Author Archives: Caroline McDonald

About Caroline McDonald

Caroline McDonald is a writer and former senior editor of the Risk Management Monitor and Risk Management magazine.
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Tyson Foods Cited for Violations after Employee Finger Amputation

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Cited for multiple violations, Tyson Foods was fined $263,498 by the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration after an employee’s finger was amputated in an unguarded conveyor belt, the DOL reported yesterday.

Inspectors found recessed drains and fire hazards resulting from improperly stored compressed gas cylinders, which exposed employees to slip-and-fall hazards due to a lack of proper drainage.

Established in 1935 and headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, Tyson is the world’s Tysonlargest meat and poultry processing company, with more than $40 billion in annual sales. The company produces more than 68 million pounds of meat per week. OSHA gave Tyson 15 business days from receipt of its citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

“Tyson Foods must do much more to prevent disfiguring injuries like this one from happening,” Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for Occupational Safety and Health, said in a statement. “As one of the nation’s largest food suppliers, it should set an example for workplace safety rather than drawing multiple citations from OSHA for ongoing safety failures.”

OSHA inspectors found more than a dozen serious violations, including:

  • Failing to ensure proper safety guards on moving machine parts
  • Allowing carbon dioxide levels above the permissible exposure limit
  • Failing to provide personal protective equipment
  • Exposing employees to an airborne concentration of carbon dioxide
  • Not training employees on hazards associated with peracetic acid and other chemicals.

OSHA also cited the company for repeated violations for not making sure employees used appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to eye or face hazards. The agency cited Tyson for a similar violation in a 2012 investigation at its Carthage facility. The company also failed to separate compressed gas cylinders of oxygen and acetylene while in storage – a violation for which OSHA cited the company in 2013 at its facility in Albertville, Alabama.

According to OSHA, the inspection falls under its Regional Emphasis Program for Poultry Processing Facilities.

Terrorism Incidents Down, Disruption Up in 2015

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A number of high-profile terrorism attacks worldwide have raised people’s fears this year, but the reality is that the number of attacks and deaths from such attacks actually decreased in 2015, according to Marsh’s 2016 Terrorism Risk Insurance Report.
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The report summarizes terrorism risk insurance trends, benchmarks terrorism insurance take-up rates and pricing, and offers risk management solutions for terrorism exposures.

The more current attacks, often perpetrated by a single individual or small group, are different from those carried out in the 1990s and 2000s when high profile locations were targeted. Individuals carrying out the more recent attacks may have no direct contact with a known terrorist organization, but could be drawn to them through writings and video, particularly on the internet, Marsh said.

These events can be very disruptive to operations in some companies. In the travel industry, for example:

  • About 10% of American travelers canceled booked trips due to the recent attacks in Egypt, France, Lebanon and Mali, which impacted $8.2 billion in travel spending, according to a survey by YouGov.
  • Booking losses for Air France were estimated to be €50 million ($56 million), the company said in a statement.
  • Airlines, hotel chains and travel websites experienced drops in their stock prices after this year’s airport bombing in Brussels.

In the United States, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2015 (TRIPRA) offers businesses a federal backstop against terrorism-related losses. While the overall take-up rate for TRIPRA coverage in the U.S. increased slightly in 2015, it has remained in the 60% range since 2009, Marsh said.

Managing terrorism risk requires a combination of strategies that protect people, property and finances. On the financial side, the choice is whether to retain or transfer the risk with insurance. But the changing pattern of terrorism risk has some companies asking if they are adequately insured for business interruption and related losses. They also wonder how to prepare for potential losses from cyber terrorism and other events.

