FAQs: Liability Waivers

Q: Should we use liability waivers for chapter activities?

A:We neither encourage nor discourage the use of liability waivers due to the lack of consistency in how waivers are enforced. Please refer to the position paper on our websitethat we developed on this topic for further details.

Refer to our website for more FAQs and add your own in the comments!

It’s That Time of the Year

Do you have a flu plan? Check out our resources for more information:

• Kappa Delta generously shared their pandemic flu plan with our clients
• Proper precautions at the chapter house
• Self-Assessment Quiz

FAQs: Certificates of Insurance

Q: I need a Certificate of Insurance for a third party…what next?

A: Contact Ruth Knauer, who handles the Certificate of Insurance requests in our office, or request a Certificate directly via this format www.mjsorority.com. For more information on Certificates of Insurance, check out these resources that we’ve developed on our website: Certificate section the Insurance Summary, Reviewing Contractsdocument, Certificate sectionof the website.

Check out all of our FAQs at www.mjsorority.com. Submit your own questions in the comments!

Claims History Requests

We believe strongly that the more information we can provide our clients in terms of risk management, the better equipped our client’s members and volunteers are in terms of preventing and minimizing risks. For that reason, we regularly review global and client specific claim trends that are occuring, in hopes of alerting our clients and helping them avoid similar claims.

A great tool in educating yourself as a volunteer is to review your chapter’s loss history. We are happy to provide you with this information at any time. Please contact Heather Cox for more information.

Bookmark this: First Report of Injury

In the event of a workers’ compensation claim, it is mandatory that we submit a First Report of Injury into the insurance company as soon after the incident occurred as possible. In many states, there are stiff penalties assessed to the employer in the event of delayed claim submission.

Please complete the First Report of Injury form and fax or e-mail it to Bev Stiles.

FAQs: Exercise equipment

Q: Are there liability concerns associated with having exercise equipment at the chapter house?

A: Yes! Obviously, exercise equipment in the chapter house poses an increase in exposure to bodily injury claims for the House Corporation. If you do have exercise equipment, we recommend that you address its use in your housing agreements with each tenant member. In addition, we strongly encourage the House Corporation to have some kind of maintenance schedule in place to ensure that the exercise equipment is properly maintained and meets minimum safety standards.

Check out all of our FAQs at www.mjsorority.com. Leave your own question in the comments!

Hurricane Irene tracking toward the East Coast

Hurricane Irene is on its way. Be prepared with tips from the latest MJ bulletin on the topic.

Background checks

We often receive calls and emails asking for our recommendations on obtaining background checks. We recommend that you perform a background check on all new hires.

The Consumerist has some great resources to bookmark for every possible kind of background check you can imagine.

General Liability Claim Trends

Here are some recent claim trends that we have seen in the general liability area:

:: The General Liability claims make up 15 percent of the total claims

:: The recent two-year study (2008-2009) revealed the following:

• 15 percent increase in incidents
• 68 percent increase in incidents involving collegiate members as the injured party
• Sources of bodily injury claims
  • Premises (Chapter House, Lodge, Suite, etc.): 56 percent
  • Operations (official activities): 44 percent
  • Impact of alcohol on the incidents
    • 20 percent of the incidents
    • 60 percent of the dollars spent

:: Claims are more severe in nature

Property claim trends

Property Exposure

:: Number of claims is trending downward

• Increase in property deductibles
• Property owners doing more preventative maintenance on their properties

:: Average time required to settle a claim has gone from 55 days to 34 days

:: At the same time, we have seen an increase in the amount of time required to meet with and satisfy local governmental entities responsible for zoning, codes, etc.

:: Recent “University Housing Fires Report” for the 2005-2007 term recorded 3,800 fires resulting in $26,000,000 in property damage. Cooking fires accounted for 84 percent of the fires.

:: We have seen very little exposure to the more “catastrophic type” claims such as hurricanes, tornados, etc.

Peril	Frequency (Number of claims)
Water Damage	24%
Wind	5%
Equipment Breakdown	4%
Glass Breakage	4%
Hail Damage	4%