If you have employees working from home – as more of us are doing while the pandemic continues to surge – it’s even more important to educate and assist remote workers with both cyber security and physical security. Here are some key points to emphasize with employees working from home to keep sensitive information and valuable equipment out of the wrong hands:

A return-to-work (RTW) program can be a valuable addition to your workers’ compensation program. An RTW policy allows your employees to return to a light-duty or modified job while they recover from an occupational injury or illness and is designed to help injured or sick employees get back to work in a safe and timely manner.

With the continuing spread of COVID-19, a new emergency temporary standard (ETS) protecting employees in most worksites was approved by Cal-OSHA recently. Schools were generally excluded from similar regulations previously. This new ETS extends an existing safety standard for medical and emergency responders to most workplaces, including schools.

As vaccines are at last being distributed, we are experiencing some of the worst outcomes of the pandemic as winter begins. Many regions are facing new restrictions in the attempt to prevent the spread of Coronavirus with businesses, government facilities and public schools returning to remote operations. Until large portions of the population are vaccinated and the rates of infection are reduced in our communities, a lengthy period of remote learning in our schools may be the reality for the near future.

In the course of the past several months, new workers’ compensation legislation and Cal/OSHA rules for workplace safety emergency standards were put forward. These new laws and regulations will impact how your school and employees will be affected due to potential exposure to COVID-19 in their work environment. These statutes and regulations are extensive, so we can’t go into detail in this short Trending Topics article. However, Keenan has produced more detailed information in our Briefings on Senate Bill 1159, Assembly Bill 685 and Cal/OSHA’s new Workplace Safety Standards.

Our advanced online technology has provided ways to successfully navigate physical restrictions imposed by the Coronavirus pandemic. Videoconferencing platforms, like Zoom, Skype and WebEx, have allowed schools and businesses to continue team collaboration, meetings and learning for millions who are working or attending school remotely. Regrettably, the ease with which this technology permits personal connections from almost anywhere, it is also vulnerable to intrusion by those who attempt to disrupt, threaten and harass.

While your staff are preparing safe, clean classrooms and facilities for the return of students, it’s also vital that your team members protect themselves against injuries. In recent months, loss data indicate increases among custodial, maintenance and operations workers with occupational injuries relating to cleaning and disinfecting facilities. These important tasks require diligent attention to the hazards of chemicals and equipment used to clean, disinfect and sanitize.

When your facilities are not occupied, whether just overnight or when remote learning during the pandemic leaves school buildings vacant for prolonged periods, you are more vulnerable to property crimes, including vandalism, arson and burglary. Vehicles left dormant on school grounds are also potential targets that can turn into costly losses for your district. Empty structures can also fall victim to damage caused by breakdowns such as plumbing leaks, electrical malfunctions, and pest infestation that can go undetected over time.

If there is one thing has been consistent in the year 2020, it’s change. Every time you look around, the dynamics of social, political, economic and technological conditions are in motion this year. All of this change is affecting our lives and how we interact with the availability of products and services we need and use. It has also affected the market for insurance and employee benefits.

Just as workplaces need to keep people healthy during the pandemic, our homes also must be prepared for keeping your family safe during a community outbreak. In this final article in our Trending Topics series on coronavirus, we feature a course on the actions advised by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to prepare your household.