Kate

Update from the BSIS

As an association we strive to keep you up-to-date on relevant information for your business. Please review the information below from the BSIS.

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Initial Firearms Permit Application is Now on BreEZe!

The Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (Bureau) is pleased to announce that the Initial Firearms Permit Application is now on BreEZe. Applicants can find the option by logging into their BreEZe account here: www.breeze.ca.gov. Please note that online application processing times are generally faster than that of paper applications.
Applicants are still required to scan and upload, as an attachment, the Certification of Firearms Range Qualification Training provided to them by a BSIS Certified Firearms Instructor. This Certification can be found on Page 3 of the Firearms Permit Initial Application, which can be accessed here: https://www.bsis.ca.gov/forms_pubs/fq_initial.pdf
Further, applicants are still required to submit their fingerprints to the California Department of Justice for a background check. To access the Live Scan Forms relevant to the applicants’ qualifying license, you may visit the links below:

Please be advised that effective July 1, 2018, a BSIS security guard registrant seeking to associate a BSIS Firearms Permit to the guard registration must complete an assessment to demonstrate that they are capable, at the time the assessment is completed, of demonstrating appropriate judgment, restraint and self-control for the purposes of carrying and using a firearm when performing security guard duties. (Business and Professions Code Sections 7583.23 and 7583.47).

More details about the Firearms Assessment Process

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Thank you for your continued support of CALSAGA. If you have any questions or if we can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Info@calsaga.org.

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Kate

The Californian Fourth Quarter 2019

The 2019 fourth quarter edition of The Californian: The Quarterly Newsletter of CALSAGA is now available!

Click here to read The Californian.

/by
Kate

UPDATE: SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING

As an association we strive to keep you up-to-date on relevant information for your business. Please review the following important communication from CALSAGA Legal Advisor Bradley & Gmelich LLP.

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Last year, new sexual harassment training requirements were adopted for California employers, requiring such training by qualified individuals. Under the new law, employers in California having 5 or more employees must provide sexual harassment training to all non-supervisory employees, and to all supervisors. (Previously the requirement for supervisor training only applied to employers with 50 or more employees.)

You ought to advise your PCP pretty much everywhere throughout the-counter prescriptions like Cialis that you take to expel potential issues. The individual ought not take other ED cures also including the natural enhancement.

California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed urgency legislation in late August, 2019 extending the deadline from January 1, 2020 to January 1, 2021 for most employers to complete the training requirements.  However, the legislation imposes different requirements on “temporary services employers” as defined in Section 201.3 of the California Labor Code.  With very limited exceptions, Section 201.3 specifically provides that private patrol operators licensed to employ security guards are considered “temporary services employers.”

Based on our review of both last year’s bill (SB 1343) and this new extension (SB 778), the deadline for private patrol operators to provide training to existing non-supervisory temporary services employees is extended to January 1, 2021.  However, all new hires that are hired after January 1, 2020 must receive their training within 30 days of hire, or within their first 100 hours of service, whichever comes first.  (This is broken down for you below.)

The good news is that for those private patrol operators who have already diligently provided the required training, the new law states that they do not have to provide any refresher training to those employees for two years from the date of that training.

Remember, private patrol operators are considered to be “temporary services employers” under Labor Code section 201.3.  This is true regardless of how long you intend to provide security services at a given client site.  So, unfortunately, the requirement of training all new hires within 30-days of hire applies to PPO’s starting January 1, 2020.

