Looking to work with one of the “Top Construction Insurance Specialists” in the New York area?  One who offers all “The Best Construction Programs?”  One who can get you better rates and coverage?  One who has 42+ years of experience, knows what they’re doing and gets you “Good Quality Coverage?”

Many of you are unhappy with the rates you pay, the exclusions in your General and Umbrella liability policies or the lack of help you get from your broker.  Many of you deal with agencies that are factory like once they write your policy you don’t hear from them unless you call for a certificate.

Good news!

Because we are specialists and represent the “Top 10 Programs” for New York contractors insurance so you don’t have to shop around because we do the shopping for YOU!

In addition, due to our relationships and “Gorilla” marketing leverage with carriers we can get you much better rates and coverage than other agencies.

How would you like someone helping you review contracts to make sure you are in compliance with their insurance requirements?  We can.

How would you like someone screening your subcontractor insurance to make sure they carry what’s required?  We offer that service.

How would you like to deal with a firm that knows the legal nuances of insurance contracts?  Is not just an order taker?  Knows how to design a policy to fit your needs?

How would you like to deal with a broker who when you call answers their phone.  When you email they email you right back?  When you text they text you right back?  Is there for you day and evening Monday thru Sunday?   And is always helpful, always available and always cares? 

Many contractors complain how they never hear from their broker.  They have lousy insurance.  That it takes forever to get a certificate.   That their rates are too high!

We are the opposite and this can be verified by going to “Google Reviews” typing in “BGES Group” and reading what our client’s have to say about us.

Here’s a list of the coverages we offer:

1. Builders Risk
2. Property
3. General Liability
4. Umbrella Liability
5. Business Auto
6. Worker’s Compensation
7. New York State Disability
8. Bid & Performance Bonds
9. Group Health
10. Homeowners, Auto, Personal Umbrella, Boat, Jewelry, Fine Arts, etc.

Let’s sum up what YOU can get by working with us:

1. Access to all the top New York construction insurance programs.
2. Excellent rates and “best” coverage.
3. You’ll be dealing with construction specialists who have 42+ years experience.
4. Tell us your issues and we will help solve them.
5. We can review your contracts and help you screen your subcontractors insurances.
6. We are an encyclopedia of knowledge on all aspects of construction insurance.
7. No phone tag. Immediate response to your emails and texts.  Available to help Monday thru Sunday day and evenings.
8. We are text book and street smart. We get the job done and give you peace of mind.

If you would like to speak with us call Gary Wallach at 914-806-5853 or click here to email or click here to visit our website.

BGES Group’s office, located in Larchmont, NY is a full service insurance agency offering, Property, Liability, Umbrella Liability, Business Auto, Bid & Performance Bonds, Inland Marine, Worker’s Compensation, New York State Disability, Group Health, Life insurance, Personal lines and Identity Theft.

Special Contractor Insurance Programs (NY, NJ, CT) – We we have 60+ insurance companies to market your general liability, umbrella liability, business auto, workers compensation, bid & performance bonds and group health coverages. We help contractors set up proper risk transfer. If you’re a contractor we offer extensive information about insurance markets, coverages, risk transfer, subcontractor screening, ways to lower your insurance costs.

BGES Group are Worker’s Compensation Specialists for the States of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – Issues we address: 1) Lowering pricing – we have specialty programs that can save you up to 40%; 2) Finding a new company; 3) Replacing policies that are being cancelled or non renewed; 4) Audit disputes; 5) Company creating fictitious payroll at audit time; 6) Lowering high experience modifications factors; 7) Misclassification of payrolls; 8) Lowering or eliminating renewal deposits;  9) Getting coverage when you’ve been without for a few months; 10) Covering multiple states under one policy; 11) Eliminating 10% service or policy fees; 12) Timely issuance of certificates; 13) Always being able to get someone on the phone or by email when you need to.

If you would like to speak with us call Gary Wallach at 914-806-5853 or click here to email or click here to visit our website.

Company: BGES Group, 216A Larchmont Acres West, Larchmont, NY 10538

e-mail: bgesgroup@gmail.com

website: http://www.bgesgroup.com

© – Copyright – 2021 – BGES Group

New:

1. Have high value property located along the shore line or on islands like Fire Island, Block Island, Long Beach Island, etc?  We have a property/liability/flood program that can give you the coverage needed.  Call 914-806-5853 for help today!

2. Check out our new Construction News website which will tell you what’s going on in the construction industry throughout the country.  Click here.

Article:

Employers Mull Higher Health Plan Cost-Sharing for Unvaccinated Staff

Some employers are implementing a new incentive for their workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19: Charging them higher health insurance premiums if they don’t.

A recent brief from consulting firm Mercer reported that employers are looking at surcharging the health insurance premiums for employees who refuse vaccination for reasons other than disability or sincere religious belief. Many employers apply similar surcharges for employees who use tobacco.

Delta Airlines recently informed its employees that they will face $200 monthly increases on their health insurance premiums starting Nov. 1 if they aren’t vaccinated against Covid-19, citing steep costs to cover employees who are hospitalized with the virus.

