Court Reinstates OSHA Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard

On Friday Dec. 17, 2021, the 6th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals reinstated the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) federal emergency temporary standard (ETS) for COVID-19. The 6th Circuit court decision reverses the stay ordered in November by the 5th Circuit and allows OSHA to resume ETS implementation and enforcement nationwide.

The ETS establishes a mandatory vaccination policy requirement for private employers with 100 or more employees. ETS opponents have already filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court challenging the 6th Circuit’s decision.  Continue reading

Cyber Risk Prevention

Cybersecurity Best Practices How to Address Today's Cyber Threat

High-profile cyber attacks like the Microsoft Exchange server hack, the SolarWinds Orion software compromise and the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack have highlighted increasing cyber risk for nearly every type of business. Furthermore, 2020 brought a massive shift to working from home for many companies due to the COVID-19 pandemic, further exacerbating the increase in frequency and severity of cyber attacks. As a result, the cyber liability insurance market is seeing increased premiums and deductibles and lower coverage limits. Businesses across all industry segments are subject to these trends.  Continue reading

Affordable Housing

Affordable Housing’s Growing Insurance Problem

Even though many academics are sounding the alarm over the housing affordability crisis in the United States, the affordability problem continues to intensify. Recently, researchers at Freddie Mac increased their 2018 housing shortage estimation by 52% to 3.8 million housing units.  In addition to the staggering increases in development costs over the last decade, escalating operational costs are threatening the affordable housing industry. One of these unseen costs that is significantly impacting the successful operation of affordable housing organizations is insurance.    Continue reading

Hurricane Preparedness for Businesses

With the peak of hurricane season upon us, it is important for businesses to know how to proactively minimize potential loss and maximize loss prevention in the event of a hurricane. Being well prepared is critical to this objective and to keeping your business as healthy as possible.

Pre-storm Property Preparation

Even before a hurricane forms, businesses can start preparing. A good first step to take is to check local flood maps and have a licensed professional inspect your building to ensure it complies with the wind loading requirements of your area. Consider also installing impact-resistant film on windows and reinforcing any potentially weaker points in the building. Create a list of companies which can assist in recovery efforts should heavy damages occur.  Continue reading