Here is a bullet point summary of our interpretation:

Original Law:  AB 1825 (2004)

  • Employers with 50 or more employees have to train all supervisors regarding sexual harassment prevention within 6 months of the date of hire or promotion into a supervisory position.
  • Provide 2 hours of refresher training every 2 years.
  • Effective  1/1/2006.
#MeToo Bill: SB 1343 (2018)
  • By 1/1/2020, Employers with 5 or more employees must provide training in the prevention of sexual harassment:
    • 2 hours to all Supervisors
    • 1 hour to all other employees
  • Refresher every 2 years
  • TEMPORARY EMPLOYERS:  (LC 201.3) Beginning 1/1/20:  All newly hired PPO employees who are hired after 1/1/2020 must receive the training within 30 days or 100 hours of being hired (whichever occurs first). Supervisors who are promoted into that position must receive supervisory training within 6 months of the promotion.
#MeToo Extension Bill:  SB 778 (2019)
  • By 1/1/2021, All  Employers with 5 or more employees must provide training in the prevention of sexual harassment:
    • 2 hours to all Supervisors
    • 1 hour to all other employees
  • Refresher every 2 years
  • Any employer who has provided the training to existing employees in 2019 shall not be required to provide such employees with refresher training again until 2 years from the date given.
  • [No Change — TEMPORARY EMPLOYERS:  Beginning 1/1/20:  All newly hired PPO employees who are hired after 1/1/2020 must receive the training within 30 days or 100 hours of being hired (whichever occurs first).]

SB 778 — IMPACT ON PPO’s:

  1. All non-supervisory employees hired any time prior to 12/31/2019 must receive their training by 1/1/2021. (Extends time for existing employees.)
  2. All supervisors hired or promoted to a supervisory position prior to 12/31/19 must receive training within 6 months of their hire or promotion.(No change from prior law regarding supervisors.)
  3. All supervisory and non-supervisory employees hired after 1/1/2020 must receive their respective training within 30 days of hire or within their first 100 hours, whichever comes first. (No change from prior law.)
  4. Any employer who has provided the training to existing employees in 2019 shall not be required to provide such employees with refresher training again until 2 years from the date given. (Exempts employers who diligently gave training in 2019 from providing any additional training for 2 years to those employees and supervisors.)
While your own legal advisors may interpret the training requirements codified in Government Code 12950.1 and the definition of whether PPOs are “temporary services employers” differently, we take a conservative positon based upon the plain language of the statute.  Of course, this is not meant to be legal advice and we recommend you consult with your attorneys if you need further clarification.

Finally, remember that the sexual harassment training required by these laws is now the minimum standard.  We encourage you to provide regular and ongoing training on sexual harassment and discrimination issues.

/by
Kate

The Californian 2019 Q4 – YOUR KPIs MAY BE TOO LATE

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YOUR KPIs MAY BE TOO LATE

Tony Unfriend, CSA 360

Traditional KPIs (Key Performance Indicator) present themselves too far into the reporting process to real-time relevant or even helpful in the Physical Security Industry. Unfortunately, by the time they receive critical data, the incident is over, and someone could be injured, which could lead to the termination of the contract.

It’s flawed to look backward at compliance and completion analysis, passively waiting to see if you performed an inspection, completed all site visits and post orders, security analysis, or penetration testing efficiently.

You may be accustomed to the wait for results, receiving during a Quarterly Business Review (QBR) when stakeholders are meeting and going over stats and data. But that’s too late to be acting on data.

There is a vast difference between knowing something in your business, and knowing the data that drives that thing. As the champion of your organization, you shouldn’t wait for lag metrics to evaluate tasks and efficiencies; you need real-time information. It would be best if you saw what is happening while it’s happening, as it’s happening. Security is a real-time industry, and for maximized safety and results, you need real-time evaluation and real-time data so that the focus can be on the process and the people. It’s much easier to intervene and course correct in the earliest stages of an incident than it is to go back in time.

The argument has become that many lead measures give insight on measuring the effectiveness of your team, however, the speed at which they are delivered to those charged with the task of managing and decision making, it’s a game of adjustment and reactivity. Real-time information allows a well-trained team to meet an incident where it’s at and deescalate, mitigating risk.

If there is anything that experience in this industry will teach you, it’s that you need to evaluate the shifts and hours that your employees are scheduled for, not what they are working, and you need to see discrepancies in real-time. And wouldn’t it be great to have smart scheduling software that will alert you when an employee is approaching overtime?

