July 2008 - DSP Insurance Services

volume 1 - Issue 1
volume 1, issue 3
Inside this issue...
45 Seconds
1
Mind Your Mower
2
It’s Electric
3
Stay Tick Free
4
Partners
Bob Schutz bschutz@dspins.com
Steve Pohl spohl@dspins.com
Steve Webster swebster@dspins.com
Producers
Bill Pohl bpohl@dspins.com
Bob Kappus bkappus@dspins.com
Bob Simon bsimon@dspins.com
Colleen Wolenczuk cwolenczuk@dspins.com
Debi Barker dbarker@dspins.com
Ginger Imes gimes@dspins.com
Harold Martin hmartin@dspins.com
Jeff Lawler jlawler@dspins.com
Jim Sulkowski jsulkowski@dspins.com
Kevin Adler kadler@dspins.com
Kerri Cuny kcuny@dspins.com
Leanne Larocca llarocca@dspins.com
Robert Schutz Jr rschutz@dspins.com
Steve Stetson sstetson@dspins.com
Tom Sutter tsutter@dspins.com
Tom Vosberg tvosberg@dspins.com
Employees
Alicia Bailey abailey@dspins.com
Amy Clayton aclayton@dspins.com
Becky Campbell bcampbell@dspins.com
Blanca Flores bflores@dspins.com
Carol Dougherty cdougherty@dspins.com
Chris Klein cklein@dspins.com
Darlene Finlon dfinlon@dspins.com
Dick Green dgreen@dspins.com
Donyale Nelson dnelson@dspins.com
Gail Walavich gwalavich@dspins.com
Jason Kahan jkahan@dspins.com
Jennifer Wagenaar jwagenaar@dspins.com
Kelly McGillivray kmcgillivray@dspins.com
Laura Wywial lwywial@dspins.com
Linda Luebking lluekbking@dspins.com
Lori Boland lboland@dspins.com
Lynn Carlson lcarlson@dspins.com
Marilyn Soverino msorverino@dspins.com
Marlo Geist mgeist@dspins.com
Nancy Zorica nzorica@dspins.com
Pam King pking@dspins.com
Sarah Green sgreen@dspins.com
Sherene Hemler shemler@dspins.com
Tammy Brenner tbrenner@dspins.com
Tracey Meicher tmeicher@dspins.com
Valerie Petravicz vpetravicz@dspins.com
45 Seconds
Can Save Your
Life
Do you know exactly how
long it takes you to drive to
work in the morning? Are you
irritated when the drive takes
a few extra minutes? When
you approach an intersection,
do you mentally will the light
to stay green? Do you feel
challenged to “beat” a yellow
light by sneaking through an
intersection at top speed? If
you find yourself answering
yes to these questions, you
may be engaging in some risky behaviors that can quickly lead to an
accident, injury, or even death.
In our fast-paced culture, many people view yellow on a stoplight as a cue
to speed up. However, yellow lights are timed to give drivers ample time to
either comfortably stop, or proceed safely through an intersection. If you feel
the need to “gun it” to get through a yellow light, you probably had enough
time to stop. Yellow lights actually mean you should stop before entering the
intersection unless a stop cannot be made safely.
Rushing through a yellow light may seem harmless, but if you aren’t able
to make it though the intersection before the light turns red, you may actually be running a red light (depending on the law in your state), which is
extremely dangerous. In fact, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
reports that approximately 100,000 crashes in the United States each year
result from the running of red lights, and about 1% of those result in death.
Running a red light can also result in a costly ticket, and there need not be a
police car nearby to achieve this result. Many cities employ red-light cameras which monitor drivers through intersections. If caught as an offender on
one of these cameras, you can expect a ticket to be in the mail, often along
with an indisputable photograph of your offense.
On average, a stoplight cycle takes only 45 seconds. Running red lights is
illegal and avoidable, and 45 extra seconds in the car is not likely to substantially impact your life – unless it saves your life or the life of another
motorist.
DS&P Insurance
volume 1, issue 3
Mind Your Mower
As warmer months approach, so do visions of ballgames, barbecues, and…. yard work. Though many people dread the constant
mowing, trimming, and watering, few realize that the work, particularly the use of a lawn mower, can actually be quite dangerous.
Each year, over 70,000 people sustain injuries caused by lawn mowers. Potential injuries include deep cuts, loss of fingers or
toes, broken bones, burns, and eye injuries. These injuries can be sustained not only by the operator of the mower, but by anyone
nearby.
Since a mower blade can travel at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, it can be very dangerous, but not just for your hands and
feet: a blade traveling that fast is also a hazard to your eyes, since any run-over object can quickly become a dangerous projectile.
Weed trimmers can also turn yard debris into projectiles.
Before you begin mowing or trimming, it is a good idea to prepare the lawn by checking it for items such as sticks, rocks, and toys.
Make a note of objects that are permanent, like pipes, partially buried rocks, or aboveground roots so you can take care to avoid
them. Running over a fixed object can potentially shatter the mower blade and throw bits of metal from the machine.
