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Ridgemark Insurance Services
New Law Imposes New COVID-19 Reporting Requirements
California employers already have a lot to digest after Cal/OSHA issued sweeping new COVID-19 safety regulations in November. Now they face additional requirements starting Jan. 1, 2021, thanks to a new law that expands notification requirements and gives Cal/OSHA the...
Commissioner Rejects Coronavirus Workers’ Comp Surcharges
Despite the state’s rating agency asking for a 2.6% increase in workers’ compensation rates due to costs related to the coronavirus pandemic, California’s insurance commissioner has instead ordered that benchmark rates be cut 4.6%. Besides the rate increase, the...
The Story Behind Increasing Commercial Auto Insurance Rates
Commercial auto insurance rates have been on the rise since 2011, increasing often by more than 10% a year as accidents and claims costs have soared. The trucking industry has been the hardest hit by the steep increases, and there are a number of factors contributing...
What Companies are Doing for Holiday Parties During Pandemic
One of the hallmarks of the holiday season is the company Christmas party, but with the COVID-19 pandemic in hyperdrive, many companies are rethinking their plans. A number of businesses have cancelled their parties altogether, but other managers feel that in light of...
Daunting Emergency COVID-19 Workplace Safety Rules on Tap
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board is set to vote on new emergency regulations that will impose strict rules on employers to implement safeguards in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in the workplace. The board on Nov. 19 will vote on the sweeping proposal that...
California’s COVID-19 Tracking Requirement Challenges Employers
SB 1159, signed into law in September, requires that when a California employer “knows or reasonably should know” that an employee has tested positive for coronavirus, it must report that positive case to its workers’ compensation carrier within three business days....
Don’t Get Caught without a Business Succession Plan
Many business owners may be good at running their companies, but the majority of them are failing to address essential long-term planning that is critical to sustaining their businesses. The one area that the majority of business owners often neglect is planning for...
COVID-19 Workers’ Comp Claims Grow, While Overall Claims Plummet
While the number of COVID-19 workers’ compensation cases filed in California continues to grow, total workplace injury and illness claims in the state have fallen nearly 20% so far in 2020 compared to 2019. Through September, the state had recorded 47,412 COVID-19...
Injury and Illness Prevention Plans Save You Money, Period!
Employees are your most valuable asset, but many businesses overlook the importance of having a workplace safety program in place to protect them. Loss control is about employers caring for their workers’ safety. Successful loss control programs are means of reducing...
New Workers’ Compensation Rate Filing Expands COVID-19 Surcharge Tiers
The California Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau has amended its 2021 rate filing to make its earlier recommended COVID-19 surcharge more equitable. The Rating Bureau is leaving unchanged its overall recommendation that benchmark rates be increased an...