Most security companies don’t get reimbursed for unplanned overtime, and that payroll money has to come from somewhere. The most efficient method to reduce overtime is being able to look at your scheduling on a Monday to see where each employee will be with hours on Thursday- not waiting until Thursday to see who is still available and who is approaching the pay period billable hour limits.

It’s fair to assume that the first responder on the scene should find the resolution to the problem. Instant resolution and incident de-escalation are essential to you and your clients. Do you know how many issues or incidents are resolved with the initial responder on the first attempt? Real-time data visualization will assist in the achievement of identifying a new view of actual time spent, responder intervention level, and labor associated with incidents. Ideally, there will be one officer on each incident, but we all know there are situations that call for additional resources, and that’s understandable. When you get to the point where you have multiple officers on every report as the norm, it becomes necessary to start examining where the breakdown is occurring.

Do you have a low-confidence officer who needs backup on every call? Do you need to step in and re-administer training? Software exists to assist in finding the root issues rather than waiting for the outcomes.

Here is a tip from my experience: e-Learning is near the high end of the list of importance and is a critical employee-based KPI, and here’s why. If an incident that one of your employees responded to has gone under the microscope for whatever reason, you can provide instant documentation of training and certification with exact scores, dates, and times of completion. You have to be able to show critical stakeholders upfront the skill, strength, and growth investment that you have in your employed talent. That brings peace of mind to your client. Don’t wait to prove your value.

Tony Unfried holds a master’s degree in Public Affairs and Criminal Justice from Indiana University, where he graduated with honors. While enrolled in his master’s program, Tony worked for The TJX Companies, Inc., leading the region in loss prevention and moving the company toward technology use in Security. Tony went on to join the most significant security company in Indiana, managing more than 500 employees and 50 sites, including the Indiana Convention Center, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center. Seeing a noticeable gap in technology use in the physical security sector, Tony created his first security software application, launched at the Super Bowl in 2012, and recognized twice for Excellence in Mobile Technology by Techpoint. Tony has also spoken on Tech in Physical Security on panels with ASIS and IAVM.

Continue reading the 2019 Q4 edition of The Californian

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Kate

The Californian 2019 Q4 – USING TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE

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USING TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE

Chris Anderson, Silvertrac Software

We sat down with Lawrence Borgens – founder of Delta Protective Services – to ask him about the process of switching his security company from paper reporting to Silvertrac. Delta Protective Services (DPS) was founded 26 years ago in 1993 on a mission to “create safe communities.” They have since grown to an operation of 85 officers, including standing guards and mobile patrol. Lawrence is focused on growth and making it easier for people to become customers.

Information Can Make or Break an Operation

Like every security company before the rise of computer technology and the internet, Delta Protective Services handled reporting through paper DARs. It didn’t take much for DPS to be fed up with paper reporting. After only a few years they “had pieces of paper coming out of [their] ears and [they] were running out of space to store [reports].” Getting paper reports to clients was a disaster. Information was incomplete or incorrect. DPS knew they needed a better solution. They first looked to Deggy wand and buttons, but quickly found that they “were very cumbersome. It was electronic, but also pretty primitive.”

The Desperate Need for Change

Lawrence was determined to find the best solution for his company. He couldn’t go back to paper reports, but the Deggy wand and button were not getting the job done. After talking to another local security company owner, DPS implemented an early version of Silvertrac – called Real-Time DAR – in addition to the Deggy system.Once Silvertrac was released, they started using it at a few of their locations in addition to Deggy and Real-Time DAR.

Delta Protective Services had quickly gotten into a mess. They were running three separate electronic reporting systems between all of their locations. “I came to a point in my company and in my business where I knew I just needed to land on something. My indecisiveness about selecting a reporting tool was making my staff indecisive also.” Supervisors and account managers couldn’t work together on three different systems. It was clear to Lawrence that software on its own wasn’t the solution. He needed the right solution for his entire operation.

Searching for the Right Solution

After numerous conferences, conversations with other owners and multiple product demos, Lawrence found that “there were pros and cons to every solution.” But at the end of the day, Lawrence chose Silvertrac.

“Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that all the technologies were equal. Here’s what caused me to make my decision. Silvertrac absolutely cares about, thinks about and produces good quality tools for security business owners to help them improve their business. [They] come from the industry. [It’s] not a bunch of software people that decided, ‘Hey, here’s a niche we can get into.’ No, it’s a bunch of security guys that saw a problem and worked [hard] become software people so that they could fill this gap and provide this service that we need in our industry. What’s important to Silvertrac is that their customers win.”

Delta Protective Services Today

Two years after moving away from paper reporting, Lawrence Borgens found the right solution for his company. Immediately he saw a big difference in two areas.

Accurate Reporting

“Silvertrac makes what’s invisible visible.” Lawrence would not let this go. He and his management team have been able to increase quality control. He has gained full transparency over every part of his operation; from the officers to management to customers, everything is out in the open. “If I have a good officer, you see it. If I have a bad officer, you see it. I can’t hide anything from my clients and that’s OK with me. What makes us different than our competitors is how we deal with our mistakes, not that we don’t make them because everybody makes them.”

As a result, Lawrence can make current and potential customers believe in his services. It is pretty much an expectation today that a security company has a guard security guard management software. But it’s not the software that sets Delta Protective Services apart. Lawrence has been empowered to provide his customers with the information they need to trust him. “If you’ve got a client that’s awake at 2:00 AM looking at the computer, they can log in and watch the officer do rounds while they’re doing it and see the pictures and see everything that’s going on.”

Increased ROI

Delta Protective Services used to have cabinets at every job site. These cabinets had – on top of mountains of paperwork – radios, phones and cords. Many of you can see where this is going. Lost paper reports meant no information for clients or for management. Lawrence couldn’t improve the decision making for his operation. Company-owned technology was breaking regularly. Not only did DPS have to pay for the fixes, but managers, field supervisors, and sometimes even Lawrence himself had to show up to a job site to replace chargers, phones, and radios that were either broken or forgotten. All of this resulted in wasted time, money, and resources.

Luckily Lawrence came up with a solution that worked for him. He purchased Silvertrac licenses for his officers’ to use on their personal cell phones. Learn more about his decision-making process in this awesome podcast.

*Note, there are specific policies and compliances that a physical security company must abide by when moving to a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) model. Additional resources on BYOD policies can be found on  Silvertrac Extra and on Sherman Law Corporation’s blog.  

“I got rid of all my cell phones. It allowed me to also get rid of two-way radios. It also allowed me to get rid of the paper DARs and all the documents that go with it. Therefore, I also get rid of the cabinets that we were keeping at the job sites.”

Get the Results You’ve Always Wanted

Lawrence found amazing success once he figured out how to simplify his operation and prove the value of his services to customers. You can find success just like he did. Our mission is not to sell you a product. At Silvertrac, we win when our customers win. We want you to win more contracts, hire better employees, and meet the goals you’ve always wanted to achieve.  Schedule a demo today to find out how you can simplify your operation and prove your company’s value.

 

Chris is the Founder of Silvertrac Software and has been working in the security industry for more than 25 years. He enjoys working with our clients everyday to help them grow their businesses and really enjoy what they are doing. Chris currently lives and works in Seal Beach, CA.

Continue reading the 2019 Q4 edition of The Californian

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Kate

The Californian 2019 Q4 – NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR REPORTING SERIOUS INJURY OR ILLNESS AND DEATH

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NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR REPORTING SERIOUS INJURY OR ILLNESS AND DEATH

Jaimee K. Wellerstein, Esq. & Gregory B. Wilbur, Esq., Bradley & Gmelich LLP

A site supervisor at one of your security company’s posts calls into your dispatch center and reports that there was an altercation at a client site. Two of your guards had been asked by the client to remove a trespasser, but a scuffle broke out and the trespasser sucker-punched one of the guards. The other guard gave chase to the assailant briefly, then returned to her partner to render aid. The guard appeared fine but the punch opened a cut on his upper cheek, requiring a brief trip to the hospital for stitches. Is this a reportable event to Cal-OSHA under Labor Code section 6409.1, which requires reporting of serious injuries, illnesses, or deaths in the workplace?

