Category Archives: Safety

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Unprecedented Wildfires Devastate Canada, Leave Eastern U.S. Blanketed in Smoke

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Wildfire season has started two months early in Canada, and the devastating scale of the blazes is already unprecedented. Over 400 fires have caused roughly 10 million acres of burn damage so far, and have blanketed a wide swath of North America in smoke, creating orange skies and toxic levels of air pollution for communities all the way from Canada to the Southeastern United States. During the first week of June, New York had the worst air quality on Earth, and the air quality reached hazardous levels in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. While it has begun to clear in the Northeast, the fires are ongoing and the air quality may continue to change in the days and weeks to come.

Find more answers to common questions about the wildfires below:

Where is all the smoke coming from?

Unfortunately, there is not just one answer for that, as there are multiple regional fires breaking out seemingly all over Canada and even the United States. However, the current air quality issues are coming from out-of-control wildfires in Quebec and Ottawa, Canada. There are also wildfires breaking out in at least six U.S. states, including Missouri, Kansas and New Mexico, but these do not appear to be involved in the air quality crisis.

According to the Associated Press and Canadian officials, the fires in Canada mark the start of what is expected to be Canada’s worst wildfire season ever due to drier ground than usual, which led the fires to accelerate very quickly.

“Right now, with the manpower we have, we can fight about 40 fires at the same time,” said Francois Legault, premier of Quebec, in an interview with Reuters. “But we have 150 fires, so we have to make sure that we focus where the problems are more urgent.”

In total, there are 425 active fires throughout Canada, according to Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, and 232 are considered out of control. About 120,000 Canadians have been displaced from their homes due to emergency evacuations, with the most recent being from remote parts of Northern Quebec, according to Reuters. There are fires in nearly all of Canada’s provinces. The current wildfires in the U.S. have led to no evacuations thus far.

Why is the U.S. experiencing poor air quality?

To put it simply, the Northeastern region of the U.S. and the rest of the Eastern seaboard as far down as South Carolina are stuck in a slow-moving weather pattern that is carrying the smoke and smell from the Canadian fires southward. According to Politico, 13 U.S. states are under air quality alerts, impacting over 55 million people.

The AP noted that smoke from various Canadian fires has actually been showing up in parts of the U.S. since May, but with new fires recently breaking out in Quebec, the air quality has increasingly gotten worse in both Canada and the U.S. The hazy, orange-tinted skies and smoke smell along the eastern U.S. are expected to dissipate soon but may still be present through the weekend.

How do the fires impact businesses?

The fires affect certain industries more than others. Outdoor work like construction, sporting events, primary schools, park services and zoos are continuing to pay close attention to the air quality and have suspended outdoor operations accordingly while air quality is at such dangerous levels. Many professional sporting events have been cancelled. The New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers have postponed baseball games throughout the week, with minor league baseball teams, soccer teams and WNBA teams following their lead.

During the course of the week, airports have been taking various precautions, with JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International Airport grounding flights, shutting down inbound flights and changing flight schedules. Similar precautions were taken at Philadelphia International Airport. Because this is an ongoing situation, these measures and flight operations remain in flux.

How do we manage the risk?

In terms of immediate action, experts recommend staying indoors, wearing a mask if going outside and keeping windows and doors closed until the air quality alerts are lifted. By the end of the week, New York City’s air quality is expected to be upgraded from “unhealthy” to “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” To find out about your specific area, visit AirNow.gov.

Looking longer-term, the current fires are a good reminder that natural disasters stretch far beyond hurricanes, flooding and tornadoes, especially as the climate continues to change. A recent study found that increases in burned forest area across the western U.S. and southwestern Canada over the last several decades can be linked to significant human-caused climate change.

For businesses, take this as a reminder to examine how your organization will handle fallout from wildfires, for example, reviewing your property insurance, business interruption coverage, disaster recovery plans or emergency communications procedures. The following resources from Risk Management can help organizations consider the many risks wildfires and other climate change-related extreme weather events pose to businesses and communities, and can help boost disaster preparedness for these devastating events.

More resources:

Recovery in the Aftermath of a Hurricane

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The 2022 hurricane season may be nearing its end, but it is clearly not over just yet. With Tropical Storm Nicole approaching landfall and expected to reach the U.S. as a Category 1 hurricane, Florida residents are once again in storm preparation mode and in the coming days, they will be dealing with the storm’s impact. The aftermath of a hurricane presents many risks—while the storm may be over, the danger is not. Any storm that damages power lines, gas lines or electrical systems, puts you and your business at risk due to fire, electrocution or explosion.

