’re away), you also need to make sure your pipes don’t freeze and expand, causing connecting faucets and pipes to freeze and break.  Consider covering outside faucets with insulation kits, or installing leak detection systems to shut down the water system and alert you of any issues. 

10. Clean your gutters regularly.

    Clear roof gutters and downspouts so they can drain properly and won’t cause issues with ice build-up or water overflow during a storm.

OSHA Increases Civil Penalty Amounts for 2019

OVERVIEW

On Jan. 23, 2019, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a final rule that increases the maximum penalty amounts the agency may assess against employers that violate workplace health and safety requirements. For most violations, the new maximum penalty amount is $13,260. For willful or repeated violations, the new maximum penalty amount is $132,598.

Federal law requires OSHA to increase its penalty amounts by Jan. 15 every year. Because the federal government shutdown delayed the increases for 2019, however, OSHA announced the new amounts  in a “pre-publication” version of the final rule issued on Jan. 15, 2019. Now that the final rule has been officially published, the new amounts apply for any civil penalties assessed after Jan. 23, 2019.    

ACTION STEPS

Employers should become familiar with OSHA’s new penalty amounts and review their workplace policies and practices to ensure compliance with OSHA requirements.

Background

Federal law requires OSHA to adjust its civil monetary penalty levels for inflation no later than Jan. 15 of each year. Under the law, adjustments are made by issuing a final rule that becomes effective on the day it is officially published in the Federal Register. On Jan. 15, 2019, OSHA issued an unofficial final rule to increase the maximum penalty amounts for 2019. However, the federal government shutdown delayed the rule’s official publication. The final rule was officially published on Jan. 23, 2019.    

Penalty Changes for 2019

The table below compares current penalty limits to the increased amounts for 2019 outlined in OSHA’s final rule. The new amounts apply to any penalties OSHA assesses after Jan. 23, 2019.      

MAXIMUM PENALTIES

VIOLATION CURRENT EFFECTIVE JAN. 23, 2019

Other-than-serious violation $12,934 per violation $13,260 per violation

Serious violation $12,934 per violation $13,260 per violation

Failure to comply $12,934 per violation $13,260 per violation

with posting requirements

Failure to correct $12,934 per day $13,260 per day

a violation until corrected until corrected

Repeated violation $129,336 per violation $132,598 per violation

Willful violation   $129,336 per violation $132,598 per violation

More information

Please contact Roaring Fork Insurance or visit OSHA’s website for more information about OSHA penalties.

Pinnacol warns that the most dangerous place for workers could be their vehicle

Employers in Colorado should consider adding safe driver training for any employees who drive for work more than occasionally, according to leading workers’ compensation insurer Pinnacol Assurance. Pinnacol recently analyzed the collective impact of motor vehicle accidents on workers. According to Pinnacol claims data, motor vehicle accidents account for 40 percent of the workplace fatalities in Colorado, potentially because more workers in certain professions are increasingly on the road as part of their jobs. 

Pinnacol, which covers about 60 percent of the businesses in the state, notes they receive approximately 1,500 motor vehicle accident-related claims every year. In the past few years, Pinnacol estimates about 40 percent of worker fatalities were caused by motor vehicle accidents, with the remaining deaths resulting from a broad array of causes. 

Motor vehicle accidents can result in severe injuries that impact multiple parts of the body, including the skull, neck and head, which is also why they are the most expensive workers’ compensation claims; they cost Colorado employers $173 million in the past five years. The other concerning factor noted by Pinnacol from their analysis is that in 26 percent of fatal motor vehicle accidents, workers were ejected and may not have been wearing their seatbelts at the time of their accidents. 

“We’ve seen employers in Colorado making tremendous improvements in workplace safety that ultimately keep our workforce safer and more productive, and these efforts resulted in fewer and less severe workplace injuries and illnesses,” said Jim McMillen, Pinnacol Assurance’s director of safety services. “But the consistent threat of motor vehicle accidents and fatalities is of great concern, and it’s clear employers should look to their driving employees and ensure they are properly trained and equipped to avoid accidents whenever possible.” 

