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Insurance and Wellness Blog

Take the Test - Labor Classes

Posted by kapnick on Oct 6, 2015 11:15:00 AM


Department of Labor Offers New Guidelines for Classifying Workers

As the issue of worker classification continues to garner more attention, The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has responded with new guidelines for classifying workers as either employees or independent contractors under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA).


Those classified as employees are entitled to the protections provided by FSLA including minimum wage, overtime compensation, unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation. Independent contractors are not covered by the FSLA. According to the DOL, Congress intended that the FSLA be interpreted broadly to classify workers as employees and courts have generally followed a liberal interpretation favoring the employee classification.
The DOL has devised a six-part “economic realities” test of the relationship between a worker and employee that should be used when classifying. This multi-factor test focuses on whether the worker is economically dependent on the employer (employee), or in business for him or herself and therefore an independent contractor.

Economic Realities Test
When determining whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor, all of the factors of the “economics realities” test must be considered in each case, and no one factor is determines if a worker is an employee. The six factors or questions in the “economic realities” test include:

1.    Is the work an integral part of the employer’s business?
2.    Does the worker’s managerial skill affect the worker’s opportunity for profit or loss?
3.    How does the worker’s relative investment compare to the employer’s investment
4.    Does the work performed require a special skill and initiative?
5.    Is the relationship between the worker and the employer permanent or indefinite?
6.    What is the nature and degree of the employer’s control?


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Topics: Risk Management/Services

Flood Insurance Changes FREE SEMINAR

Posted by Leslie Snead on Mar 16, 2015 2:23:47 PM


MONROE BANK & TRUST and KAPNICK INSURANCE GROUP
PARTNER TO PRESENT FREE SEMINAR ON
FLOOD INSURANCE CHANGES

TECUMSEH, MI – The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is in the process of implementing Congressionally mandated reforms required by the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 that repeal and modify the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12). As part of this reform, FEMA is updating flood hazard maps in Lenawee County and is the process of implementing the map change.  READ MORE...

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Topics: Risk Management/Services

6 Fire Prevention Tips

Posted by kapnick on Oct 6, 2014 8:10:49 AM

Fire prevention safety week 2014 is here - here are 6 tips on how to prevent and be ready in case of a fire.

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Topics: Risk Management/Services, Featured Posts

Have you inspected your fire extinguishers lately?

Posted by kapnick on Nov 27, 2013 10:10:37 AM

Are they fully charged, strategically located, accessible, and ready for use? Or, are they covered with dust and hidden in a corner where they create a false sense of security?

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Topics: Risk Management/Services, Featured Posts

Video - Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls on Your Property

Posted by kapnick on Nov 18, 2013 1:59:34 PM

Kapnick Insurance Group's Amy Dekeyser (Risk Solutions Manager) provides some basic, yet often overlooked tips for preventing Slips, Trips and Falls on your property.

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Topics: Risk Management/Services, Featured Posts, Safety Videos

Workplace Violence Seminar

Posted by kapnick on Nov 6, 2013 10:34:44 AM

Learn to identify and prevent the different forms of workplace violence by attending this seminar. The event takes place on Wednesday, November 20th from 8:30 AM to Noon at our Ann Arbor office.

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Topics: Risk Management/Services, Events, Featured Posts

Kapnick Invests further in Transportation and Vocational Truck Capability

Posted by kapnick on Sep 17, 2013 12:47:12 PM

Very early in Kapnick Insurance Group’s commercial insurance life, it knew that niche marketing and “program related” insurance was a way for them to grow beyond its borders in Lenawee County. Conventional insurance sales through strong customer service, community involvement and key carrier relationships did indeed help the organization rise from a smaller town like Adrian, MI, to become a recognizable force in Lenawee County. But to grow beyond the local borders like many other successful U.S.- based agencies, expanding beyond its geographic boundaries was necessary.

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Topics: Risk Management/Services, Featured Posts, Business Insurance - Your Weekly Cup of Joe

Have you been hit hard by the storms this year? Pics of storm damage.

Posted by kapnick on Jun 28, 2013 9:31:27 AM

Don’t think it can’t happen. A disaster, bad weather or a building emergency can cause financial havoc and disruption for your business. How would you respond?

CLICK HERE to see storm damamge

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Topics: Risk Management/Services, Personal Insurance, Featured Posts

Property & Casualty Division - Insurance Solutions

Posted by kapnick on May 23, 2013 9:32:55 AM


Boston Marathon Bombings: The Take-Away

TIPS: Three Keys to Successful Crisis Management

Business owners in the Boston area who were not located in the immediate area where the explosions occurred, and therefore not immediately impacted by the blasts, probably initially didn't give a second thought to how adversely they would be affected by this tragic event. Caught up in the shock and grief everyone was feeling, the last thing on their minds was probably, "how might this affect my business?" They soon found out when the massive manhunt by law enforcement closed down large sections of surrounding neighborhoods. It is estimated that the tragedy inflicted as much as $333 million in damage to the local economy. Tragedies can strike at any time, anywhere, and usually without much warning. Click the link below to learn the keys to successful crisis management.
 
LEARN MORE >
TOOLS: Template for Business Contingency Plan
 
Most of the businesses affected directly, or indirectly, by the Boston Marathon bombings were probably caught off-guard. Who, in their wildest dreams, could have thought something like this could happen at an event with a long-standing tradition of personal challenge and celebration. Likewise, who would have thought that suddenly and without warning a fertilizer plant in Texas would one minute be operating normally, and the next, blown to smithereens! It is human nature to feel that "this will never happen to me or my business" - but history proves otherwise. Just ask those in Boston and Texas. The businesses that fare the best are ones that realize the potential for disaster - and have a plan in place for how to react. To get started, we have provided a template for a Business Contingency Plan for you to use to build your own custom plan.

CLICK HERE to download your copy of the template.

TRENDING: From Managing Event Risk Going Forward to Defining What Does, or Does Not, Define an Act of "Terrorism"
 
The bombings that occurred at the Boston Marathon finish line tragically ended the lives of several people, adversely impacted the lives of many more, and have far reaching implications for many businesses and industries - most notably the insurance industry. This atrocity has created a new degree of risk into activities not considered threatened before. By doing so, it requires a response from the insurance industry to help manage that risk. Also at issue, there are a number of matters involved in determining whether the Boston bombings tragedy would be considered a terrorist act for insurance purposes such as determining the applicability of terrorism exclusions and terrorism coverage. Click below to read two articles that address new trends in event coverage resulting from this tragedy.
IMPLICATIONS FOR INSURANCE

DEFINING TERRORISM


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Topics: Risk Management/Services, Featured Posts

Safety First: Ladder Safety

Posted by kapnick on May 17, 2013 9:45:01 AM

Unfortunately we hear about this exact situation of an adjuster asking our client or a contractor to borrow ladders or other means to access property:

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Topics: Risk Management/Services, Featured Posts