Proceed With Caution

Even once we enter the recovery phase, it is important to take precautions in flooded areas. Never drive across flowing water; a few inches of water may cause you to lose control of your vehicle and as little as a foot of flowing water will carry away a small car. Similarly, avoid wading in floodwaters. They may be contaminated by agricultural or industrial chemicals, or hazardous agents. Remember that standing water can be dangerous as it may be electrically charged from underground or downed power lines.

Before entering a building that has suffered wind or flood damage, conduct a preliminary inspection to make sure it is stable. If there is extensive damage, have a professional engineer or architect certify that it is safe. A professional should also check the gas, water and electrical lines and appliances for damage.

When using a generator for building system power, be sure that the main circuit breaker is off and locked out prior to starting the generator and that there is no exposed electrical wiring or equipment. This will prevent inadvertent energizing of power lines or uninsulated circuitry and help protect utility line workers and building occupants from possible electrocution.

Rebuilding and Restoring

Damage to your business can have a dramatic and far-reaching impact, so it is best to be prepared for the worst. It is natural to want to get back to a storm-hit property as soon as possible, but a little extra caution can go a long way in these circumstances.

Once the property is deemed safe by local officials, specially trained recovery teams in appropriate personal protective equipment can help assess the damage and work with management to implement an action plan to safely get your business back up and running. It is important to photograph and document all damage and notify your insurance agent as soon as possible. Then you can proceed to make temporary repairs to protect the building and its contents.

Preparing for the Future

An average hurricane season produces 14 named storms, of which seven become hurricanes, and three become major hurricanes. Recovery is never a one-and-done proposition—there will always be other hurricanes and hurricane seasons. Regardless of whether or not you experienced damage this year, if your business is in a hurricane prone area, or has the potential for a hurricane, you need to put your hurricane preparedness plan into action by building your hurricane kits, gathering needed supplies, and training your employees in pre- and post-hurricane activities. Do not wait for the next storm to form, as, it becomes increasingly more difficult to acquire the necessary equipment and supplies for your location once a warning has been issued and a storm looming in the not-too-far distance. 

NOAA’s main function is to monitor weather and distribute alerts and warnings. Since 2019, NOAA has been utilizing models that provide a more realistic expected arrival times for storms. Having the ability to better pinpoint a storm’s arrival enables businesses to better prepare their locations and their people for the impeding storm. This technology also helps to reduce loss-of-life and injury, in addition to the potential catastrophic financial impact a hurricane can have on a business.

The recovery period that storm-impacted Florida businesses are in following this year’s storms presents a great opportunity for learning. It is essential that organizations have a process in place to assess weaknesses and strengths in their hurricane readiness plan before the next event. What went well before, during and after the storm? What can be improved or implemented to address any unexpected challenges from this event?

If history has taught us anything, it is that a common thread across the responses to all natural disasters is a lack of awareness and preparation. As one of nature’s most destructive events, hurricanes are powerful and far-reaching, often causing dangerous storm surges that can be felt hundreds of miles inland. With potential maximum wind speeds of 200 mph and the ability to drop more than 2.4 trillion gallons of water in a single day, hurricanes are not to be taken lightly. By identifying areas of vulnerability and taking actions to prepare, businesses can potentially reduce the impacts of a catastrophic hurricane.

7 Tips to Mitigate the Risks of Summer Staff Parties

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With millions of employees continuing to work remotely part- or full-time, 2022 summer office outings may represent one of the first “all hands” get-togethers for many employers since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Indeed, 37% of respondents to spot surveys conducted by Seyfarth at Work reported that there had not been a need, opportunity and/or COVID-safe venue for everyone to be in the same space at the same time since 2019.

Two years is a long wait, and based on anecdotal reporting in the wake of June and early July events, some employees are perhaps a bit overexcited at the prospect of finally hanging out together.

Some summer outing horror stories that resulted in complaints and charges include:

• An East Coast video game development company’s festivities included ice-breaker activities of beer pong and “spin the vodka bottle,” with managers nudging uncomfortable staff to join in.
Result: two employees contacted a local enforcement agency looking to file a harassment charge.

• A West Coast tech startup’s party featured an impromptu game of “pin the tail on the interns,” involving strips of paper “tails” and tape.
Result: two interns left the organizations and several employees threatened suit.