Employers may choose this option for a simple reason: The large costs of hospital stays and treatments for COVID-19 patients. When health plans incur large claim costs, they must either accept lower profits or make up the difference by spreading the costs among plan participants. Charging higher premiums penalizes vaccinated and unvaccinated employees alike.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has said that it is permissible for employers to require workers to be vaccinated. However, many employers have been hesitant to take that step, fearing negative employee reactions, waves of resignations and bad publicity.

Freedom of choice

Surcharging insurance premiums for unvaccinated workers may be an appealing alternative for some employers. Rather than ordering employees to get vaccinated, they would leave them free to choose.

Those who would rather bear higher costs as a consequence of refusing a vaccine would be free to make that choice. In turn, vaccinated employees would not have to subsidize the health care costs of colleagues who make riskier decisions.

A Mercer spokesperson has estimated that any surcharges would be in the range of $500 to $1,300 per year.

Extra costs like that might induce reluctant workers to get the shots. If unvaccinated employees decide to get vaccinated in order to avoid a surcharge, the workplace should be safer and more productive. Absenteeism due to illness can negatively impact productivity.

The takeaway

Employers need to consider the following before implementing surcharges:

• The EEOC has provided guidelines for employers wishing to offer vaccine incentives. Employers should stay within those guidelines.
• Are the incentives necessary? They might not be in areas or workplaces where vaccination rates are already high.
• The line between “encouraging” and “coercing” employees to get vaccinated is not well-defined. Employers should avoid imposing surcharges that could be viewed as coercive.
• Some employees have pre-existing health conditions that make the vaccinations unsafe. Others seriously practice religions that forbid their use. Federal law requires employers to accommodate these workers.

BGES Group’s office, located in Larchmont, NY is a full service insurance agency offering, Property, Liability, Umbrella Liability, Business Auto, Bid & Performance Bonds, Inland Marine, Worker’s Compensation, New York State Disability, Group Health, Life insurance, Personal lines and Identity Theft.

Special Contractor Insurance Programs (NY, NJ, CT) – We we have 60+ insurance companies to market your general liability, umbrella liability, business auto, workers compensation, bid & performance bonds and group health coverages. We help contractors set up proper risk transfer. If you’re a contractor we offer extensive information about insurance markets, coverages, risk transfer, subcontractor screening, ways to lower your insurance costs.

BGES Group are Worker’s Compensation Specialists for the States of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – Issues we address: 1) Lowering pricing – we have specialty programs that can save you up to 40%; 2) Finding a new company; 3) Replacing policies that are being cancelled or non renewed; 4) Audit disputes; 5) Company creating fictitious payroll at audit time; 6) Lowering high experience modifications factors; 7) Misclassification of payrolls; 8) Lowering or eliminating renewal deposits;  9) Getting coverage when you’ve been without for a few months; 10) Covering multiple states under one policy; 11) Eliminating 10% service or policy fees; 12) Timely issuance of certificates; 13) Always being able to get someone on the phone or by email when you need to.

If you would like to speak with us call Gary Wallach at 914-806-5853 or click here to email or click here to visit our website.

Company: BGES Group, 216A Larchmont Acres West, Larchmont, NY 10538

e-mail: bgesgroup@gmail.com

website: http://www.bgesgroup.com

© – Copyright – 2021 – BGES Group

New:

1. Have high value property located along the shore line or on islands like Fire Island, Block Island, Long Beach Island, etc?  We have a property/liability/flood program that can give you the coverage needed.  Call 914-806-5853 for help today!

2. Check out our new Construction News website which will tell you what’s going on in the construction industry throughout the country.  Click here.

Article:

How to Keep from Hiring a Serial Workers’ Comp Filer

As employers have found in the last few years, hiring has become more difficult as the labor market has tightened amid a strong economy.

With slim pickings, many firms are having to settle for workers they may not normally hire – but that can lead to issues.

Some employers even have a hard time finding candidates that don’t have substance abuse issues, while some people are serial workers’ comp filers, malingerers or have prior industrial injuries that can end up affecting your bottom line and X-Mod.

Here are some suggestions for helping you avoid someone who is likely to either suffer a workplace injury or file a fake workers’ comp claim:

Dig deeper in references

The difficult part is making sure employee selection meets your expectations. This may not be easy, particularly for smaller businesses, since vetting applicants is often limited to calling references they provide and perhaps a drug test.

Yet, even the basic step of contacting references can be made more effective by asking them if they know others who may have knowledge of the applicant. By extending the reach, it’s quite possible to obtain additional information that can be helpful in evaluating prospective employees.

The integrity test

This is one of the more effective tools for identifying job applicants who may be likely to file workers’ comp claims.

Employers often don’t use integrity tests in the belief that they are too expensive. But, a study by Cornell hospitality professors Michael Sturman and David Sherwyn of 27,000 employees of a national hotel chain highlighted the value of using such a test.

Using a test developed by American Tescor, the hotel hired 6,100 of 29,000 applicants. They then used the data from the test and compared the workers’ comp claims of the new hires to those of existing employees who did not take the test. The researchers concluded that the cost savings of screening the workers was considerable.