The most common types of workers at risk for motor vehicle accidents were health care workers, truckers and noncommercial drivers (like chauffeurs and messengers), followed by auto servicers and police officers. Clerical employees are also at great risk. “Whether it’s health workers driving to clinic sites or patient homes or office workers simply driving across town to a meeting or for a work errand, it’s clear employees in nonprofessional driving roles are driving more often,” continued McMillen. “We are also distracted by technology more than ever, and this confluence of factors is important for employers to manage.”  

Pinnacol also noted 42 percent of motor vehicle claims involve drivers with less than one year on the job and that accidents most commonly occur in the summer months, between July and September.  

McMillen stresses that some of these accidents could be avoided with more safety training and adherence. “Defensive driving training should be part of any risk management program in which employees must drive for work, even if they’re not considered professional drivers or are driving their personal vehicles. The truth is, most of us could stand to take more driving training, and we should always, under all circumstances, put our smartphones away and wear seatbelts.”

Pinnacol safety consultants recommend all employees who drive as part of their job receive driver training. They also recommend employers consider driver performance management technology as the most effective strategy for fleet drivers or for individual vehicles. 

Check out Pinnacol’s Motor Vehicle Accident profile for a more comprehensive list of safe driving resources for employers.   

Get every driver home safe, every night.

Winterize your vehicle like a safety professional

In addition to winterizing your work vehicles, you should encourage your employees to get their personal cars ready for winter. Try these suggestions safety consultants use for their own cars:

• See if your lights, battery, brakes, wiper blades, antifreeze and heater/defroster work.

• Make an emergency kit for the car that includes a flare, ice scrapers, tire chains, a tow rope and jumper cables. 

• Install snow tires and/or measure the tread on your all-weather tires to see if they need to be replaced.

• Store kitty litter or salt in the trunk to help with traction on slippery roads.

• Stow a warm blanket, water and dried fruit in the trunk in case you get stranded on the road.

• Check the exhaust pipe for clogs caused by snow or ice, which can lead to carbon monoxide leaking into the vehicle.

• Always keep the gas tank above half full to prevent gas line freezing.

• Don’t idle the car to warm it up; this wastes gas and may harm your engine.

Is Your HVAC System Ready for Winter?

With snow flying in the valley now is a great time to get your home or office tuned up for winter. Making sure that your HVAC system is functioning properly is a great way to save money and prevent property claims. Residents of the Roaring Fork Valley from Aspen to Glenwood Springs are fortunate to have access to CORE - Community Office for Resource Efficiency. CORE helps home and business owners identify ways to improve energy efficiency. Property owners can apply for rebates for taking steps like having furnaces tuned up and installing smart thermostats (up to 25% rebates available). Check out their website here and find out about home rebates here and business rebates here.

Ransomware and Cyber Security Insurance

Did you know that October is Cyber Security Awareness Month? Neither did I…but this is a great time to review your current insurance program. We can quote cyber security insurance for your business in a few minutes so please reach out anytime to review options. If you run a restaurant, retail or hospitality business you have an above average risk of becoming a victim of a ransomware attack. Here’s what our company partner Philadelphia Insurance says about this threat:

Ransomware - a data-encrypting malware - typically exploits known software vulnerabilities and locks out users from accessing data and applications unless a sum is paid to the hacker (often in bitcoin or other cryptocurrency). While the extortion amounts alone can be significant, the additional costs may be even greater - network downtime can lead to lost productivity and income, expert forensic advice can be expensive, and publicity of the event can damage the firm's reputation. Even in cases where the business is able to restore from backups to avoid paying the ransom, the data restoration expenses can be substantial.

Read more here: https://www.phly.com/rms/blog/CyberThreat2018.aspx

Contact us anytime at 970-429-5700 or tim@outdoorinsurance.com for a quote.

