OSHA Proposes Changes to Injury, Illness Reporting Rules

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has revived a regulation that would change which employers have to file their injury and illness logs electronically, in particular increasing reporting requirements for companies in high-hazard industries.

The proposed regulations are similar to ones that were implemented during the tail end of the Obama administration, and that were ultimately rescinded after Donald Trump took office in 2017. The proposed regs would require increased reporting for certain employers, but the biggest worry among employers is that injury and illness information would be made public online, which they say could in turn yield public relations problems for some companies.

What’s on tap

The proposed regulations are out for public comment until May 31, 2022, and we are currently in a waiting game to see if the final version will differ much from the proposed rules.

Under current OSHA regulations, all employers with 10 or more workers must report injury and illness data using the agency’s Forms 300, 300A and 301. Additionally, establishments with 250 or more employees must submit information from the Form 300A Injury and Illness Log electronically every year.

The proposed rule would:

  • Require establishments with 100 or more employees in certain high-hazard industries to electronically submit information from their OSHA Forms 300, 301 and 300A to OSHA once a year.
  • Update the classification system used to determine the list of industries covered by the electronic submission requirement.
  • Remove the current requirement for establishments with 250 or more employees not in a designated industry to electronically submit information from their Form 300A to OSHA annually.
  • Require establishments to include their company name when making electronic submissions to OSHA.

The proposal doesn’t change existing requirements for establishments with 20 to 99 employees in certain industries to submit information electronically from their OSHA Form 300A annual summary once a year.

OSHA intends to post the data from the proposed annual electronic submission requirement on a public website after identifying and removing information that reasonably identifies individuals directly, such as their names and contact information. That means that employers’ injury and illness histories will become a matter of public record, searchable by anyone.

OSHA says changes will:

  • Allow it to better to identify workplaces where workers are at greatest risk from specific hazards, and to target its compliance assistance and enforcement efforts accordingly;
  • Improve the ability of employers to compare their own injury and illness data on hazards with the data from similar companies in the same industry; and
  • Improve the ability of stakeholders to make more informed decisions using recent establishment-specific, case-specific injury/illness information.

The takeaway

These proposed changes have yet to become permanent. Once they do, there is likely going to be a ramping up period before they take effect. OSHA needs to give affected employers time to adjust their reporting to comply with the new rules, so any compliance deadline will not take effect immediately.

After the public comment period on the proposed rules ends on May 31, OSHA will have to sift through the comments and make any changes.

The best thing you can do is to start reassessing and improving your incident management practices today. You’ll need reliable methods to ensure that you’re capturing and documenting all OSHA recordable injuries and illnesses, and maintaining accurate injury and illness records.

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 – 2022 – BGES Group

Spiking Materials Costs Imperil Apartment, Commercial Projects

Construction firms are reeling from snowballing costs of building materials due to spiking demand and supply chain snarls that are resulting in massive budget cost overruns.

This is especially affecting construction businesses that are managing apartment or commercial projects. These cost overruns are imperiling profits — and risking red ink — on the projects after the contractors won carefully constructed bids.

Building materials and labor costs are going through the roof. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, construction costs spiked 17.5% year-over-year from 2020 to 2021, the largest increase in this data from year to year since 1970. And 2021’s costs were more than 23% higher than pre-COVID-19 pandemic 2019.

Many of the materials used in the construction of apartment and commercial buildings, including concrete, flat glass and steel products, are affected by volatile prices, with steel seeing a more than 123% increase in costs in the past year.

On top of that, labor costs have also risen due to a skilled labor shortage in the construction industry.

The fallout

With the prices of materials climbing rapidly, it’s easy for project costs to quickly exceed expectations and sink a project if those costs break the profit margin and force a loss.

To avoid this fate, construction firms need to be proactive and put in place procedures for dealing with materials cost increases, supply chain disruptions and a shortage of capable manpower. It could mean the difference between turning a modest profit or losing their shirt.

There are steps that contractors can take to avoid that fate. In an article on the website Construction Dive, Ripley Bickerstaff related what Hoar Construction, where he works as director of business development in Nashville, is doing to reduce the risks of price shocks and materials shortages so that builders can keep projects on track and in the black.

Verify materials

Bickerstaff recommends that for large orders, like 700 bathroom washbasins or 500 kitchen countertops, the orders are visually verified in person before they ship. That way, the builder can make sure that all of the items are built to specifications and that they aren’t faulty.

Inspecting orders well in advance of shipment can reduce the chance of faulty or improperly sized items and having to reorder new product. With the woeful state of supply chains, that could mean having to wait months for a replacement order.