Other key takeaways from the report include:

  • As small group and “lone wolf” terrorist attacks appear to be the changing face of terrorism, many organizations are assessing their coverage for indirect losses stemming from business interruption risks.
  • Following the 2015 passage of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (TRIPRA), take-up rates in the US edged up for TRIPRA terrorism coverage embedded in property programs.
  • Among industry sectors, media organizations had the highest take-up rate for terrorism insurance in 2015.
  • Workers’ compensation markets for terrorism risks generally stabilized.
  • The number of Marsh-managed captives accessing TRIPRA increased by 17% from 2014 to 2015, but many captives that could offer a terrorism program do not.
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Delta Limping Back to Normalcy

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After two days of cancellations due to a system-wide outage, leaving thousands of customers stranded, Delta today announced it will return to normal operation by mid-to-late afternoon. It added a caveat, however, that “a chance of scattered thunderstorms expected in the eastern U.S. may have the potential to slow the recovery.”

Delta said that by late morning on Wednesday it had canceled 255 flights whileDelta 1,500 departed. About 800 flights were canceled on Tuesday and there were around 1,000 cancellations on Monday. It also extended its travel waiver and continued to provide hotel vouchers, of which more than 2,300 were issued Tuesday night in Atlanta alone.

“The technology systems that allow airport customer service agents to process check-ins, conduct boarding and dispatch aircraft are functioning normally with the bulk of delays and cancellations coming as a result of flight crews displaced or running up against their maximum allowed duty period following the outage,” Delta said.

The company’s chief operating officer, Gil West, said on Aug. 9:

Monday morning a critical power control module at our Technology Command Center malfunctioned, causing a surge to the transformer and a loss of power. The universal power was stabilized and power was restored quickly.

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But when this happened, critical systems and network equipment didn’t switch over to backups.

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Other systems did. And now we’re seeing instability in these systems.

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For example we’re seeing slowness in a system that airport customer service agents use to process check-ins, conduct boarding and dispatch aircraft. Delta agents today are using the original interface we designed for this system while we continue with our resetting efforts.

Reuters reported:

Like many large airlines, Delta uses its proprietary computer system for its bookings and operations, and the fact that other airlines appeared unaffected by the outage also pointed to the company’s equipment, said independent industry analyst Robert Mann.

Critical computer systems have backups and are tested to ensure high reliability, he said. It was not clear why those systems had not worked to prevent Delta’s problems, he said.

“That suggests a communications component or network component could have failed,” he said.

The airline has not yet detailed the financial impact of the event.

July P&C Composite Rate Steady, Transportation Increases

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The property and casualty composite rate for July was the same as June’s rate, which was minus 1%, MarketScout reported today, adding that insurers are working to stop the downward trend.

“While insurers continue to grant minor rating concessions, many are pushing for an end to any further rate reductions,” Richard Kerr, CEO of MarketScout said in a statement. In the transportation sector, however, pricing is increasing “on all but the very best accounts. The poor loss experience in transportation has prompted underwriters to demand rate increases and restrict underwriting appetite.” Insureds that are unable to convinceBarometer underwriters they can control losses are left with few options “and ultimately end up paying a much higher rate/premium which impacts their profit margins,” he said.

Kerr continued that insurance buyers in the transportation industry are complaining about the lack of cooperation they are seeing from insurers as they try to manage their risk portfolio. “Business owners and corporate CEOs are concerned their insurance premiums will be larger than what was budgeted therefore negatively impacting net profits,” he said.

He advised these insureds to “allocate capital towards implementing loss control and companywide safety programs. That is how they will get cooperation from their insurers.”

A comparison of June 2016 to July 2016 rates by coverage classification reveals that workers compensation and property coverages were the most aggressively priced at minus 2%. Business interruption, business owners policies (BOP), fiduciary and directors & officers all moderated by moving rates from minus 1% to flat, or no increase. Professional liability rates moved from down 2% to down 1%. Rates for all other coverages were unchanged.
Rates-coverage class

There were no rate adjustments by account size from June to July.
Account size

By industry classification, rates for public entities moved up from minus 1% in June to flat or no increase in July. Transportation accounts were assessed at the largest rate increases from up 1% in June to up 3% in July, according to MarketScout.
Industry class