Based on the number being tested, the cost of testing appears to be $8 to $14 per applicant. The study also indicated that there was a notable reduction in workers’ comp claims among the new hires, which suggests that an integrity test can be a valuable tool for screening job applicants. Because of the nature of the test, it can be administered before a job offer.

Avoid ‘medical baggage’

You should try to give every applicant who has been given a job offer a pre-employment physical before being approved for hire. If someone has been out of the job market for some time, they are often out of condition for some jobs.

Having been sedentary for a long time can lead to back and neck pain and repetitive motion injuries. Also, job applicants can be carrying “medical baggage” that may not be found on a job application but may be revealed with a thorough physical examination.

Background checks

You should consider a thorough background check by a private investigation firm, particularly for employees who will be driving their own or company vehicles. If they have a record of past traffic violations and DUIs, this can spell trouble.

A background check can also reveal if a candidate has misrepresented their workers’ compensation history or medical condition. This can uncover a history of false claims or demonstrate that the applicant is a safety risk based on medical opinion.

Drug testing

This is not just a matter of identifying illegal drug use, as a test may indicate that an applicant is taking one or more prescriptions for a previous job-related injury. That’s information that would never be known on a job application.

The goal is to obtain as much accurate information as possible regarding an applicant, so the picture is complete and reliable. While it takes more time and means additional costs, the expense pales against that of hiring someone with a propensity for filing a workers’ comp claim, or who is more apt to suffer a workplace injury.

Employers need to comply with state and federal laws when undertaking drug screenings.

BGES Group’s office, located in Larchmont, NY is a full service insurance agency offering, Property, Liability, Umbrella Liability, Business Auto, Bid & Performance Bonds, Inland Marine, Worker’s Compensation, New York State Disability, Group Health, Life insurance, Personal lines and Identity Theft.

Special Contractor Insurance Programs (NY, NJ, CT) – We we have 60+ insurance companies to market your general liability, umbrella liability, business auto, workers compensation, bid & performance bonds and group health coverages. We help contractors set up proper risk transfer. If you’re a contractor we offer extensive information about insurance markets, coverages, risk transfer, subcontractor screening, ways to lower your insurance costs.

BGES Group are Worker’s Compensation Specialists for the States of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – Issues we address: 1) Lowering pricing – we have specialty programs that can save you up to 40%; 2) Finding a new company; 3) Replacing policies that are being cancelled or non renewed; 4) Audit disputes; 5) Company creating fictitious payroll at audit time; 6) Lowering high experience modifications factors; 7) Misclassification of payrolls; 8) Lowering or eliminating renewal deposits;  9) Getting coverage when you’ve been without for a few months; 10) Covering multiple states under one policy; 11) Eliminating 10% service or policy fees; 12) Timely issuance of certificates; 13) Always being able to get someone on the phone or by email when you need to.

If you would like to speak with us call Gary Wallach at 914-806-5853 or click here to email or click here to visit our website.

Company: BGES Group, 216A Larchmont Acres West, Larchmont, NY 10538

e-mail: bgesgroup@gmail.com

website: http://www.bgesgroup.com

© – Copyright – 2021 – BGES Group

New:

1. Have high value property located along the shore line or on islands like Fire Island, Block Island, Long Beach Island, etc?  We have a property/liability/flood program that can give you the coverage needed.  Call 914-806-5853 for help today!

2. Check out our new Construction News website which will tell you what’s going on in the construction industry throughout the country.  Click here.

Article:

Pay Attention to Policy Milestones to Reduce Workers’ Comp Costs

Once they have paid their annual premium, many employers pay scant attention to their workers’ comp policy until the renewal date starts closing in. Unfortunately, that’s not the best time to attempt to control costs.

Because workers’ comp is one of the most loss-sensitive insurance policies, and as claims can sometimes be paid out for decades, it’s important that you proactively manage claims. One way to do that is through a quarterly claims review process, the timing of which is in line with the calculation of your company’s Experience Modification Factor (X-Mod).

It’s important to review loss runs and assess all open claims three months into the new policy year, because the critical number crunching for calculating the X-Mod takes place six months after the policy anniversary date. This gives you three months to reduce or close claims that will affect the X-Mod calculation.

Policies that renewed on Jan. 1, 2020 used the loss experience from policies that were effective from 1/1/16 to 2/31/16; from 1/1/17 to 12/31/17; and from 1/1/18 to 12/31/18. In other words, it looks at the claims from four years ago to one year prior. It will not include the most recent year’s claims payouts, as they are still too fresh.

This is when it’s time to focus on trying to close claims and reducing reserves on existing claims. The top priority is getting the injured employees back to full or modified duty. If that isn’t possible and return to work appears unlikely, then consideration should be given to settling the claim.

Six months after policy inception is the most important day of the workers’ comp year, because this is when the insurance company sends loss information to your state’s rating bureau to be used in the calculation of your X-Mod. This is known as the valuation date, or sometimes, the unit stat date.

This information includes not only the money that the insurer has spent on claims, but also what it expects to spend (the reserves). In effect, your insurer takes a snapshot of your loss information and it is absolutely critical that these numbers are correct. With few exceptions, once the rating bureau has the numbers, they are set in stone.

