“The effects of climate change are already occurring on all continents and across the oceans. The world, in many cases, is ill-prepared for risks from a changing climate.” – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Too often we hear climate change and just cast it off as the next generation’s issue to handle. Time for a reality check. Climate change is here. And it’s already having an impact. It’s one of the top emerging risks for businesses. Pay attention and get prepared. The IPCC’s Climate Change 2014 Report is one of many detailed studies that confirms the reality of the changing the climate and the risks it presents.

The FBI defines an active shooter as “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area.” Unfortunately, we have become all too familiar with active shooter incidents in recent years, especially in schools.

According to “The State of School Safety in America” report by SchoolReach, most school administrators surveyed felt well prepared to handle emergency communications with parents, but very few said they felt very prepared in regards to crisis communications, especially with the media. The first priority in a severe crisis, such as an active shooter situation, is ensuring the safety and well-being of students and staff. But crisis communication becomes key once the individuals are safe. 

Active shooter events can occur anywhere. No school or business is immune. But there are steps we can take to help prevent violent attacks.

In our “Can You Spot A Leak?” blog post we explained how research has suggested that there are leaks in the majority of active shooter cases. This means that the person(s) planning the violence communicate it in some form prior to the event. Monitoring, identifying, and responding to leaks can help prevent the violence.

Similarly, identifying and reporting suspicious behaviors and activities is critical to prevention. Individuals do not generally just “snap” and become violent. Over time they tend to display indicators of potentially violent behavior. With early recognition, these behaviors can often be treated or managed. We can better educate ourselves on what these behaviors look like in order to prevent active shooter incidents or other violent situations.

Have you ever texted while driving? Or perhaps ate your breakfast on the way to work? Maybe you attempted to reroute your navigation system while at the wheel? Unfortunately these have become habits and most of us are guilty of distracted driving at some point. We know the risks of distracted driving, but why aren’t we changing our actions?

Think that only novice drivers are at risk of distracted driving accidents? It is time to dispel that notion. Distracted driving is not just a concern for teenage drivers. Yes, statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that 25% of teen drivers acknowledge that they text once or more each time they drive. But, they are not the only distracted drivers; drivers of all ages are involved in distracted driving situations. NHTSA surveys show that at any given daylight moment, there are 660,000 drivers using cell phones or electronic devices while driving.

For most of us, an active shooter incident is over as soon as the next news cycle begins. We hear the basics, as well as a bit about the shooter and his—almost never her—motivations. But other than with the most severe situations, we quickly move on with our lives.

For communities and schools that experience an active shooter event, moving on isn’t so easy. The incident itself may be over quickly—the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut lasted just five minutes—but its effects are long lasting. And they are both personal and widespread.

Last month, I talked about Gibson’s mission “To Protect What Matters Most” and submitted that health, and more importantly vitality, is what matters most. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to hear the acting U.S. Surgeon General, Rear Admiral Boris D. Lushniak, M.D., M.P.H., speak at the headquarters for the American College of Sports Medicine in Indianapolis. At one point during his talk, Dr. Lushniak said “People get elected or not elected based on the economy…but I’ll submit to you today, that economy is doing nothing unless we have healthy people who are able to be part of that economy. So where does health lie on the priority of things?” Good observation. Even better question.

Whether you are building a new structure or renovating an existing one, there are significant risks of loss during the process. In 2011, commercial property losses due to wind and thunderstorms exceeded $30 billion. Meanwhile, fires caused $13.3 billion in direct property damage that year. These are just a few of the risks that construction projects face each day.

Technical knowledge, professionalism, responsiveness, industry knowledge, and transparency are some of the characteristics risk managers are looking for in a broker. In recent years, transparency has been put under a microscope.

The 2 most common ways insurance brokers are compensated are: 

As baby boomers reach retirement age, many are choosing to work longer, thus changing the demographic makeup of your workforce. There are proven benefits – they are some of your most loyal and experienced employees, which makes it important for risk and safety professionals to look for targeted strategies to safeguard the safety of their aging workforce.

Studies show that one in four workers will be older than age 55 by 2030. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the numbers of workers age 55 and over will increase from 19 million in 2020 to 32 million by 2015. Workers have several motivators for working longer including improved medical treatment, financial needs (short-term and for retirement), the opportunity to use their talents and skills, to keep mentally and physically healthy, and the enjoyment of work. Regardless of the motivating factor, it is clear that the aging workforce trend is going to be bringing changes to the workforce in the years to come.