Welcome to this month's edition of The Alandale Advisor.

First, I would like to introduce our new Claims Management & Safety Coordinator, Paula Kendrick who recently joined the Alandale team.  We are extremely happy with the experience and knowledge Paula brings to our clients, please read a quick biography on Paula in this months Advisor.

Next, we bring you Part Two, in our attempt to uncover some of the myths concerning Work Comp Cost Containment. You can review the first 5 myths from last month's article (here) as a refresher before closing out this month's final five.  We then offer a quick look into the importance of background checks when making new hires.  It is much easier not to hire that troublemaker than it is to terminate them at a later date, read this quick article regards this hot issue. 

It appears to be 1998 all over again, at least as far as Workers Compensation rates are concerned.  With the Work Comp reforms instituted in the past three years, employers have seen considerable rate roll backs to those of nearly 10 years ago.  Remember, we have seen this before, and it was not that long ago.  We can all remember in 2001, 2002 and 2003 when pricing soared and availability was scarce.  We recommend planning ahead to realize that these low rates probably won't last forever, the insurance companies will be back looking for these dollars in 2-3 years.  Do not ignore your Risk Control and Safety Programs, as a low experience mod factor will be very valuable in the future.

Finally, in this months Safety Spotlight we address what to do at the time of crises.  Take a quick read a 3 simple steps you can use to be ready in the event of a major catastrophic loss in your business.

I hope we continue to help with your budgeting, planning and risk management.