• A Midwest pack-and-ship firm had insult rap battles that devolved into comments about aging and weight gain.
Result: a spate of internal complaints from employees, and even from a caterer who was setting up food on-site and overheard the derisive and potentially discriminatory lyrics.

Actionable Risk Management Take-Aways for Bosses:

A number of pre-event precautions can help reduce the risk of your summer outing going sideways:

• Scare your managers—just a little. Schedule pre-event “Respect Huddles” where you can remind those in supervisory roles that they all have potential professional and/or legal responsibility if things go wrong. Deputize them, so to speak, to watch out for risky conduct as the festivities unfold. Share simple scripts and responses your managers can use to “nudge” attendees back to a zone of respect.

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• Set limits for everyone on things like alcohol, how long/late the event runs, and an agenda of (appropriately) fun activities. Historically, drinking can be a gateway activity to all sorts of sordid interactions. To manage the risk, some organizations have found it very helpful to “ticket the tequilas,” meaning they provide the event food, but limit the alcohol, such as by using a drink ticket system.
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A strict event agenda helps prevent attendees from straying into murky territory with creative comments and conduct. Any planned games should focus on friendly collaboration, not physical contact.

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Assign a trusted internal party planner to carefully manage your party or outing agenda.

• Strongly encourage staff to bring significant others and kids, if interested. Having lots of little tykes in attendance tends to reduce all sorts of adult excesses and judgement errors. However, also be open to employee opt-outs. Stress the fact that no one is expected to attend—it is just as important as making sure everyone feels welcome.

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• Send a pre-event conduct memo to every employee at least once, and maybe even twice. Revisit your office respect rules, as they extend to and apply in the great outdoors as well, at least when your organization is sponsoring.

Tips for Everyone

For employees at any level, we recommend not thinking of the outing as party time, but rather as a professional event that just happens to be moving outside. These tips can help any attendee enjoy the gathering while avoiding risky situations:

• Set lower expectations for yourself on how “off-the-hook” the whole outing will be, which can help ensure that you’re not disappointed and are better able to maintain decorum.

• Stay away from casual banter that is ribald, risqué or involves sharing too much information.

• Social distance, for both COVID and conduct reasons.

How to Strengthen Your Safety Program and Cut Workers Compensation Costs

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Controlling business costs is top-of-mind for organizations of all sizes and can take many forms, from moving the business to a less expensive building in a more economical part of town to cutting advertising costs. Many companies overlook one key way to control costs that can be easily implemented and managed while also improving work culture overall: implementing a safety program to better manage workers compensation costs. When the average workers compensation claim is around $40,000, taking steps to mitigate workers compensation risks and better manage claims can be a great opportunity for any business to both ensure the safety of its workers and protect the bottom line.

Risk professionals can help reduce costs by taking steps to implement any of the following:

  • Improved safety programs
  • More active involvement in claims management
  • Build out a return to work program

Encourage your internal teams to establish a well-planned and detailed new hire onboarding program that reinforces a strong safety culture. Here are some steps that you can integrate into your existing onboarding program that will also help control unnecessary or redundant workers’ compensation claim costs.

Practice Makes Perfect

Onboarding new employees means taking the time to acclimate them to how your business operates in terms of safety procedures, jobsite dos/don’ts, and any potential hazards. Repetition is key for any new employee learning the ropes, but especially for those workers who are jumping into a new role. Ensure all new hires have the appropriate time and space to practice any safety protocols and consider implementing a safety quiz at the end of a designated orientation period to test retention.

Use the Buddy System

Provide each new employee with a veteran employee buddy. This partnership aims to help the new employee get acclimated more quickly to the new environment. During their time together, the veteran employee can discuss safety concerns and identify potential hazards. As worksites can become overwhelming with the amount of hustle and bustle, it will be critical for the new employee to have a partner who is able to help keep an eye out for them and monitor their safety until they are ready to venture out on their own.

Cultivate a Culture of Safety

Encourage managers and team leaders to commit to safety goals and practice what they preach. Setting an example for employees early means that management must be “all in” on safety. This ensures that employees on all levels understand that safety is a company-wide priority. Building a foundation of safety-focused programs with the goal of keeping claim costs low will be key to solidifying each employee’s connection to the organization.

There are myriad ways to reduce workers’ compensation costs. What will be most important to your organization is taking into consideration the time and resources it will take to efficiently improve this area of your business. Whether your team decides to do this independently or with the help of a vendor like a PEO, it is essential for companies to prioritize this part of their business to reduce risk.