Unfortunately, the numbers are often inaccurate because gauging claims costs is not an exact science. Also, errors are rampant in the system and, once an insurer sets reserves for a claim, it is hard to get them reduced until after the claim closes.

The window of opportunity is short and the process of correcting mistakes can take time, which is another reason for the comprehensive review three months after the policy’s inception.

Put reserves in focus

Pay close attention to reserves. They represent what the insurance company thinks the ultimate cost of the claim will be. It is not a guess, but it is more of an art than a science.

Its accuracy depends on the precision of the adjuster in evaluating the employee’s medical condition, anticipated time away from work, cost of medical care and other relevant costs.

Yet, the cost projections get counted exactly the same as the dollars paid out, so if the reserve is set too high, you will pay too much.

Although the X-Mod is set at the sixth-month mark, it is a good idea to continue the quarterly review process at nine months. Throughout the year, proactive management of all open claims will ensure that there are no surprises at renewal.

BGES Group’s office, located in Larchmont, NY is a full service insurance agency offering, Property, Liability, Umbrella Liability, Business Auto, Bid & Performance Bonds, Inland Marine, Worker’s Compensation, New York State Disability, Group Health, Life insurance, Personal lines and Identity Theft.

Special Contractor Insurance Programs (NY, NJ, CT) – We we have 60+ insurance companies to market your general liability, umbrella liability, business auto, workers compensation, bid & performance bonds and group health coverages. We help contractors set up proper risk transfer. If you’re a contractor we offer extensive information about insurance markets, coverages, risk transfer, subcontractor screening, ways to lower your insurance costs.

BGES Group are Worker’s Compensation Specialists for the States of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – Issues we address: 1) Lowering pricing – we have specialty programs that can save you up to 40%; 2) Finding a new company; 3) Replacing policies that are being cancelled or non renewed; 4) Audit disputes; 5) Company creating fictitious payroll at audit time; 6) Lowering high experience modifications factors; 7) Misclassification of payrolls; 8) Lowering or eliminating renewal deposits;  9) Getting coverage when you’ve been without for a few months; 10) Covering multiple states under one policy; 11) Eliminating 10% service or policy fees; 12) Timely issuance of certificates; 13) Always being able to get someone on the phone or by email when you need to.

If you would like to speak with us call Gary Wallach at 914-806-5853 or click here to email or click here to visit our website.

Company: BGES Group, 216A Larchmont Acres West, Larchmont, NY 10538

e-mail: bgesgroup@gmail.com

website: http://www.bgesgroup.com

© – Copyright – 2021 – BGES Group

New:

1. Have high value property located along the shore line or on islands like Fire Island, Block Island, Long Beach Island, etc?  We have a property/liability/flood program that can give you the coverage needed.  Call 914-806-5853 for help today!

2. Check out our new Construction News website which will tell you what’s going on in the construction industry throughout the country.  Click here.

Article:

Why Business Interruption Insurance Is Important

To ensure the survival of a company, business interruption insurance is a valuable tool. Although some companies may never use it, having this coverage can be the difference of recovering from a detrimental event or closing the doors forever. Business interruption coverage is just as important for any business as flood insurance is for an oceanfront business. Most people would never start a company without insuring their property and inventory from storms, vandals and perils.

Fires, mold, floods and even injury lawsuits may cause a business to close its doors temporarily, and the building or machinery may be unusable for some time. Business interruption insurance is added to a property insurance policy. After any type of disaster, shutting down the business costs the company a considerable amount of money in lost revenue each day. When this happens, customers start going to competitors. In some instances, they may be less likely to return even if the business reopens in a timely manner and offers incentives for returning.

Business interruption insurance covers any lost income if the company must shut down the building. Estimated earned revenue is based on average calculations that use the past year’s financial records. Also, this type of insurance covers expenses that still exist without operations continuing. For example, the electricity may be left on, and that would be covered.

When adding business interruption insurance to a property policy, be sure that the limits are enough to cover the company’s expenses for at least a week or more. This amount may need to be adjusted each year for a new and growing business. Many people make the mistake of buying insurance for an inadequate time period. In some cases, it takes a few weeks to resume operations. In most cases, business interruption coverage does not start until 48 hours after the business shuts down.

The cost of business interruption coverage depends on the nature and location of the business. For example, a real estate business located in an area that receives plenty of rain would cost less to insure than a restaurant that is located in a known fire risk zone. The added risk of ovens and stoves would increase the cost further. Also, insurers consider how easily a business could operate elsewhere. While the real estate company may be able to work from a temporary office location, the restaurant would not be able to easily resume offsite operations.

There is also coverage for extra expenses. This type of insurance reimburses a company for the amount of money spent that exceeds average operating costs. If it helps lower business interruption costs, extra expenses coverage will be paid in most instances. For some people, extra expenses coverage by itself may be sufficient instead of business interruption insurance. However, this only applies to businesses with workers who can work from home, at a library or at another location. To learn more, discuss this with an agent.

New:

1. Have high value property located along the shore line or on islands like Fire Island, Block Island, Long Beach Island, etc?  We have a property/liability/flood program that can give you the coverage needed.  Call 914-806-5853 for help today!

2. Check out our new Construction News website which will tell you what’s going on in the construction industry throughout the country.  Click here.

