Gun ownership is a hot topic at the moment, one that is never far from the headlines. With this debate comes the discussion of gun liability insurance. Many states have considered making it mandatory in the past but recent events have caused many individuals to seek protection themselves.

The Obama administration recently released a proposed rule outlining the standards for "navigators” who will help consumers shop for health insurance in new exchanges set up by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Navigators are organizations that will provide unbiased information to consumers about health insurance, the new health exchanges, qualified health plans, and public programs including Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

You can’t eliminate risk. It exists in every line of work. Whether you’re a banker or a construction worker, there are inherent risks that you must identify and manage. Most businesses will be concerned with financial risk. In construction however, risk management is even more vital as it is about keeping people safe. It’s not inconceivable that someone could die on the job. It is, therefore, important that you can plan for every eventuality.

Non-fatal

It isn’t just the potentially fatal injuries you need to be on the look-out for when making your construction risk management plan. Non-fatal injuries to the hands, arms, or legs can have a debilitating effect on a person for the rest of their life. Almost a quarter of construction site injuries are to the hands and fingers due to digits being cut off and hands being crushed or burned. Basic things like gloves and safety guards for machinery can help to avoid these kinds of accidents.

Health Care Reform will change the way employers make business decisions now and into the future. Employers can no longer guess at what mandate will affect their business or what changes need to be made and when. That makes NOW the time to work with a consultant that can provide the analysis necessary to make the best decisions.

If you own, borrow, or rent recreational vehicles, you have a lot of responsibility on your hands. Everyone looks forward to having fun and no one counts on having an accident. Unfortunately, they happen and it’s important to be prepared in case one occurs.

First, have an effective risk management strategy. Protecting your assets, your vehicles, is an obvious place to start. Ensuring this protection starts with maintenance. Implementing a schedule of routine servicing and checks can guarantee the safety of your vehicles and potentially catch an issue before is poses a significant threat.

Workplace injuries are a fact of life in some industries. If you work with heavy machinery or spend your day on your feet, you are unlikely to go your entire career without injuring something. Even sitting at a desk typing all day has it’s hazards. Most business owners are very aware of the risks associated with their day-to-day business.

Something that often gets missed is the return to work plan. When people do get injured, inside or outside of work, they will eventually return. As much as you plan to avoid these injuries it’s also important to create a plan to reintegrate injured employees into your workforce.

Develop a Plan

Only twenty-four states have been approved to set up their own health insurance exchanges leaving the federal government to run the other 26. We don’t know yet what they will look like but we do know there will an overwhelming range of choices for millions of people who have never had to choose their own health insurance before.

Most Americans are covered by employer-sponsored insurance or by government-provided insurance such as Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Only a small percentage buys their own individual private coverage. The Congressional Budget Office projects that 26 million people will buy health insurance on the exchanges by 2022.

The larger the project, the greater the risk – that much is a given. The importance of risk management, however, remains the same no matter how great or small the project. Although each comes with its own unique risks, large-scale infrastructure construction projects are particularly distinctive.

Public Influence

A large infrastructure project is likely to take place in close proximity to the general public and this poses many risks. In some cases, such as road resurfacing or constructing new sections of highway, construction must be staggered to allow for continued public use of the area.

As well as working in close proximity to the public, the risks extend to what happens when you are not working. If your site is in a public area, or easily accessible by public roads, extra security measures may need to be employed to protect the site between shifts. Public liability on large infrastructure construction projects is vitally important.

Last summer, the Supreme Court ruled that states can choose not to expand their Medicaid programs to cover more low-income people.

The commercial property-casualty marketplace is holding steady thus far in 2013. The market is in a positive, rate increase environment. It evolved to this point throughout 4Q11 and 2012 and in general terms is holding at a 5-7% rate increase in commercial lines. Investment yields continue to decline while catastrophe-related results worsen for insurers, so it is quite likely that rate increases will continue in 2013. Insurers are also facing challenges on certain lines of coverage notably workers’ compensation. Overstated reserves from prior years have been released which tends to temporarily help earnings, and with medical inflation eroding workers’ compensation loss ratios underwriters will focus on pricing integrity and risk selection. Employers with hazardous workers’ compensation exposures and claims experience will see the highest rate increases.

Meanwhile, insurers have the surplus to grow. Rate actions, while positive, are not enough to allow the industry to cover its cost of capital. Thus, underwriters will continue to look at developing market share which will create competition as the economy continues its fight to fully emerge from the recession.