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Personal Lines Perspectives: How to Negotiate Rent, Fall Driving Tips, and Tips for Working from Home
How to Negotiate Your Rent Whether you’re apartment hunting or your rent went up, it could be worth negotiating to get the best price possible for your rental. Slashing just a small percentage of your rent could ultimately save you thousands. Consider these strategies to negotiate like a pro: Keep in mind that your landlord…
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Know your Insurance: How to Avoid Underinsuring Your Home
How to Avoid Underinsuring Your Home Your home is one of your greatest assets and a significant long-term investment. As such, it’s vital to protect your home and its contents with adequate homeowners insurance. Nevertheless, recent research found that many homeowners lack proper coverage. In fact, nearly 2 out of every 3 homes are underinsured—which…
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Personal Lines Perspectives: Preparing for Power Outages, What to do if Your Car is Totalled, and Tips for Working in the Heat
How to Prepare for a Power Outage You can’t control the weather—but you can take proactive safety measures to protect your family and home against the threat of power outages. Consider these tips: When the storm is approaching or the lights are already out, consider unplugging or turning off electronics and small appliances. Remember to…
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Safety Focused: Mitigating Migraines at work and Cyber Security Best Practices
Mitigating Migraines at Work Migraines are severe headaches that can cause intense throbbing or pulsing, nausea, and heightened sensitivity to light and sound. A migraine episode can last anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days, and— depending on severity—can interfere with the affected individual’s ability to participate in their daily routine or…
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Live Well, Work Well: Sorting out COVID Fact and Fiction, and Summer Sun Safety Tips
Sorting Out Coronavirus Fact From Fiction Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, people were fighting misinformation about health conditions, vaccines and treatments online. With the pandemic constantly evolving, it may be hard to keep up and understand what’s factual and what is fake. It’s important to be up to date on COVID-19 guidance to understand your…
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Live Well, Work Well: Boosting Metal Well-Being, and Surviving Summer Heat
Boost Your Mental Well-being During These Uncertain Times The COVID-19 pandemic has caused uncertainty, stress and worry for many for the past few weeks. Even as businesses reopen and restrictions are lifted, many Canadians are experiencing considerable anxiety. With a survey by Morneau Shepell Ltd. showing that 81 per cent of Canadians say that COVID-19…
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Live Well, Work Well: The Benefits of Cleaning and Grilling Safety Tips
Why Cleaning Your Home Can Boost Overall Well-being Deep cleaning doesn’t need to be a one-season chore. Experts say doing a thorough cleaning of your home has a number of health benefits. A clean home can strengthen your immune system and help you avoid illnesses. A de-cluttered living space can also reduce stress and depression…
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Live Well, Work Well: Smoking, Sugar Substitutes, and Combating Loneliness
Celebrate World No Tobacco Day by Learning About Smoking Cessation According to experts, smoking kills over 480,000 people every year. Few people would disagree that smoking is hazardous to their health, yet millions continue to take part in this unhealthy habit. The most recent data from Statistics Canada shows a decline in Canadian adult smokers,…
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Live Well, Work Well: Laughter for Workplace Stress, and Getting Enough Calcium
Laughter May Be Key to Fighting Workplace Stress Laughter really is the best medicine—for some things. You’ve heard the phrase before and, according to the research, it holds some truth. While a good sense of humor can’t cure all, laughing and joking around can help reduce your stress, improve your mood and make it easier…
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Live Well, Work Well: Eating Healthy on a Budget, and Habits to Help Sleep
Eating Healthy Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive Eating a well-balanced diet is a key component of living a long, healthy life. Many Canadians think that eating healthy means they have to empty their wallets, which isn’t necessarily the truth. Keep the following money-saving tips in mind next time you’re grocery shopping: 5 Sleep Habits You…
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Trucking Risk Advisor: Preventing Common Trucker Injuries
Transportation is among the top industries for lost-time claims and fatalities, according to the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada. Fortunately, most trucker injuries are preventable with the proper precautions. What Causes Trucker Injuries? Truckers typically experience long hours of driving with very little exercise. These factors make truck drivers prone to musculoskeletal disorders…
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Personal Lines Perspectives: Preparing for a Power Outage, Working in the Heat, and What to do in a Car Totaling Accident
How to Prepare for a Power Outage You can’t control the weather—but you can take proactive safety measures to protect your family and home against the threat of power outages. Consider these tips: When the storm is approaching or the lights are already out, consider unplugging or turning off electronics and small appliances. Remember to…
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Manufacturing Risk Advisor: The Importance of Safety Footwear
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is a vital component of your employees’ health and safety. While commonly associated with protecting a person’s head, chest and hands, the importance of PPE for your employees’ feet cannot be overlooked. The following are just a few of the hazards that could lead to serious foot injuries at a work…
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Agriculture Risk Advisor: Reduce Exposure to Grain Dust
Grain dust is a serious concern for many farmers. Exposure to grain dust can result in eye, skin and upper respiratory tract irritation, as well as bronchitis symptoms and chronic decrements in pulmonary function. Furthermore, grain dust can cause damage to equipment and is highly combustible, further resulting in reduced efficiency, injury and even death….