Article:

Why You Need ‘Key Man’ Insurance

If you are operating a small business, you are likely relying on a small crew to get the job done.

Many employees in small firms have to wear several hats and, if one of them or an owner should die, the business could suffer greatly from that sudden loss of talent or one of the owners who is integral to the operations.

If you don’t have “key man” insurance, that setback could be devastating to the viability of your operations, whereas coverage would provide you with extra funding that you would need while recovering from the loss.

Key man insurance is simply life insurance on the key person in a business. In a small business, this is usually the owner, the founders or perhaps a key employee or two. These are the people who are crucial to a business ― the ones whose absence would sink the company. You need key man insurance on those people.

Key man insurance basics

Before purchasing coverage, give some thought to the effects on your company of possibly losing certain partners or employees.

In opting for this type of coverage, your company would take out life insurance on the key individuals, pay the premiums and designate itself as the beneficiary of the policy. If that person unexpectedly dies, the company receives the claim payout.

This payout would essentially allow your business to stay afloat as you recover from the sudden loss of that employee or partner, without whom it would be difficult to keep the business operating in the short term.

Your company can use the insurance proceeds for expenses until it can find a replacement person, or, if necessary, pay off debts, distribute money to investors, pay severance to employees and close the business down in an orderly manner.

In other words, in the aftermath of this tragedy, the insurance would give you more options than immediate bankruptcy.

Determining whom to cover

Ask yourself: Who is irreplaceable in the short term?

In many small businesses, it is the founder who holds the company together ― he or she may keep the books, manage the employees, handle the key customers, and so on. If that person is gone, the business pretty much stops.

Determining the amount of coverage

• The amount of coverage depends on your business and revenue.
• Think of how much money your business would need to survive until it could replace the key person, come up to speed and get the business back on its feet.
• Buy a policy that fits into your budget and will address your short-term cash needs in case of tragedy.
• Ask us to get some quotes from different insurers.
• Check rates for different levels of coverage ($100,000, $500,000, etc.)

BGES Group’s office, located in Larchmont, NY is a full service insurance agency offering, Property, Liability, Umbrella Liability, Business Auto, Bid & Performance Bonds, Inland Marine, Worker’s Compensation, New York State Disability, Group Health, Life insurance, Personal lines and Identity Theft.

Special Contractor Insurance Programs (NY, NJ, CT) – We we have 60+ insurance companies to market your general liability, umbrella liability, business auto, workers compensation, bid & performance bonds and group health coverages. We help contractors set up proper risk transfer. If you’re a contractor we offer extensive information about insurance markets, coverages, risk transfer, subcontractor screening, ways to lower your insurance costs.

BGES Group are Worker’s Compensation Specialists for the States of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – Issues we address: 1) Lowering pricing – we have specialty programs that can save you up to 40%; 2) Finding a new company; 3) Replacing policies that are being cancelled or non renewed; 4) Audit disputes; 5) Company creating fictitious payroll at audit time; 6) Lowering high experience modifications factors; 7) Misclassification of payrolls; 8) Lowering or eliminating renewal deposits;  9) Getting coverage when you’ve been without for a few months; 10) Covering multiple states under one policy; 11) Eliminating 10% service or policy fees; 12) Timely issuance of certificates; 13) Always being able to get someone on the phone or by email when you need to.

If you would like to speak with us call Gary Wallach at 914-806-5853 or click here to email or click here to visit our website.

Company: BGES Group, 216A Larchmont Acres West, Larchmont, NY 10538

e-mail: bgesgroup@gmail.com

website: http://www.bgesgroup.com

© – Copyright – 2021 – BGES Group

New:

1. Have high value property located along the shore line or on islands like Fire Island, Block Island, Long Beach Island, etc?  We have a property/liability/flood program that can give you the coverage needed.  Call 914-806-5853 for help today!

2. Check out our new Construction News website which will tell you what’s going on in the construction industry throughout the country.  Click here.

Article:

Leasing a Car? Put It in Your Company Name

BGES Group’s office, located in Larchmont, NY is a full service insurance agency offering, Property, Liability, Umbrella Liability, Business Auto, Bid & Performance Bonds, Inland Marine, Worker’s Compensation, New York State Disability, Group Health, Life insurance, Personal lines and Identity Theft.

Special Contractor Insurance Programs (NY, NJ, CT) – We we have 60+ insurance companies to market your general liability, umbrella liability, business auto, workers compensation, bid & performance bonds and group health coverages. We help contractors set up proper risk transfer. If you’re a contractor we offer extensive information about insurance markets, coverages, risk transfer, subcontractor screening, ways to lower your insurance costs.

BGES Group are Worker’s Compensation Specialists for the States of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – Issues we address: 1) Lowering pricing – we have specialty programs that can save you up to 40%; 2) Finding a new company; 3) Replacing policies that are being cancelled or non renewed; 4) Audit disputes; 5) Company creating fictitious payroll at audit time; 6) Lowering high experience modifications factors; 7) Misclassification of payrolls; 8) Lowering or eliminating renewal deposits;  9) Getting coverage when you’ve been without for a few months; 10) Covering multiple states under one policy; 11) Eliminating 10% service or policy fees; 12) Timely issuance of certificates; 13) Always being able to get someone on the phone or by email when you need to.