At this moment, it is not, for at least two reasons. The definition of “serious injury or illness” included hospitalizations only of 24 hours or more, so a brief ER visit didn’t trigger a reporting obligation if the incident wasn’t reportable for another reason. And the definition also excluded injuries of any level of severity caused by commission of a Penal Code offense, excusing reporting for injuries suffered as a result of assault, battery, and other crimes. In our hypothetical above, both the duration of the hospital stay and the criminal conduct causing the injury would have made the above scenario one that did not have to be reported to Cal-OSHA.

But not for long. The definition of “serious injury or illness” was significantly amended earlier this year by Assembly Bill 1805, which takes effect January 1, 2020, and for the most part the effect has been to broaden the scope of the Cal-OSHA reporting requirements. The 24-hour minimum for hospital stays is gone: all hospitalizations, except those for medical observation or diagnostic testing, now trigger the requirement. The Penal Code exclusion was repealed as well, meaning criminal conduct no longer excuses reporting what would otherwise be a serious injury or illness. Another exclusion, for accidents on public streets or highways, remains in the statute, but has been narrowed not to include accidents occurring in construction zones. And the statute added amputation or the loss of an eye to the list of injuries requiring reporting, replacing language requiring the “loss of any member of the body.”

Returning to our hypothetical and applying the new law, an event that is not reportable in 2019 will be in 2020. The hospitalization for stitches makes the guard’s injury a serious one under the statute. Furthermore, the criminal conduct that would have excluded the incident from the reporting requirement before no longer does, as the Penal Code exclusion has been removed from the law.

EMPLOYER TAKEAWAYS

To make sure your safety and injury reporting program is in compliance with the new amendments, employers should first be aware of the up-to-date and complete list of triggers for mandatory reporting:

  • Incident that requires inpatient hospitalization other than for medical observation or diagnostic testing, OR
  • Incident that results in an amputation, loss of an eye, or any serious degree of permanent disfigurement

The most important changes to PPOs and other security providers are likely to be those highlighted above: mandatory reporting for any hospitalization other than for observation and testing, and the elimination of the exclusion for incidents resulting from crimes. Employers must make sure supervisors, human resources staff, and safety coordinators are all aware of these changes and the newest standards for mandatory reporting to Cal-OSHA.

Additionally, employers should be on the lookout for an announcement from Cal-OSHA regarding the establishment of an online portal for reporting serious injuries, illnesses, or deaths. Under another new law, Assembly Bill 1804, the agency is directed to establish the online portal to replace immediate email reporting of serious incidents as currently required. Employers may still report serious incidents by phone or email until the portal is established, after which they will be required to report by either phone or the portal. More information on incident reporting can be found here.

Jaimee K. Wellerstein is a Partner at Bradley & Gmelich LLP, and the Head of the firm’s Employment Department. Jaimee concentrates her practice in representing employers in all aspects of employment law, including defense of wage and hour class actions, PAGA claims, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, wrongful discharge, misclassification, and other employment related lawsuits. She also provides employment counseling and training in all of these areas.

Jaimee routinely represents employers in federal and state courts and in arbitration proceedings throughout the state, as well as at administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the California Department of Labor Standards Enforcement, the United States Department of Labor, and other federal and state agencies. Jaimee assists as a Legal Advisor to CALSAGA, and is a member of ASIS International. She is rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell, the highest peer rating available. jwellerstein@bglawyers.com / 818-243-5200.

 

 

 

 

 

Gregory B. Wilbur is a member of Bradley & Gmelich LLP’s Employment Department, where he provides aggressive and cost-effective representation to employer clients in a wide variety of proceedings in state and federal court and before administrative agencies. He has extensive experience litigating wage and hour class actions, PAGA representative actions, and discrimination, harassment, and retaliation lawsuits under various equal employment and whistleblower statutes. He has also represented clients in appeals of Cal/OSHA and Labor Commissioner penalty assessments, including seeking judicial review of administrative decisions.

