Veracity March 2021 edition
- Message from Anthony
- Don’t miss your chance to register for the 2021 Vero SME Insurance Index Webinar
- Have you nominated your choice for the 2021 NIBA Young Professional Broker of the Year?
- How to prevent or reduce fire risk in commercial properties
- Fatigue in the workplace
Message from Anthony
Welcome to the first edition of Veracity for 2021. It’s hard to believe we’re already three months in - once again it’s shaping up to be another big year for us in the general insurance industry.
Last month, we announced changes to our product suite in Australia to simplify our insurance proposition and adjust to current market conditions. The decision to no longer offer Vero Construction and Vero Home, Landlord and Private Motor insurance products was not an easy one, however it will enable us to focus on our core commercial products and provide you with an even greater product focus and expertise to deliver more tailored solutions.
We understand these changes can be potentially unsettling and disruptive to you and your customers and we apologise for this inconvenience. In making these tough decisions, we recognise that today’s market conditions have fundamentally changed, and we needed to focus on our principal strengths of commercial insurance to ensure we can offer the best risk solutions for Australian businesses and support your core business activities.
We’re here to help make the transition as smooth as possible and if you have any questions, please reach out to your dedicated BDM.
Register for the 2021 SME Insurance Index webinar
On the 18th March we will share the findings from the 10th edition of the Vero SME Insurance Index, providing you with valuable insights collected from a decade of research into the Australian SME market. Brad Dalton, Head of Commercial Underwriting will be joined by guest speakers Sarah Lyons, Chief Executive, Gallagher (Australia), and Mike Emmett, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, AUB Group, to unpack the findings and discuss what it means for you and your SME customers. Read on to register for the free 2021 Vero SME Insurance Index webinar.
Thank you for your ongoing support and feedback. The team and I genuinely look forward to continuing working with you, and we trust that our accelerated commercial strategic focus will assist Australian businesses moving forward.
Please take a few minutes to watch our video update.
Only two weeks to go! Have you registered for the 2021 Vero SME Insurance Index Webinar yet? Don’t miss out on your chance to gain access to valuable insights collected from a decade of research into the Australian SME market to help amplify your impact as a broker.
Be amongst the first brokers in Australia to hear insights on broker usage and purchase behaviour trends from over 1500 SMEs nationally to help you tailor your services to your SME customer’s needs, and gain a comprehensive understanding of the climate they are operating in.
Plus, benefit from insightful discussion with industry experts:
- Sarah Lyons, Chief Executive, Gallagher (Australia)
- Mike Emmett, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, AUB Group
- Brad Dalton, Head of Commercial Underwriting, Vero
Key topic areas include:
- Trends from a decade of insights into the Australian SME market
- Changes in the insurance market landscape - including broker usage and insurance levels the insurance market landscape
- Evolving market confidence and top concerns
- Attitudes towards insurance and understanding premiums
Nominations are open for the Vero-sponsored NIBA Young Professional Broker of the Year and Warren Tickle Memorial Award.
Hear what the 2020 finalists learnt throughout the Vero Professional Development series to help amplify their impact within the young broking community, and their professional careers.
What does the Warren Tickle Memorial Award winner receive?
- Up to $10,000 to put towards a dedicated learning program to further invest in their personal growth and professional succes.
- Access to the Vero Young Brokers Alumni Program together with previous award winners for ongoing training and development.
Nominate today!
Please focus on the everyday achievers in your business and nominate them for this prestigious award.
Nominations close 14 March 2021.
In this article we examine an often overlooked way to prevent or slow down fire spread throughout a building, and highlight why fire systems should not be compromised during building alterations or maintenance.
Fire resistive doorsets are one of the most critical passive fire protection systems. In this article we examine their design, installation and limitations to fitment of additional hardware in more detail.
Fatigue can lead to a reduction in productivity, decreased mental acuity and attentiveness, slower reaction times and increased forgetfulness. In a workplace environment, this may result in a reduction of employee capacity to complete work effectively and safely.
Fatigue can be caused by work related, non-work related factors or a combination of both.
Although non-work related causes of fatigue are often difficult to identify and manage, the impact on the workplace remains the same and should be included in any mitigation strategies put in place.
Work related causes can include:
- changes to roster patterns, length of shifts and insufficient breaks
- work practices that lead to staff working excessive hours, dim lighting, hot environments, repetitive tasks and mentally or physically demanding work
- stress – including conflict, job security and high workload
Employees performing tasks such as these are at risk when fatigue in the workplace is not addressed: driving, performing complex tasks that require significant concentration, night shifts or rostered work, using tools or machinery.
Safe Work Australia data indicates that the injury rate for shift workers was more than two times greater than that of non-shift workers. Shift workers accounted for 30 per cent of all injured workers, despite them only making up 16 per cent of hours worked overall. (i)
Driver fatigue may also increase the risk of a crash. Research has found that fatigue related driving accidents tend to be more severe in nature, with these crashes three times more likely to involve a fatality than crashes which are non-fatigue related. (ii) Additionally, a person who has driven more than eight hours has the equivalent crash risk of a driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05%. (iii)
Each workplace is different and so it’s important that the fatigue risks relevant to a particular workplace be identified and that persons conducting business or undertakings (PCBUs) have clear plans in place to address these risks. This may include: designing rosters to ensure appropriate breaks are taken between and throughout shifts, taking appropriate action if an employee is displaying fatigue-related impairment, maintaining a work environment that does not increase fatigue and regularly consulting with employees about fatigue and ways to mitigate the risk of fatigue. Safe Work Australia has developed comprehensive guidance material which includes how to identify and assess fatigue hazards, as well as controls that can be applied. (iv)
Vero can offer Workers Compensation Insurance for businesses in WA, NT, ACT and TAS through GIO. Our risk team can provide support and guidance for workplaces with exposure to RCS. For more information please speak to your local Vero representative or email the Workers Compensation Risk Team at riskservices@gio.com.au.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is for information purposes only and is not legal or financial advice. The information is intended to be of a general nature only and has been prepared without taking into account your particular objectives, financial situations or needs, so you should consider whether it is appropriate for you before acting on it. We do not accept any legal responsibility for any loss incurred as a result of reliance upon it – please make your own enquiries. This newsletter has been prepared by AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 trading as Vero Insurance.
References:
i) Safe Work Australia. 2021. Comparison-of-Work-Related Injuries in Shiftworkers-and-Non-shiftworkers. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files/documents/1702/comparison-of-work-related-injuries-shiftworkers-and-non-shiftworkers.pdf. [Accessed 19 January 2021].
ii) Boufous, S. & Williamson, A. (2006). A data-matching study of the role of fatigue in work-related crashes. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 10(3), 242 – 253.
iii) Haworth, N. (2002). Countering Driver Fatigue: Monash University Accident Research Centre. Retrieved from: https://www.monash.edu/muarc/archive/our-publications/papers/fatigue
iv) Safe Work Australia. 2021. Guide for managing the risk of fatigue at work [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/guide-managing-risk-fatigue-work. [Accessed 19 January 2021].