If you would like to speak with us call Gary Wallach at 914-806-5853 or click here to email or click here to visit our website.

Company: BGES Group, 216A Larchmont Acres West, Larchmont, NY 10538

e-mail: bgesgroup@gmail.com

website: http://www.bgesgroup.com

© – Copyright – 2021 – BGES Group

New:

1. Have high value property located along the shore line or on islands like Fire Island, Block Island, Long Beach Island, etc?  We have a property/liability/flood program that can give you the coverage needed.  Call 914-806-5853 for help today!

2. Check out our new Construction News website which will tell you what’s going on in the construction industry throughout the country.  Click here.

Article:

Why Every Contractor Should Require Workers’ Comp Insurance

Two construction workers died on the job every day in 2013, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. One out of every 25 construction workers got hurt on the job that year. Workers in this industry need the protection of Workers’ Compensation benefits more than most.

Most states require employers to carry Workers’ Compensation insurance, but not in all cases. Many states exempt one-person operations from the requirement, for example. Regardless, it is a good practice for project owners and general contractors who hire subcontractors to require the subs to carry this insurance, whether the law requires it or not.

A typical construction project involves three types of entities: The owner who is paying to have the project done; a general contractor or independent contractor whom the owner hires to do the work; and subcontractors whom the GC hires to do portions of the work. The relationships between these entities and their employees differ.

While most states require employers to provide Workers’ Compensation benefits to employees, their laws also define who exactly is an employee. If someone is working on my property, but the law does not consider that person to be my employee, then I do not owe that person Workers’ Compensation benefits. States use several criteria to determine whether two parties are in an employer-employee relationship. These are similar to the criteria the Internal Revenue Service uses, such as control over when and how work is performed.

Typically, state regulators do not find a construction worker to be an employee of a project owner. The same cannot be said about independent contractors and employees of subs, however. Some sole proprietor subcontractors who suffer worksite injuries claim Workers’ Compensation benefits under the policies of the contractors who hired them. Often, state Workers’ Compensation law judges rule that these individuals were acting as employees of the hiring contractors, not independent contractors.

In addition, many state laws require an independent contractor who hires a sub to provide Workers’ Compensation benefits to the sub’s employees if the sub fails to obtain insurance. The injured subs or their employees end up collecting benefits even though that was never the intention of the hiring contractors. Consequently, insurance companies can and do charge independent contractors additional premiums when they find that uninsured subs have worked for them.

In a worse case scenario, both the independent contractor and the sub may fail to buy Workers’ Compensation insurance. Leaving aside the legal problems that will result for the employers, this leaves injured workers without sources of the benefits to which they are entitled. Their logical recourse is to sue the project owner. They may seek damages for an alleged failure to maintain a safe worksite or for negligence in the hiring and supervision of contractors. Since the project owners are not the employers of these injured workers, their own Workers’ Compensation policies will not help. Rather, they will have to seek legal defense and the payment of any awards from their liability insurance companies.

For these reasons, project owners should insist and verify that all contractors working on the job, including subs, carry their own Workers’ Compensation insurance. Independent contractors should do likewise with the subs they hire. Project owners may want to supplement their protection by making the independent contractors responsible for verifying that the subs have insurance, and by requiring the independents to hold the owners harmless from any lawsuits resulting from workplace injuries.

Construction is dangerous work. Every contractor setting foot on a job site should carry its own Workers’ Compensation coverage, whether the law requires it to or not.

BGES Group’s office, located in Larchmont, NY is a full service insurance agency offering, Property, Liability, Umbrella Liability, Business Auto, Bid & Performance Bonds, Inland Marine, Worker’s Compensation, New York State Disability, Group Health, Life insurance, Personal lines and Identity Theft.

Special Contractor Insurance Programs (NY, NJ, CT) – We we have 60+ insurance companies to market your general liability, umbrella liability, business auto, workers compensation, bid & performance bonds and group health coverages. We help contractors set up proper risk transfer. If you’re a contractor we offer extensive information about insurance markets, coverages, risk transfer, subcontractor screening, ways to lower your insurance costs.

BGES Group are Worker’s Compensation Specialists for the States of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – Issues we address: 1) Lowering pricing – we have specialty programs that can save you up to 40%; 2) Finding a new company; 3) Replacing policies that are being cancelled or non renewed; 4) Audit disputes; 5) Company creating fictitious payroll at audit time; 6) Lowering high experience modifications factors; 7) Misclassification of payrolls; 8) Lowering or eliminating renewal deposits;  9) Getting coverage when you’ve been without for a few months; 10) Covering multiple states under one policy; 11) Eliminating 10% service or policy fees; 12) Timely issuance of certificates; 13) Always being able to get someone on the phone or by email when you need to.

If you would like to speak with us call Gary Wallach at 914-806-5853 or click here to email or click here to visit our website.

Company: BGES Group, 216A Larchmont Acres West, Larchmont, NY 10538

e-mail: bgesgroup@gmail.com

website: http://www.bgesgroup.com

© – Copyright – 2021 – BGES Group

New:

1. Have high value property located along the shore line or on islands like Fire Island, Block Island, Long Beach Island, etc?  We have a property/liability/flood program that can give you the coverage needed.  Call 914-806-5853 for help today!