In general, make sure other people, especially children, are out of the area. Do not mow when grass is wet, and be especially careful mowing on inclines. Most importantly, never leave a running mower unattended. When in doubt, always consult your owner’s
manual and follow its instructions carefully.
Minimize the risk of injury by dressing appropriately.
This includes:
Clothes that fit close to your body
Long pants and sleeves
Sturdy leather shoes are best
Protective eye wear
Hearing protection
It’s Electric
Electricity is such a common source of energy that people rarely think twice about plugging in, and sometimes they don’t even realize that
electricity is present. The National Safety Council estimates that 600 people die every year of electrical causes, and these deaths are not
usually the result of highly charged wires – most accidents involve low voltage (600 volts or less).
Careless behavior around electricity can cause burns, shocks, and even electrocution, all of which can lead to injuries as serious as death.
Additionally, since many accidents in the workplace occur when employees are not on the clock, there is no good time to be lax about electrical
safety. No matter to what extent you are exposed to electricity in your workplace (or even at home), the most important thing is to stay safe.
ALWAYS:
NEVER:
Assume that loose wires are energized at lethal voltages.
Operate electrical machinery when you are standing in water.
Use equipment and tools according to directions and in the way they are designed to be used.
Touch a fallen power line.
Follow lockout/tagout procedures.
Attempt to inspect or repair electrical equipment without first
de-energizing it.
Be aware of signs that indicate possible electrical hazards.
Wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE) when dealing with electricity.
Remove items from electrical receptacles by pulling on the plug, NOT on the cord itself.
Visually inspect equipment before using it.
Continue to use equipment that you suspect may be damaged
or defective.
Modify extension cords or use them in ways they were not
designed to be used.
DS&P Insurance
volume 1, issue 3
Stay Tick Free This Summer
Lyme disease is a bacterial illness that can cause abnormalities in the skin, joints, heart, and nervous system. While
this disease is not contagious from an infected person to
someone else, people can become infected when bitten by
a tick (most often a deer tick) carrying the bacteria.
Ticks can be active any time the temperature is above
freezing, but are most active in the United States from midMay to August. Deer ticks can be anywhere from the size
of a poppy seed to a sesame seed. When a person is infected by a tick, a bull’s-eye-shaped or solid rash about two
inches in diameter will often (but not always) appear near
the site of the bite. Other symptoms include chills, fever,
headache, fatigue, stiffness, and swollen glands. Fortunately, Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics, and when caught early, is usually fully curable.
Prevention of Lyme disease begins with doing what you can to avoid ticks in the first place. Remember that ticks
are most likely to be present in wooded areas with high grass. If you must go into areas where ticks are likely to
be present:
1. Stay on trails whenever possible.
2. Use repellents to keep ticks off your skin (those with 20 to 30 percent
DEET are the most effective).
3. Wear long pants, long sleeves, and long socks to keep ticks off your skin.
Tuck or tape your socks over your pants to keep them from crawling under
your clothes.
Not all ticks are infected with Lyme disease, and prompt removal of ticks can keep disease-causing bacteria out
of your system. The Centers for Disease Control reports that ticks attached to your skin for less than 24 hours
have an extremely small chance of transmitting Lyme disease.
Even if you think you’ve done enough to avoid ticks, you should still perform a tick check after being outdoors
– check your clothes and all parts of your body. Remember that ticks like warm, dark places. If you find a tick
on your body, remove it immediately using a fine tipped tweezers. You also may want to wash clothes in hot
water and dry them on high heat for at least an hour to ensure you kill any ticks you may have missed on your
clothes.
DS&P Partners
Presorted First-Class
U.S. Postage
Ace Insurance Companies
Humana, Inc.
Accident Fund Ins. Co
International Fidelity Insurance Co.
ACUITY Group
Liberty Mutual Insurance Company
Aetna
Lincoln Financial Group
American International Group
Metlife
AmTrust North America
Midwest Insurance Companies
Arch Insurance Companies
NAS Surety Group
Assurant, Inc.
Old Republic Group
Benefit Administrative Systems, LLC
Philadelphia Ins.Companies
Bituminous Insurance Companies
Principal Financial Group
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
Progressive Insurance
Capitol Indemnity Corporation
Reliance Standard Life Group
Chubb/Federal Insurance
Safeco Insurance Company
CIGNA
Selective Insurance Company
Cincinnati Insurance Company
Sunlife Assurance Co
CNA Insurance
Travelers Casualty & Surety Co.
Delta Dental of Illinois
Unicare Health Insurance
ehealthinsurance
Unitedhealthcare, Inc.
Everest National Insurance
Unitrin Property & Casualty Ins.
Great West Group
Unum Life Ins. Co. of America
Guardian Insurance & Annuity Co, Inc.
Westfield Insurance
Hanover Insurance Company
Zenith National Insurance Group
Harleysville Insurance Company
Zurich Insurance Company
PA I D
Algonquin, IL 60102
Permit No. 14
Hartford Insurance Company
volume 1 - Issue 1
Full service independent insurance firm experienced in
Risk Management and Employee Benefits
1530 E. Dundee Rd. , 2nd Floor . Palatine, IL 60074 . 847.485.2409
www.dspins.com