Thinking about risk management is our job. Recently, we sat down to identify a few solid recommendations your district could follow in the new year to improve your risk management.
We know that time and money are at a premium. But exercising good risk management, what some people would call good ‘risk hygiene,’ could provide big financial benefits and save you a lot of headaches.
Therefore, we put together this list of what to take advantage of in 2019 to make better risk management a reality.
1. Complete our Business Income Worksheet and evaluate how much Business Interruption Coverage your district needs.
Simply stated, this would prepare you financially for the unexpected. In the event of a disaster, or unforeseen event that closes your district’s doors, are you ready to continue operations even when you or your employees cannot get to work?
With our Business Interruption Coverage, we make sure you can continue to pay your employees so that you are more than ready to snap back after a major disaster.
The worksheet is available upon request. If you would like to talk about where you stand in relation to business interruption coverage, contact your broker or the Pool.
2. Create the right culture – Motivate your safety committee by nominating our next Safety Hero.
Safety committees allow organizations to discuss issues that might not otherwise come to the attention of managers. The implementation of a safety committee can create a company culture that allows everyone to collaborate on improving safety practices, regardless of their position.
Safety committees meet to set goals and even partner with experts and authorities in the community. This increases everyone’s awareness and may even inspire more individuals to notice things that contribute to losses community-wide.
CSD Pool resources such as our Safety & Loss Prevention Grants and TargetSolutions naturally lend themselves to use within safety committees. In addition, our Safety Awards Programs often look for members of safety committees as nominees, resulting in an article in our newsletter and an accompanying prize to acknowledge their accomplishments.
We are also always looking for our next Safety Hero. Do you know someone who goes beyond the call of duty? Nominate them today on our website.
3. Get ready for another wild year of weather – Sign up for SmartNotice
If 2018 was any indicator that weather can be extreme, considering the excessive hailstorms and wildfires, we can only attempt to prepare for what 2019 has in store. Luckily, SmartNotice, one of our most recently added services, can help.
Receive emergency alerts to warn you and your district about incoming weather threats. Last year, our first district to sign-up for the service, Fountain Sanitation District, avoided excessive damage to their vehicles by receiving notification about the incoming hailstorm and was able to move their vehicles before it occurred.
In addition, SmartNotice can act as your district’s main communications resource. Send messages to your employees in an instant to warn them about workplace closings or upcoming fire and tornado drills, or to relay information from the office into the field.
4. Prepare your district and staff for cyber threats by signing up for eRisk Hub or CIS
Through eRisk Hub, we provide access to the tools you need to assess your district’s computer systems and determine how you can combat cyber threats with minimal, controlled, and predictable costs.
Utilize a toolbox of resources to help you understand and prepare for a variety of cyber-related threats. Services include a comprehensive incident road map helping you navigate a data breach, breach coaching, risk assessments, privacy experts, breach cost calculator, legal assistance, security remediation, and computer forensics.
Complete a self-guided assessment through NetDiligence on the eRisk Hub platform at no cost. This will ensure you meet compliance with up-to-date standards. You can offset those costs through our grant program.
Additionally, be sure to check out our new, custom Phishing Awareness Course coming soon to TargetSolutions.
Last, your district can participate in the Center for Internet Security’s MS-ISAC Program. This program is offered to local, state, and tribal governments and allows your IT professionals to help prepare and test your systems for cyber attacks. Completing an assessment through this program may qualify you for higher Cyber Coverage limits through the CSD Pool.
5. Sign up for our Email List
This is the number one, best way to stay in the loop with CSD Pool happenings. Find out here about webinars, seminars, conferences, and changes in policy. Also, we raffle off prizes periodically to those on our mailing list.
To subscribe, go to csdpool.org and enter your email address at the bottom of the page. If you are a manager, consider enrolling any staff members or board members you think might benefit from seeing what we have to offer.
6. Take a Course in TargetSolutions
Not only is this training program free (excluding firefighter training), it is a valuable resource to make sure your staff and district is receiving appropriate training, but when you complete enough courses every year, you can receive up to 10% off your Liability coverage for the next year. This one is a no-brainer.
Many companies use systems like TargetSolutions, and pay enormous amounts of money for it. For basic usage, this system is totally free. Even when you expand it to include specialized training (firefighters) or dedicated functionality, it costs pennies on the dollar to what you’d pay with an external learning management system.
7. Put HR Helpline on your speed-dial
This resource is one of our most useful. It gives you access to an HR lawyer to answer any questions or provide advice when dealing with a sensitive internal problem at your district. If you have a discipline, hiring, or firing decision to make, it costs you nothing to get confidential, qualified legal input from HR Helpline.
Additionally, this service provides legal and compliance updates, templates, and sample policeis and procedures. It’s an indispensable tool whether you have a full HR department, just one HR person, or no HR folks at all.
8. Enroll in our upcoming Webinar
Join us over the next few months for a variety of informative, relevant webinars tailored to special districts. To enroll or to learn more, visit csdpool.eventbrite.com.
9. Request a Scholarship to attend the SDA Annual Conference
In case you hadn’t noticed, most of the things on this list don’t cost money. Attending the SDA Conference in Keystone, however, does. Unless you’re a new manager or board member.
The SDA Conference is a fantastic opportunity to meet your peers and partners, and learn a lot about your district’s unique risks, goals, and opportunities. If you are a new manager or board member, visit our website to apply for a scholarship to attend this year’s conference at no cost.
Make your plans now. This September, rub shoulders with other district members and learn what others are doing well.
10. Subscribe your staff for The Risk Management Review
Last but certainly not least, consider subscribing other people from your district to this magazine. It costs nothing and is the best way to ensure the valuable information we put out gets to your staff.
The Risk Management Review features great information about expanding coverage, upcoming deadlines, interesting topics, and new programs. Feel free to sign up at https://csdpool.org/subscribe.
If you have questions, or if you would like to get started on any of these programs, please email us at info@csdpool.org.
