Handling workplace death is one of the most challenging and complex things an employer or staffing firm can do. This event can cause emotional trauma for everybody involved and is also a significant liability for a business. This liability may become complicated if the decedent is an employee of a staffing company.
Death and How a Staffing Firm Can Handle it
Read on for tips on handling workplace death for staffing firms, and see how you can protect your clients with the right staffing umbrella liability insurance policy.
Customize Staffing Umbrella Liability Insurance Coverage
Insurance agents don’t often see on-the-job fatalities, but unfortunately, your clients may. It is especially true if they work in hazardous industries such as construction or agriculture. You may not be able to minimize the risk in these areas directly, but you can provide clients with insurance policies to mitigate their liabilities. When it comes to the potential for workplace deaths, equipping your staffing agency clients with an umbrella liability insurance policy is the best bet.
Contact Emergency Services and OSHA
If your client’s employee is the victim of a workplace fatality, your client should promptly call emergency services. Even if the employee appears deceased, first responders will likely arrive to attempt resuscitation or emergency treatment. Employers must also notify OSHA of the incident and disclose any hazards which might be a contributing factor to the death. Employers are legally required to report this incident within eight hours of its occurrence.
The Staffing Firm Should Offer Emotional Support to Fellow Employees
In the immediate aftermath of a fatality, ensuring the safety of other employees is the most crucial task. Employers must identify and eliminate any existing safety hazards and secure the incident’s surrounding area. It’s equally important to tend to the emotional needs of employees, though, and acknowledge the emotional trauma they will deal with. It’s a good idea to refer grieving colleagues to counseling services, mental health support, and other resources that may help them cope with the incident. Staffing umbrella liability insurance may even cover a portion of these costs.
Identify the Cause of the Fatality
Employers will ultimately need to identify and address the circumstances that led to the fatality. If malfunctioning machinery is the culprit, for example, employers must decommission this equipment. Similarly, if a fatality occurs because of a lack of personal protective equipment, employers must increase enforcement of PPE protocols. Outlining the cause of the accident will help your client prevent it from happening again, which is the most important outcome of any workplace incident. Employers should collaborate with their staffing umbrella liability insurance investigators to identify every contributing factor.
Invest in Staffing Umbrella Liability Insurance
Staffing umbrella liability insurance is the best defense against workplace fatalities, injuries, and other risks. Handling a workplace fatality is never easy, but with the right insurance, your clients can worry less about the possible legal and financial ramifications of such an accident. Demonstrate the value of this type of policy by showing your clients the broad coverage it offers for staffing agencies.
About World Wide Specialty Programs
For the last 50 years, World Wide Specialty Programs has dedicated itself to providing the optimal products and solutions for the staffing industry. As the only insurance firm to be an ASA commercial liability partner, we are committed to that partnership and committed to using our knowledge of the industry to provide staffing firms with the best possible coverage. For more information about Staffing Professional Liability Insurance or any other coverage, we have available to protect your staffing business, give us a call at (877) 256-0468 to speak with one of our representatives.