Canada Ranks Third Among Countries Most Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Marijana Dabic

According to The National Exposure Index, a report released by cyber security vendor Rapid7 Labs, Canada ranks third on a list of countries most vulnerable to cyber attacks. The goal of the report was to determine which countries are most at risk for deliberate, wide-scale breaches.

Countries were ranked based on their unencrypted services on the public internet, services on the internet that are unsuitable for public access and services that are subject to abuse. Notably, researchers found that countries with the most risk have a significant investment in, and reliance on, a safe and stable internet.

Other interesting findings include the following:

The top five countries in the 2018 exposure ranking were the United States, China, Canada, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Together, these countries control over 61 million servers on at least one of the ports surveyed.
There are 13 million exposed endpoints associated with direct database access.
There are about 40,000 unpatched, out-of-date servers. These servers are at risk of being targeted in future, large-scale disrupted denial-of-service attacks.
Mature and traditionally profitable countries are not the only ones that rely on a healthy internet. As of 2018, more than half of the entire world maintains an active internet presence.

Rapid7 Labs hopes internet service providers can use these findings, with the help of policy-makers, to create a more secure global internet. To read the full report, click here.

Recognizing and Responding to Workplace Impairment

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Marijana Dabic

When workers are impaired on the job, whether by fatigue, the use of drugs or the consumption of alcohol, there can be serious consequences. Specifically, impairment of any kind can directly affect one’s ability to perform their duties in a safe manner.

As an employer, it’s your utmost responsibility to maintain a safe workplace. As such, it’s important to know how to identify and respond to workplace impairment. The following are some common signs, symptoms and behaviours to look out for:

Personality changes or erratic behaviour
A noticeable decline in appearance or personal hygiene
Poor performance or changes in work quality
Poor balance and unsteady walking
Consistent lateness, absenteeism or reduced productivity

When it comes to responding to impairment incidents, it’s critical to remember the scope of an employer’s obligations. It’s not an employer’s job to diagnose an employee’s dependency problem. However, employers can observe changes in attendance, performance and behaviour, and respond accordingly. Employers need to act in non-judgmental ways, provide support and practise empathy. Be sure to focus on solutions and, if disciplinary action is necessary, follow through.

Following any incident, employers and supervisors should file an incident report. In general, these reports outline the incident, identify the employee’s actions, detail what was discussed, list who was notified of the incident, note what actions were taken and recommend follow-up steps.

If you are considering building a policy around workplace substance testing, it is recommended that you seek legal counsel. If handled improperly, substance testing can infringe on employee rights and lead to serious issues and even legal recourse.

5 Major Construction Trends

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Marijana Dabic

In order to stay competitive and set your construction firm up for success, the following are five major construction trends to follow this year:

Technology advancements—The construction industry is notoriously slow at adopting new technologies. However, firms may soon have no choice but to pivot their business practices, as 3D printing, cloud applications and drone usage will likely boom.
Modular and prefabrication construction—In 2017, modular and prefabrication construction grew in popularity due to its cost effectiveness and efficiency. This trend will likely continue, especially when you consider that material prices aren’t expected to fall.
An increased focus on safety—The construction industry is consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous. Following higher levels of scrutiny, expect a continued focus on crafting better safety procedures and utilizing more safety technology.
Continued labour shortages—Labour shortages in the construction industry are nothing new and will likely continue to plague firms across the country. With a small pool of qualified candidates, firms may struggle to find enough skilled craft workers to meet growing demands.
Sustainability—Over the last few years, firms may have noticed a greater emphasis on green products and construction practices. Sustainability will be important throughout 2018, and companies that fail to consider their environmental impact may lose out on new projects.

Organizations can’t always predict what factors will have the greatest impact on future business. However, with the above trends in mind, companies can avoid major risks and ensure they remain competitive.

Employment Practices Liability Insurance

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Marijana Dabic

From hiring new workers to assigning duties, each of your decisions affects employees in a unique way. Although these actions are critical to running your business, they also create exposures that could lead to costly claims by employees or governmental regulators. Even if they are not warranted, claims for wrongful employment practices can disrupt operations, damage your business’s reputation, hurt employee morale and negatively impact your bottom line.

Thankfully, businesses can rely on employment practices liability (EPL) insurance to protect against a wide range of wrongful employment practices claims, including wrongful termination, discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation.

Claims Scenario: Litigation Frustration

The company: An auto dealership that relies heavily on the performance of its salespeople

The challenge: A Toronto-based auto dealership employs a number of salespeople who, when performing at a high level, contribute greatly to the company’s bottom line. One such salesperson, who had put up great numbers in the past, saw a marked decline over the last few years. In addition, this salesperson had become increasingly hostile toward customers.

After frequent warnings and poor performance reviews, the salesperson was let go. However, this salesperson quickly fired back with a wrongful dismissal lawsuit, claiming they had been fired based on their age. Cases like these often fetch well over $100,000.

EPL insurance in action: One of the key benefits of EPL insurance is how it responds to actual and alleged acts. In the example above, EPL insurance can provide ample defence cost coverage, which, in turn, protects the organization and its directors and officers.