2. Check out our new Construction News website which will tell you what’s going on in the construction industry throughout the country.  Click here.

Article:

With confrontations between angry customers and employees just trying to do their jobs increasing during the COVID-19 pandemic, employers need to make sure they have policies in place to protect workers who are confronted.

As well, many customer-facing companies — mainly retailers, restaurants, retail printers and entertainment venues — have seen an uptick in customers sexually harassing employees or racially attacking them, as civility in society seems to have taken a turn for the worse.

If you are not doing all you can to protect them against violence and harassment by customers or vendors through training and policies, you could be sued for those failures.

The typical employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) policy only covers costs related to claims of harassment, discrimination and other workplace ills perpetrated by company insiders, and not to claims costs related to harassment of your staff or violence against them by customers or outsiders if an employee decides to sue you for not protecting them.

However, there is a rider that can be purchased: third party EPL coverage.

To protect your company from an employee lawsuit, you must first safeguard your workers.

Protecting your employees and company

To protect your organization from third party claims, you need to go beyond just purchasing coverage.

If your organization has a lot of interaction with the public, it is especially vulnerable to EPL claims spurred by the behavior and actions of third parties against one or more of your staff. Also, because you care about them, you should do all you can to protect them.

You should implement policies and procedures that address discrimination and harassment issues, both from the standpoint of an employee’s actions and the actions of third parties. EPLI carriers are increasingly requiring employers to implement these practices before they will issue a policy.

Training

Policies are not enough if employees aren’t adequately trained. New employee orientations should include a presentation on your harassment/discrimination policies.

The training must also include how to report and handle the situation when a customer is harassing or threatening one of your employees (team). Topics include:

• Ways to de-escalate a situation.
• Having employees experiencing harassment say a safety word to a nearby worker, so they can take a break and get away until the customer leaves and/or have a manager intervene.
• Encouraging staff to report to their manager if a certain customer continues harassing them each time they come in.
• Emphasizing the fact that you won’t retaliate against staff who complain about a threatening or harassing client or vendor.
• Calling law enforcement if a customer’s anger and actions are escalating.
• Training your employees to walk to their cars in groups after their shifts for safety reasons after a confrontation during their shift.

Employees must be periodically retrained through departmental meetings. To maintain the effectiveness of departmental training sessions, be sure that supervisors are provided with copies of all policy updates and procedural changes.

Insurance

An employer is liable for third party harassment or discrimination just as it would be for harassment by a co-worker — that is, the employer is liable if its behavior regarding the harassment is negligent.

Negligence means that the employer knew or should have known of the harassment and failed to take appropriate corrective action.

As mentioned, a typical EPLI policy won’t cover your legal expenses, settlements or court judgments if the harasser is a customer or vendor. For that you would have to purchase third party EPLI. These policies cover your firm if you’re sued by an employee over:

Harassment by an outsider. This can include unwanted sexual advances or requests for sexual favors. Both verbal and physical conduct, as well as other forms of harassment that create a hostile or offensive work environment, are covered. Some policies also cover accusations of mental anguish, emotional distress, humiliation and assault.

Discrimination by an outsider. This includes discriminatory practices against one of your staff based on their race, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, pregnancy or sexual orientation (such as a customer refusing to be served by someone because of their race).

In some cases, EPLI carriers may not provide third party coverage to firms with a high potential for claims. Instead, they might offer limited coverage, like accusations of discrimination, but not harassment claims.

If you have staff dealing with customers regularly, this kind of insurance can protect your firm in case you are sued by a staff member for not doing enough to prevent customer harassment or discrimination.

BGES Group’s office, located in Larchmont, NY is a full service insurance agency offering, Property, Liability, Umbrella Liability, Business Auto, Bid & Performance Bonds, Inland Marine, Worker’s Compensation, New York State Disability, Group Health, Life insurance, Personal lines and Identity Theft.

Special Contractor Insurance Programs (NY, NJ, CT) – We we have 60+ insurance companies to market your general liability, umbrella liability, business auto, workers compensation, bid & performance bonds and group health coverages. We help contractors set up proper risk transfer. If you’re a contractor we offer extensive information about insurance markets, coverages, risk transfer, subcontractor screening, ways to lower your insurance costs.

BGES Group are Worker’s Compensation Specialists for the States of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – Issues we address: 1) Lowering pricing – we have specialty programs that can save you up to 40%; 2) Finding a new company; 3) Replacing policies that are being cancelled or non renewed; 4) Audit disputes; 5) Company creating fictitious payroll at audit time; 6) Lowering high experience modifications factors; 7) Misclassification of payrolls; 8) Lowering or eliminating renewal deposits;  9) Getting coverage when you’ve been without for a few months; 10) Covering multiple states under one policy; 11) Eliminating 10% service or policy fees; 12) Timely issuance of certificates; 13) Always being able to get someone on the phone or by email when you need to.

If you would like to speak with us call Gary Wallach at 914-806-5853 or click here to email or click here to visit our website.