Loss of Use & Additional Living Expense Coverage

On Saturday, August 25th a fire rendered 6 units in the Beaver Bench Condominium complex in Avon, Colorado uninhabitable.  Fortunately all residents and pets were safely evacuated and firefighters put the blaze out in under four hours.  This incident highlights the importance of Loss of Use or Additional Living Expense insurance coverage.  In the event that your condo or home becomes uninhabitable this coverage can help you pay for hotel rooms, moving costs, additional grocery or restaurant bills, laundry expenses, pet boarding and other expenses that you incur while your condo or home is being repaired or rebuilt.  These costs can pile up quickly in Aspen, Basalt and Carbondale due to high nightly rates, seasonal demand for hotel rooms and the general increased cost of living in the Roaring Fork Valley.  Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or for a policy review to see if you have this important coverage in place.

https://www.vaildaily.com/news/crews-battling-a-structure-fire-in-avon/

Condo Associations & Mold

https://www.aspentimes.com/news/local/centennial-owners-in-aspen-take-case-to-appeals-court/

Mold coverage is typically excluded from Condominium and Homeowners' Association policies.  This creates a substantial gap in coverage for both the association and individual unit owners.  Roaring Fork Insurance can help address property damage and bodily injury exposures created by mold growth and help you avoid costly assesments.  Contact us today for a quote or to discuss this important coverage in more detail.

Wildfire Preparedness

Below average snowpack has raised wildfire concerns throughout Colorado and the West.  You can reduce your risk by following these tips to help protect your family, home and property from wildfire.

How to Prepare Before a Wildfire

You may feel helpless against an encroaching wildfire, but there are plenty of things you can do to limit its damage. Here are some steps to follow if wildfire is a threat in your area.

• Install fire-resistant window treatments, smoke detectors and fire extinguishers throughout your home.
• Keep a garden hose that is long enough to reach the house and other structures on the property, as well as tools such as a ladder, shovel, rake, axe and water bucket.
• Install a back-up generator in case electrical power is shut off.
• Keep your property free of leaves, needles, hanging branches and other debris. (This includes the gutters and roof.)
• Maintain a minimum of 15 feet between tree crowns and trim tree limbs to 15 feet off the ground (or 1/3 total crown height, whichever is less). Thin and separate shrubs by a distance of at least twice their height. Remove any dead trees and vegetation from your property.
• Move firewood and flammable plants at least 30 feet away from your home.
• Maintain at least 100 feet of adequately watered space on level ground and 200 feet on sloped terrain around your house.
• Keep your grass short.
• Clear a 10-foot area around propane or oil tanks or around your barbecue area.
• Store valuable documents in a fire-resistant safe or an off-premise location.
• Post your house address so that it is readily visible from the street.
• Clear driveways as much as you can to accommodate large fire equipment. Make sure there is no flammable vegetation within 10 feet on both sides of the driveway and there are no overhanging obstructions within 15 feet.
• Have an emergency evacuation plan in place for your family and pets.

While all of these steps can help protect your family, home and property from damage caused by a wildfire, one of the best steps you can take is to find out if you're eligible for our complimentary Wildfire Defense Services through your insurance provider. Roaring Fork Insurance works with best-in-class insurance companies which offer these services.  We would welcome the opportunity to quote your home and provide a full review of the Wildfire Defense Services available to you.  For more information on wildfire defense please visit Chubb's website HERE.

Workplace Harassment

The #metoo movement has brought widespread attention to issues of workplace harassment across a host of industries.  As an employer have you taken time to review your employee policies and procedures?  Does your employee manual clearly state your stance on harassment and is it a zero tolerance policy?  These types of documented safeguards will help you if a claim ever arises due to harassment issues involving employees or volunteers.  Roaring Fork Insurance can help develop employment practices procedures for your organization.  We can provide additional protection with an insurance program that is designed to cover you for allegations of harassment in the workplace.

Read more about the issue and how it can impact nonprofits  here:

https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/non-profits/sexual-harassment-and-nonprofits-the-policies-needed-86586.aspx