Bickerstaff said that Hoar Construction, during a recent project for a 500-unit project, sent its employees to warehouses locally and in far-flung regions to verify various materials, including “light fixtures, flooring materials and drapes in Atlanta, countertops and balcony railings in Florida and balcony doors in Tennessee.”

“You have to walk in and actually make sure supplies work for the job and then have face-to-face conversations with production teams to ensure adjustments can be made in real time,” he wrote.

Don’t delay

Bickerstaff also recommends ordering items as early as possible, not just when needed. Due to supply chain issues, some items require a year lead time from order to delivery.

This way, you can lock in the price ahead of time. Even if it’s an item you’ll need for later in the project, considering the rapid pace of price increases, it’s best to order in advance so you avoid being hit with higher prices later. This can protect your profit margin.

Additionally, the general contractor should work with architects and designers of the project to identify which materials they should order and which ones make sense in the current cost environment. This can also give the builder time to shop around and find deals on similar or comparable items made of different materials to save money.

Contractors that order materials early will have to arrange for storage as well. So securing warehouse space should be a priority.

Secure your workforce, subs early

With demand for construction workers and contractors exceeding supply, general contractors have to get in line and book them early.

For example, in some markets, electrical contractors are booking projects as far as a year out. Builders should secure subcontractors in advance to give them time to book their crews and order the materials they’ll need.

“Many builders are now shooting to lock in 70% of costs prior to construction documents, which should minimize the chances of double-digit material price hikes after a developer closes their loan,” Bickerstaff writes.

The takeaway

Working on a large construction project now requires greater foresight and planning. You’ll need to price in factors you normally may not consider to ensure that you can meet your project budget and turn a profit.

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 – 2022 – BGES Group

The Types of Insurance a Small Business Needs

If you are just getting a business off the ground, have bought equipment and started hiring employees, insurance should be top of mind.

There are four types of insurance that most small businesses purchase to protect themselves, and without them one accident or oversight could leave you with liabilities you may not be able to cover. When a company is growing from a sole proprietorship to one with employees, the insurance needs grow quickly.

Here’s a look at the types of insurance most small businesses carry as they start growing.

Property insurance

This type of coverage provides compensation if business property is damaged, stolen or lost.

In addition to covering the physical business structure, property insurance covers personal property, including:

  • Inventory,
  • Office furnishings,
  • Raw materials,
  • Computers,
  • Machinery, and
  • Other items that are part of business operations.

Property insurance coverage doesn’t end with protecting physical assets. It also provides business interruption funds when owners must take steps to get their business back on track following a major loss and if their operations have been impaired.

Property insurance may provide coverage for broken equipment in some cases if caused by a covered peril, but not if a machine breaks down. It may also provide coverage for water damage, debris removal following a fire and several other specific items.

Workers’ compensation

Any company with employees is required to purchase workers’ compensation insurance in most states.

Workers’ compensation pays for a portion of lost wages for workers who are injured. In addition to this, it covers the medical care they require. Coverage is provided to employees who are injured at work regardless of who is at fault.

If a worker dies as a result of the injuries they sustain, the insurance company compensates the surviving family members of the deceased.

Commercial auto insurance

This is only necessary if you have vehicles that you use in the course of business, or if you and/or your staff drive their own cars on company business.

Most personal vehicle insurance policies don’t provide coverage if the automobile that is involved in an accident is used mostly for business purposes.

Business auto insurance policies cover vehicles that are owned and used by a business. Third parties injured by the policyholder’s vehicle receive compensation for damages up to the policy limit amount.

Some policies may provide compensation for repair or replacement of vehicles that are damaged from flooding, theft, accidents and similar events.

Liability insurance

Any business may face a lawsuit at some point during its existence. Liability insurance can cushion the blow by covering legal costs, settlements or judgments.

For example, a person may claim that a business caused them harm from a service error, defective product or negligence in providing a safe environment. Liability coverage provides compensation for damages a company is deemed liable for.

However, the coverage is only provided up to the policy’s limit amounts. These policies usually also provide funds for legal defense expenses, attorneys’ fees, medical bills and several other related expenses.

The takeaway

In addition to the four major types of coverage purchased, there are several other valuable policies some companies may want to buy depending on their business. Umbrella policies and specialized liability policies are among the more common types.

Umbrella policies are often used as a second layer of insurance should you exhaust the limits of an underlying liability policy. These are usually obtained to prevent high losses by businesses with high risks.

Specialized liability policies are made up of several types of individual coverage, such as errors and omissions coverage for companies that provide professional services like architects or programmers.

If you think you may need any of these types of coverages, and/or you think your company has special needs, give us a call.

 

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