What’s more, the type of claims EPL policies respond to are vast. In fact, EPL insurance can help organizations fight claims related to breaches of contract, wrongful terminations and non-compliance with employment laws.

Claims Scenario: Take All Complaints to Heart or Get Taken to Court

The company: A small health club with only a few employees

The challenge: A local health club employs just 10 workers, most of whom are male. While the staff members seem to get along from the employer’s perspective, one of the female trainers expressed private concerns to her manager.

Specifically, the female employee felt uncomfortable with the way her male peers spoke to each other when they were around her. In addition, she felt that she was unfairly overlooked for a recent promotion due to her sex.

Because the employer felt this employee wasn’t being treated any differently, they didn’t take any corrective action or address any of her behavioural concerns. As a result, a sexual harassment lawsuit was quickly filed against the company.

EPL insurance in action: Sexual harassment cases are becoming increasingly common and can affect businesses of all sizes. While organizations need to take reports of harassment seriously, EPL insurance can help organizations respond effectively to claims.

Furthermore, many policies provide additional resources companies can use to boost their risk management practices. Notably, EPL insurance can connect businesses to human resources consultation, which can be invaluable when avoiding legal action.

Benefits of EPL Insurance

Coverage for alleged acts—EPL insurance not only protects organizations from actual wrongful acts, but alleged acts as well. Specifically, EPL coverage can safeguard an organization from claims related to discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination.
Timely responses to lawsuits—Employees suing their employers is common, and organizations will want to be prepared. This is especially important when you consider that there is no cap on how much a jury can award and that settlements in employment-related cases can easily reach six figures.
Access to legal help—Strong EPL policies provide the insured with access to legal resources. This can prove invaluable if you need advice quickly.
Risk management strategies—While employment-related lawsuits can arise at any time, organizations that take the time to implement basic risk controls are better equipped to avoid claims altogether. Many insurance companies provide access to risk management training and human resources consulting. These services can greatly reduce the likelihood that your company is sued by an employee.

Learn More About EPL Insurance

Business leaders make decisions each day on a range of issues including things like hiring, firing, compensation, promotions and the work environment. Every one of these decisions impacts your employees and, depending on the outcome, could result in a claim related to wrongful employment practices.

Claims for wrongful employment practices are on the rise and often lead to business interruptions and costly claims. In order to truly protect your organization, it’s critical to seek EPL insurance. To learn more, contact your insurance broker today.

Ontario Amends Boiler and Pressure Vessel Regulation

Posted on July 12, 2018 by Marijana Dabic

Overview

Ontario’s Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) is introducing new regulations governing boilers and pressure vessels (BPVs), effective July 1, 2018. Among the changes, businesses will have to follow a new process to secure a certificate of inspection (COI) for BPVs. COIs are documents issued to BPV owners after they pass a periodic inspection. COIs also legally authorize BPV owners to operate the devices.

Who’s Impacted?

The new rules, which are based on amendments to Ontario’s Boilers and Pressure Vessels Regulation, are designed to keep residents safe by ensuring that BPVs are designed, installed, operated and maintained in accordance with applicable codes and standards. In addition, the amendments enable the TSSA to keep a database of all regulated BPVs, including their location and safety status.

Notably, these changes affect the following stakeholders:

Individuals and businesses who own BPVS regulated under the Boilers and Pressure Vessels Regulation
Insurers licensed to underwrite BPV equipment
Third-party inspection providers

What’s Changing and Why?

The new BPV standards include the following provisions:

The new process requires BPV owners to work directly with the TSSA. The TSSA will issue a COI to BPV owners after they pass a periodic inspection and submit a Record of Inspection. COIs are valid throughout the inspection cycle of a BPV device, which can range from 12 to 36 months.
Owners of BPVs will be required to pay a COI fee to the TSSA for each device they own. These fees range from $40 to $115 depending on the frequency of inspections. A triennial audit fee of $4,100 will apply to insurers who underwrite boiler and machinery insurance in Ontario. It should be noted that The Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company of Canada will continue to conduct periodic BPV inspections at no additional charge to owners.
The TSSA will maintain a database of device-specific periodic inspection information from both insurers and TSSA inspectors. This will allow the TSSA to track the status of BPVs and any notable incidents. Furthermore, the TSSA will be able to share timely safety information with the public.
The TSSA will implement an audit and attestation program to provide oversight of periodic inspections conducted by insurers.

These provisions were not only introduced to improve communication between BPV owners and the TSSA, but benefit public safety as well.

BPVs are used across a variety of industries, including, but not limited to, power, manufacturing, agriculture and forestry. In the event that a BPV is installed or operated in an unsafe manner, equipment failures, leakages and ruptures can occur. These events can lead to major health and safety hazards, like poisonings, suffocations, fires and explosions. This is particularly concerning, as BPVs are common in populated structures like apartments, condominiums, malls, office space, hospitals, retirement homes and schools.

To learn more about the changes, read these fact sheets provided by the TSSA.

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