Company: BGES Group, 216A Larchmont Acres West, Larchmont, NY 10538

e-mail: bgesgroup@gmail.com

website: http://www.bgesgroup.com

© – Copyright – 2021 – BGES Group

New:

1. Have high value property located along the shore line or on islands like Fire Island, Block Island, Long Beach Island, etc?  We have a property/liability/flood program that can give you the coverage needed.  Call 914-806-5853 for help today!

2. Check out our new Construction News website which will tell you what’s going on in the construction industry throughout the country.  Click here.

Article:

With about 75% of employees in the U.S. using their own devices for work communications and productivity, businesses must implement safeguards to avoid company data from being compromised should a device be stolen, hacked or contract a virus.

The BYOD (bring your own device) trend has grown as many employees have eschewed company-issued mobile devices, preferring to use their own.

But, while a company can install certain software and make security settings on its own phones, the task is harder when your workers want to use their own devices for their jobs, according to a new study by mobile solutions provider CDW.

Fortunately, the market has responded with systems and software to help businesses secure the personal smartphones and tablets that their employees use to conduct their jobs.

There are a number of benefits to allowing your staff to BYOD, according to the CDW report, including:

• More employee satisfaction — It allows them to choose the phone they prefer, and requires them to keep one device.
• Increased productivity — When your employees have access to your company’s resources, they can do their work from anywhere that is convenient.
• Cost savings — You won’t be shelling out for phones and cell phone plans, although you may need to pay for various security platforms.
• Disaster recovery — If disaster strikes, your staff can work remotely with their smartphones.

Also, because employees are likely to have their phone plans through a variety of carriers, if one carrier goes down in a disaster others may still be operational.

But, increased mobility comes with more risk to your company’s data or the information you store on your customers. When employees co-mingle personal and business uses on the phone it poses dangers, particularly if the device is compromised and passwords discovered.

The biggest concern is hackers gaining access to an employee’s personal files and using them as a gateway to your company’s data. This is made particularly easy if an employee uses the same password for both work and personal accounts.

Locked and loaded

The best weapon currently available for BYOD devices is what is known as Enterprise Mobile Device Management software.

Once the software is installed on your employee’s phone, it gives you the ability to set the security configurations for the device remotely. There are a number of great features with this technology, according to the CDW report, including:

• The ability to prevent data from being saved to removable media that are outside the organization’s control.
• The ability to restrict access to software, such as preventing use of the organization’s data on a device with applications which the company has not approved for use.
• Encrypting the business’s data stored on a device, to stop unauthorized applications and users from accessing it.
• The ability to monitor each device’s security settings, in order to detect violations of the firm’s security policies.
• The administrator can remotely lock a device if it has been stolen or lost. This will keep anybody without knowledge of the unlock password from using the device.
• The administrator can remotely issue a command and all of the organization’s data and applications will be wiped from the phone.

Other measures you can implement include:

• Host-based firewalls — These are on top of any firewalls you may have in your network, and are installed on the phone. But these are new solutions and there are not many on the market currently, so choose carefully.
• Antivirus software — This too is a relatively new development for mobile devices, but as needs grow the market will too. For now, research any software you are considering.
• Mobile web security — Many mobile phone browsers include security controls that can help thwart unwanted programs and viruses from getting a foothold as a result of an errant click on a bad link.

The takeaway

If your staff are using their phones for business and they have enterprise apps on them that can access your databases, you may be putting your systems and intellectual property at risk of cyber attack.

If you follow the above advice, you’ll be better able to thwart any attacks on your employees’ smartphones that could hamstring your business.

BGES Group’s office, located in Larchmont, NY is a full service insurance agency offering, Property, Liability, Umbrella Liability, Business Auto, Bid & Performance Bonds, Inland Marine, Worker’s Compensation, New York State Disability, Group Health, Life insurance, Personal lines and Identity Theft.

Special Contractor Insurance Programs (NY, NJ, CT) – We we have 60+ insurance companies to market your general liability, umbrella liability, business auto, workers compensation, bid & performance bonds and group health coverages. We help contractors set up proper risk transfer. If you’re a contractor we offer extensive information about insurance markets, coverages, risk transfer, subcontractor screening, ways to lower your insurance costs.

BGES Group are Worker’s Compensation Specialists for the States of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – Issues we address: 1) Lowering pricing – we have specialty programs that can save you up to 40%; 2) Finding a new company; 3) Replacing policies that are being cancelled or non renewed; 4) Audit disputes; 5) Company creating fictitious payroll at audit time; 6) Lowering high experience modifications factors; 7) Misclassification of payrolls; 8) Lowering or eliminating renewal deposits;  9) Getting coverage when you’ve been without for a few months; 10) Covering multiple states under one policy; 11) Eliminating 10% service or policy fees; 12) Timely issuance of certificates; 13) Always being able to get someone on the phone or by email when you need to.

If you would like to speak with us call Gary Wallach at 914-806-5853 or click here to email or click here to visit our website.

Company: BGES Group, 216A Larchmont Acres West, Larchmont, NY 10538

e-mail: bgesgroup@gmail.com

website: http://www.bgesgroup.com

© – Copyright – 2021 – BGES Group