In addition to his active litigation practice, Greg also provides advice and counsel to employers to prevent costly disputes from arising, with a focus on high-risk areas such as wage and hour compliance, reasonable accommodation and the interactive process, and employee leaves of absence. He also helps clients manage their employment law exposure by advising them on the use of arbitration agreements with class action waivers, and drafting such agreements to ensure they remain enforceable in a rapidly changing legal landscape. gwilbur@bglawyers.com / 818-243-5200.

                                          Continue reading the 2019 Q4 edition of The Californian

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The Californian 2019 Q4 – SIX COMPLIANCE TRENDS TO FOLLOW RIGHT NOW

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SIX COMPLIANCE TRENDS TO FOLLOW RIGHT NOW

Keep yourself informed and your business in compliance.

Team Software

The landscape for labor, tax and payroll compliance is always shifting. At TEAM, we keep our eye on these topics because we know how challenging it can be to stay informed. We understand how important (and challenging) it is for janitorial and security contractors to stay in compliance. And, we know how costly noncompliance can be. That’s why we’re bringing you an updated list of compliance trends for you to follow.

Workplace Regulations for Nursing Mothers

What’s going on?

In 2018, both California and New York City provided additional legislation at the state and city level to support the needs of nursing mothers. The intent of the state and local mandate is to augment the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) legislation that was enacted in 2010.

This legislation focuses on offering the amount of time and breaks needed by nursing mothers as well as the physical space that must be available to pump breast milk. The trend is that a lactation space must be a private room and not a bathroom. Legislation also covers the duration of the right to pump, which can be up to three years following the birth of her child.

What does this mean for you?

Many companies are using staff scheduling to support the lactation mandate along with meal and rest breaks. Most jobs in service-related industries, especially in security companies, can’t be un-staffed, so businesses have started scheduling lunches and breaks to ensure they can cover the breaks and work area. Scheduling and time and attendance software can help manage the staffing challenges that come along with these labor mandates, from ensuring coverage through smart scheduling practices to providing meal and rest break notifications and audit trails.

 

Legal Medical Marijuana Use

What’s going on?

While all recreational and medical marijuana use is still illegal under federal law, many states are facing a new discussion around how to handle medical marijuana use in relation to employment law. Medical marijuana is not covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) – yet. However, many state employment laws are changing to accommodate the legal use of medical marijuana. The most recent state changes are coming from California, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma. The key component to most of these laws is whether reasonable accommodations can be provided without jeopardizing the ability of the employer to maintain a safe and productive workplace.

 

What does this mean for you?

From an employer’s perspective, the most significant change to the law may be the addition of explicit permissions to take medical marijuana use into consideration when the applicant or employee holds, or will hold, a position with safety-sensitive job duties. We recommend reviewing your company’s drug testing policy on an ongoing basis to be prepared for future legislation in your state, especially if you operate in one of the 46 states where some form of medical marijuana has already been legalized.

This article highlights two of the U.S. labor, tax and payroll compliance updates we’re watching right now. For the other four, download our free Compliance eBook.

TEAM Software is dedicated to ensuring our software solutions meet the ever-changing compliance needs of our customers. While we’re committed to keeping you informed, it’s important to do your own research, and consult your own legal and tax advisors when necessary, too. Continue to use industry resources such as the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the American Payroll Association (APA) to stay informed on all compliance updates.

Continue reading the 2019 Q4 edition of The Californian

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The Californian 2019 Q4 – LESS RISK, COMPLIANCE, A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP: HOW TO GET ALL THREE

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LESS RISK, COMPLIANCE, A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP: HOW TO GET ALL THREE

Mark Folmer and Jon Druker, TrackTik

Just back from a fantastic few days at CALSAGA in the desert of California and if there was one takeaway for us it is that compliance is on everyone’s mind.

A good night’s sleep is a precious commodity these days. It is even more precious in the security industry, where everyone needs to be alert – from the frontline security providers to the back office teams to the management groups. As a security business owner you are often focused on your client’s risk, but what about the risks that your business faces? Being risk-aware in your own business is a constantly moving target, especially when it comes to compliance.

The Financial Cost of Not Being Risk Aware

There have been many news stories about companies being sued and having to pay settlements in the millions of dollars for not having complied with break legislation for their employees. The pain can be financial but also reputational.

California isn’t the only state that has break rules for specific categories of employees. In the USA alone there are 21 states that have passed wage orders, statutes and regulations regarding meal and rest breaks. But in California, it hits home, as a General Counsel for a national service provider mentioned to me while at CALSAGA’s conference: “It’s not if you will get hit by a class-action lawsuit, it’s when, so be ready!”

The Personnel Cost of Not Being Risk Aware

Beyond the risks associated with non-compliance, and the potential financial costs, there’s an indirect, yet tangible, personnel and performance cost as well. These rules are in place to support security personnel and to also help them perform better. For example, by specifying break types and their duration, this allows security personnel to be more alert, have a more structured workday, be more focused and ultimately deliver better service.

Speaking of performance, there are other workforce risks to be aware of. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, workers are staying at their jobs for shorter periods of time. Tight labor markets, as well as the ability to join the “gig” economy, means you could lose the people who do good work for you. This leads to issues like employee retention and talent management, both of which are critical for security companies. Hiring and keeping good talent is a costly and time-consuming task in any market.

Risk Awareness & Compliance: 3 Parts to Success

It’s almost impossible to know how any new legislation might impact your security services business, and whether that will impact you financially. To deal with this, here’s a three-part recommendation: People. Process. Technology.

1. People

Make sure the people in your company– at all levels – are aware of what changes impact them, regardless of their position. Companies have internal messaging, mobile devices, emails, newsletters — leverage all of them. When you make it transparent, it makes it harder for people to say “I didn’t know.”

2. Process

Think of risk awareness like taking stock. Once you know what you have, what you don’t have, and what you need, you will gain transparency and clarity to make better judgments, and in turn, take preemptive actions. In security parlance, we all typically refer to this as “mitigating measures”. Ask yourself, what can you put in place to mitigate your risk?  Every company in this space should have a plan and process to regularly review existing legislation. Being proactive about legislation will save you time and effort down the road.

3. Technology

As a direct link to the process, your workforce management technology has to be flexible enough to handle these kinds of changes, and document them as well. Having a solution that readily extracts information will save time and money. The software to manage your workforce is a tool that enables the process to be documented, and the people to stay aware of the risk.

Ultimately, these 3 components give you traceability and accountability in your workforce systems and can mean the difference between passing an audit, saving time when gathering records, or having to pay a fine.

Being aware of business risks, managing them and ensuring compliance means you’re lowering your own risk. The upside of all this – it gives key stakeholders in your company, at all levels, more peace of mind so you can focus on your business and hopefully even get a good night’s sleep!

To read more on this topic, go to our blog.

Named to IFSEC’s Global Influencers list 2018 for Security Thought Leadership, Mark is a business school graduate, CPP and Member of The Security Institute (MSyI). Mark’s background is in security services, corporate security, consulting and workforce software. A graduate of Concordia University in HR Management and International Business, he progressed to several senior management roles responsible for security business units across Canada, including serving as the Senior Manager for Corporate Security at Canada’s largest telecommunications company. He launched a consulting business focused on physical security for corporate clients, and has been teaching part-time at the Université de Montréal since 2016. Currently, Mark is the Vice-President, Security and Industry, in the software scaleup TrackTik, and volunteers as SRVP Region 6, Chair of the Security Services Council, the Private Security Officer Standard Technical Committee, and the Private Security Company (PSC.1) working group

 

 

 

 

 

Jon Druker has been in software product development for 20 years. He started in translation and moved into various roles in communications and product development. He’s worked for small, medium and large corporations developing and helping to market solutions to meet complex problems in different industries, such as telecommunications, mobile and retail. Recently he’s been involved in marketing efforts to explain and position software solutions in AI and now he’s working at TrackTik in the Go To Market team.  

Continue reading the 2019 Q4 edition of The Californian

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The Californian 2019 Q4 – WORKPLACE VIOLENT ACT – ACTIVE SHOOTER AND VIOLENT ACT COVERAGE

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WORKPLACE VIOLENT ACT – ACTIVE SHOOTER AND VIOLENT ACT COVERAGE

Shaun Kelly, Tolman & Wiker, CALSAGA Preferred Broker

Personally, I want to say, “Thank you”, to the CALSAGA Team for putting on another wonderful conference! It is always great to see everyone and meet the new Members and guests. The Security Industry is continuing to change and CALSAGA does an excellent job keeping the Members updated on those changes that affect our businesses.

Did you know that workplace violence is the second leading cause of workplace fatalities?  With incidents increasing within the last three years, it has sadly become a sign of the times. Do you and your clients know that Active Shooter and Violent Act Insurance Coverage is available to assist in mitigating potential revenue loss and liability?

As the threat of violence emerges, business owners are reviewing their general liability insurance policies and finding that bodily injury or property damage caused by an active shooter may or may not be covered.

Standard coverage may not apply to the crisis management as a result of the event. Personal attacks against customers or other third parties may not be covered by general liability insurance. Additionally, if law enforcement determines your business should remain closed after an incident, your policy may not cover loss of business income.

This policy includes coverage for Business Interruption, Third Party Bodily Injury Liability, Property Damage and Incident Response Expenses.  While most people feel that GL covers some of this exposure, be aware of the following:

  • Intent – Current General Liability (GL) applications do not ask questions regarding this exposure and therefore are not underwriting for it.  The original intent of GL does not include coverage for this type of exposure.
  • Foreseeability – GL can exclude/deny coverage for events the Insured reasonably could have foreseen.  This can include losses where employees have a history of violent behavior and no action was taken to prevent an event, or security measures that could have been taken that were not, etc.
  • Crisis Response – GL will only respond if there is a lawsuit filed and NOT offer proactive crisis management services.  The Workplace Violent Act policy offers Incident Response Expenses (IREs) that include crisis response and extra expense as well as assistance and guidance during a crisis event to help mitigate and/or prevent demands and lawsuits after the crisis.
  • Terrorism – While GL policies offer TRIA to be purchased, there is still no coverage for uncertified violent act or terror events.

Policy definitions and coverage triggers:

Incident means Workplace Violent Act Event, Workplace Violent Act Threat Event, Workplace Violent Act Against

Offsite Employee Event or Stalking Event. Multiple Incidents involving the same Violent Actor(s) will be considered one Incident. In order for Workplace Violent Threat Event(s) or Stalking Event(s) to be considered for coverage, they must be reported to the appropriate government authorities as soon as practicable.

Workplace Violent Act Event means the use of a Deadly Weapon to cause Bodily Injury at a Covered Location.

Deadly Weapon means any firearm, vehicle or other device, instrument, material, or substance that, from the manner in which it is used or is intended to be used, is calculated to or likely to produce death or physical injury.

Active Shooter and Violent Act Insurance coverage may be something that you or your clients may be interested in reviewing. Specifically, if they are a school, religious establishment, airport, hospital, shopping center……anywhere. Click here to view information on the coverage. An application is included, if you would like to obtain a quote.

Please let us know if you have any questions or if we can be of assistance.

Shaun Kelly joined Tolman & Wiker Insurance Services in 2005.  He specializes in all lines of property and casualty insurance for industries including contract security firms, agriculture, construction, oil and gas. Shaun received a BS in Business Administration with a major in Finance from California State University in Fresno, California. He is an active member of several industry associations, including the Association CALSAGA, the Kern County Builders Exchange and the Independent Insurance Agents of Kern County. Shaun can be reached at 661-616-4700 or skelly@tolmanandwiker.com.

Continue reading the 2019 Q4 edition of The Californian

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