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Safety Focused: Protecting Your Eyes at Work and Workplace Fire Safety Guidance
How to Protect Your Eyes at Work According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, 700 Canadian workers experience work-related eye injuries each day. These injuries can stem from a variety of hazards—including projectiles (e.g., dust, metal or wood), chemicals, radiation, blood-borne pathogens and even electronic devices. Nevertheless, eye doctors confirm that utilizing proper…
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Safety Focused: Ergonomics for Remote Working and Preventing Sprains and Strains
Remote Work Ergonomics Tips Ergonomics is defined as the science of fitting a workspace to an individual’s needs. Ergonomics aims to increase efficiency and productivity while reducing discomfort and the likelihood of injury. Many factors of ergonomics may be taken for granted in the workplace and be severely lacking in a remote work environment. What’s…
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Safety Focused: Slips, Trips, Falls, and Reducing Workplace Stress through Time Management
Beware of Slips, Trips and Falls According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), over 42,000 workers are injured every year from falls. While a fall is typically thought of as occurring from an elevated position, 67 per cent of these reported falls occur on the same level as a result of…
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Safety Focused: Maintaining Mental Health during COVID-19, and Managing Back Pain at Work
Maintaining Your Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impose itself upon the world, forcing people to self-quarantine and practise social distancing. But, while keeping your distance from others is a necessary step in order to protect your physical health, not seeing your friends, family or co-workers for such an extended…
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Safety Focused: Noise Hazards, and Working in the Rain
Noise Hazards in the Workplace Repeated exposure to noise hazards in the workplace can lead to a number of health issues, including temporary, or even permanent, hearing loss. These hazards can be an issue in a wide variety of work environments, whether a construction site, office setting, an airstrip, a concert venue or a crowded…
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Safety Focused: Shift Workers and Minding your Mental Health
Health Tips for Shift Workers For shift workers, unconventional schedules can take a toll on health and safety. In fact, research shows that people who sleep during the day often struggle with getting an adequate amount of rest. What’s more, workers on a shift schedule tend to have poor eating habits and lack regular exercise,…
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Safety Focused: Bullying in the Workplace and Reporting Workplace Hazards
Reporting Workplay Hazards Workplace hazards can be extremely detrimental to employees and the organization at large, potentially causing health and safety issues. If a hazard is identified at the workplace, it should be reported immediately to a supervisor. Identifying a Hazard According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, a hazard is defined…
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Safety Focused: Winter Worker Safety Tips and Preparedness for Winter Storms
Winter Worker Safety Tips Winter weather can create various hazards that include slippery surfaces and roads, strong winds and frigid temperatures. These conditions can promote an increase in workplace accidents that include hypothermia, frostbite and falls. However, many of those injuries can be prevented with the right preparation and presence of mind. Prevention techniques are…
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Personal Lines Perspectives: Winter Weather Damage, Winter Blues, and Insuring Older Vehicles
Weather Damage and Your Home Insurance Policy Depending on the terms of your home insurance policy, some weather-related damages may not be covered. To ensure you have sufficient coverage, you must first understand what weather claims are typically covered under a standard home insurance policy. Perils typically covered under your insurance policy include: Perils often…
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Personal Lines Perspectives: Lower your Hydro Bill, Sharing the Road, and Preventing Identity Theft
Lowering Your Hydro Bill This Summer Don’t lose your cool as the temperature heats up. According to experts, residential electricity sales are expected to increase by 3 per cent this summer because more people are working from home and social distancing. Consider the following tips to save energy and keep energy costs down: Keep in…
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Personal Lines Perspectives: Backyard Grilling Safety, Essential Items for your Automobile, and How to Improve Your Relationship with Your Phone
Backyard Grilling Safety Tips for Summer Barbecues As warmer weather hits, the smell of food on the grill fills the air. However, thousands of home fires each year involve grills, so it’s important to brush up on barbecue safety. Consider the following grilling safety tips: Packing Tips to Make Your Move Easier Summer is the…
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Personal Lines Perspectives: Medicine Cabinet Essentials, Dangerous Driving Habits, Firepit Safety, and Safely Ordering Takeout
Medicine Cabinet Essentials When it comes to illness or accidents in your home, it’s important to be prepared with a well-stocked medicine cabinet. That way, you’ll be able to respond quickly to help yourself or others when sickness or injury strikes. Consider keeping the following 10 items on hand for emergencies: Antacids—These can provide quick…
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Personal Lines Perspectives: Spring Home Maintenance, Beginner Cars, Saving Money on Groceries, and Driving on the Highway
Spring Home Maintenance Tips It’s a welcome time of year following a long winter, but springtime brings a new set of responsibilities that you should be aware of in order to keep your home in good shape. Consider these home maintenance tips as you gear up for spring: Owning a home means that there is…
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Personal Lines Perspectives: Roof Protections, Distracted Driving, and Liquor Liability as a Host.
Is Your Roof Protecting You From the Elements? The health and construction of your home’s roof are vital for protecting your home and its contents. Wind, rain, hail and snow can slowly degrade your roof. To promote the health of your roof and protection of your home, inspect your roof every spring and fall for…
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Personal Lines Perspectives: Risks with Renting out Your Home, How to Prevent Auto Theft, and Eating on a Healthy Budget
Your Insurance May Not Cover Risks Related to Renting Out Your Home Listing a room, apartment or home for rent through a platform such as Airbnb may seem like a straightforward way to supplement your income. However, most property insurance policies do not apply when you leave the property in the hands of complete strangers….
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Trucking Risk Advisor: Preventing Distracted Driving
Studies have shown that many collisions and near-collisions involve some form of driver inattention. For commercial fleets, distracted driving can lead to increased insurance premiums, costly repairs, decreased productivity, reputational damage, and driver injury or death. In order to maintain safe driving practices, organizations must take a top-down approach to combating distracted driving. The following…
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Cyber Risks & Liabilities: Beware of These COVID-19 related Cyber Scams
There are always opportunists who will act quickly to exploit a major event for their own gain while threatening the safety of others. The COVID-19 pandemic is no different, with cyber criminals aiming to take advantage of the confusion, distraction and large-scale shift to remote work resulting from the pandemic. The most common COVID-19-related cyber…
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Cyber Risks & Liabilities: Keep Remote Employees Safe from Cyber Threats
The recent increase in employees working from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic brings with it an increased risk of cyber security threats. With 25 per cent of Canadian organizations now going entirely remote and 85 per cent going remote with at least half of their workforce, it’s important to keep up with…
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Cyber Risks & Liabilities: Do You have Adequate Cyber Insurance?
Given the number of variables, picking a cyber insurance policy can be a difficult task. Furthermore, while an organization may think it is protected by its current policy, new developments in cyber security and ventures by the organization itself may make those policies inadequate. Consider the following when creating or reviewing your existing cyber insurance…
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Cyber Risks & Liabilities: Cyber Risks to Watch in 2020
he most effective way to deal with a cyber attack is to be prepared ahead of time so that it is completely ineffective at best and does minimal damage at worst. While it is impossible to know exactly what type of cyber attack will strike and when, analyzing recent trends in cyber security makes it…
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Agriculture Risk Advisor: The Dangers of Working Alone
There are times when individuals in the agriculture industry may be required to work alone or in isolated areas. While this may be necessary from time to time, it increases the already heightened risks associated with working in agriculture. In the unfortunate event that an accident occurs, an isolated worker may not be found for…
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Manufacturing Risk Advisor: How to Keep Your Employees Safe and Worksite Clean
Due to the nature of the materials they produce, most manufacturing organizations have remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that not only are on-site employees at a higher risk of becoming infected, but they are also at risk of contributing to the spread of the disease. Follow these steps to keep your organization…
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Manufacturing Risk Advisor: Manufacturing Bottlenecks
As manufacturing organizations hire more staff and adopt new technologies and processes to stay ahead, unaddressed bottlenecks can prevent organizations from reaping the full benefits of these efforts. As such, it is important for organization leaders to identify and address bottlenecks to increase efficiency and promote effective risk management. Addressing Bottlenecks A bottleneck is a…
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Construction Risk Advisor: Mitigate Risks With Technology
The construction industry is a risky one. In fact, construction was ranked the deadliest industry in Canada in 2018 by the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada. Furthermore, recent shortages of skilled workers threaten to increase construction risks. Fortunately, new technological developments show promise for helping to mitigate the risks most commonly associated with…
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Construction Risk Advisor: COVID-19 Standardized Protocols for All Canadian Construction Sites
The Canadian Construction Association released the COVID-19 Standardized Protocols for All Canadian Construction Sites, which includes best practices for construction organizations to use to protect their workers and others from COVID-19 while continuing safe operations. Below is a brief summary. Prevention Recommended prevention measures include: Detection Screening is conducted at the entrance to the worksite…
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Construction Risk Advisor: Preparing for Trending Construction Industry Risks
The construction industry is constantly facing risks both old and new. In order to properly maintain an effective risk management strategy, it’s important to understand the different risks currently facing the industry. The following are some of the biggest risks to watch out for in the construction industry: