Back-to-school season is underway, and the Texas Department of Public Safety is reminding parents about important safety tips to keep in mind behind the wheel. The department urged parents via a news release to drive carefully in neighborhoods that can be school zones and to practice caution if near a stopped school bus.

"Heading back to school is such an exciting time, and we all need to work together to ensure everyone stays safe,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “Please, be cautious and do your part by talking to your kids about safety, reporting suspicious activity and by following traffic laws in and around school zones.”

Nearly 400 vehicle crashes occurred in school zones throughout the state in 2020, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

To view safety tips and laws for driving near a school bus as well as safety resources available to parents, teachers and students read the full article here.

Story Credit:

Sana Ameer, My Plainview

The world’s population, including the United States, is getting older. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the life expectancy at birth of the average person in America has increased from 76.7 years in 2000 to 78.7 years in 2018. Across the globe, the number of people aged 60 and older is estimated to double to more than two billion by 2050. Each day in the United States, approximately 10,000 people turn 65, formerly the typical age of retirement (Arlene S. Hirsch, M.A., LCPC, for SHRM). From a labor perspective, these statistics clearly indicate that there is an aging workforce wave…a silver tsunami…bearing down upon us. Whether employers treat this impending occurrence as a challenge to be overcome or an opportunity to be capitalized upon, it will be impactful on the workforce and the workplace.

Not surprisingly, as the population ages, more older people are choosing to remain in the workforce. Their rationale may include the lack of a retirement plan, inadequate savings, inflation trends and the Social Security Administration’s gradual increase of the full retirement age, from 65 to 67. As a result, the workforce will soon include people ranging from teenagers to 80-somethings. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of workers over the age of 65 increased by over 6 percentage points between 1995 and 2020. In addition to older employees choosing to work past retirement, employers are finding it more difficult to attract and keep younger workers. 

Continue reading the full article here.

Story Credit:

Lighthouse Resource Group

An extremely potent source of energy that powers lights, tools, machinery and many other devices that we use in our daily lives, electricity can also cause injury or death when not handled properly.

A national consensus safety standard that identifies safe work practices to protect workers from the hazards of electricity, including electric shock and electrocution, arc flash, and arc blast, the National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 70: National Electric Code (NEC) for electrical design, installation and inspection safety standards addresses commercial, residential and industrial occupancies.

To view a checklist with 5 key elements for your ESWP you can download and use to get you started today continue reading the full article here.

Story Credit:

Grainger

Greetings from the Texas PRIMA Education Committee. What an exciting few months we've had as an organization! For the first time ever, the highly-anticipated Risk Management 101 went live this summer. All three courses were well attended and received amazing feedback. This new series allowed both new and established members to brush up on some basic risk management concepts. The Education Committee is committed to offer educational opportunities Texas PRIMA members specifically request. The selection of classes and speakers are carefully reviewed and studied. Our summer series was tailored to members looking for more basic risk management training, but no worries…we have not forgotten about our more experienced members. For the remainder of the year, we will be offering more advanced risk management classes and topics. 

As we get closer to annual conference time, the event programming is in the last stages of preparation. If you submitted a presentation for the annual conference and your presentation was not selected, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the education committee. There are other alternatives for you to present, such as through a webinar or a regional seminar. If you are looking to present in a more relaxed atmosphere, a coffee talk is also an option.  As we are all aware, the last few years have been very challenging for risk managers, now more than ever, it is important to stay connected and hopefully to some extent, help each other overcome obstacles. 

Don't forget that recordings of our webinars are in your Community under the Resources header. Here is a quick recap of recent educational events:

In June, Eddie Hernandez, Vice President of Operations with AS&G Claims Administration, gave an interactive and very informative presentation on the basics of Workers’ Compensation. Eddie did an excellent job in reviewing important workers’ compensation terms and giving members the opportunity to ask questions and participate through trivia games throughout the course.

Nancy McKenzie from the City of Arlington, and last year’s Risk Management Professional of the Year, was our speaker in July. She gave us valuable insight into contract basics and how to mitigate the risks that come with them.  She reviewed important insurance terms and offered guidance on what to look for when faced with contract issues. 

In August, our last session of the 101 series featured Robert Warren, current Texas PRIMA President, and Belinda Raindl, Texas PRIMA President-Elect. The topic was Safety Procedures and Incident Investigation. Through another interactive presentation, Texas PRIMA members were able to learn basic safety and investigation skills. The session concluded with a question and answer period where members have their questions answered by two highly-qualified risk managers.

Upcoming Events: 

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Regional Seminar in Pearland

And finally, do you have a story to share with members about an obstacle you overcame or a valuable lesson you learned? Let us know, and we can create a coffee talk or panel discussion around that topic. You never know how your story could inspire, inform, or help someone going through something similar. We want to hear from you!

Again, a big thank you to the 2022 Educational Committee members. We know you are extremely busy, and we appreciate the time you take to contribute ideas and talent to the Texas PRIMA Chapter and the Risk Management profession. 

Explorers, Space Cadets, Astronauts, and Buzz Lightyear,

Have you been a part of an exciting adventure? Do you know someone who deserves recognition for navigating risks? Did your team create the latest energy that will take exploration to the next galaxy? 

If so, consider nominating yourself, others, and all amazing programs to be included in the latest Star Log of the Starship USS TX PRIMA, launching this November at the Texas PRIMA Annual Conference.  We are accepting nominations for Risk Professional of the Year, Rising Star, and Risk Management Program Achievement Awards (Cylons excluded).

Risk Professional of the Year – Recognizes an individual who exemplifies excellence, innovation, and commitment to the risk management and insurance fields.

Rising Star – Honors an individual with 2-7 years of professional experience in the risk management and insurance industry who exemplifies leadership potential and professional development.

Risk Management Program Achievement Awards – Celebrates programs, projects, or products that are creative and highlights the success of our public entity organizations. 

The successful award recipients are recognized during the awards celebration at Texas PRIMA’s annual conference in November. Additionally, recipients will receive a wall plaque and recognition in the PRIMA Press newsletter. The Risk Professional of the Year and the Rising Star recipients both receive complimentary conference registration and hotel accommodations for one night during the conference! (Interstellar Travel not included)

Visit www.texasprima.org/awards for more information and to nominate yourself, someone else, or a program. Application deadline is September 16th, so go to warp speed quickly!  If you have any questions get your commlink out or email me at [email protected].

We would like to spotlight a special member of our Texas PRIMA family – Mandy Riske, Risk Management Program Coordinator for City of San Marcos:

“I began my public risk management career when I started with the City of San Marcos a little over 7.5 years ago. Prior to my career here at the City, I was in operations management for 10 years at the CBS affiliate in Bryan/College Station.

My first Texas PRIMA conference to attend was in 2017. I was in awe of the amount of knowledge I gained and the amount of networking opportunities available to members. Ever since my first conference, I knew I wanted to be more active and involved with Texas PRIMA! I have served on a couple of different committees over the past several years, including the communications, social media and member recruitment committees.

While attending the recent National PRIMA conference and meeting risk professionals from across the nation, I was proud to say I am a member of Texas PRIMA! What Texas PRIMA offers at conference, as well as additional learning and networking opportunities throughout the year, is far beyond what is available to risk professionals throughout the nation. I enjoy learning new information, concepts, trends and ideas, so I do not take these opportunities for granted. The knowledge I have gained and the connections I have made through Texas PRIMA are invaluable. Texas PRIMA is a shining example that everything is bigger (and better) in Texas!

The motto I operate by on a daily basis is: ‘Be the leader you would follow’. I have been very fortunate to have some great leaders in my professional career. I often reflect on why I consider them a good leader and make a conscious effort to lead with those same principles.”

The Texas PRIMA Annual Conference and Expo will be here before you know it. Limited resources are a challenge for many Texas PRIMA members in their pursuit of gaining the tools and resources they need to better manage their communities. To help members experience the difference the Texas PRIMA Annual Conference has made for so many others, we are encouraging members to help spread the word to any of your public entity colleagues and clients who might qualify for a scholarship. The scholarship program is designed to assist risk management professionals whose public entity might not be able to afford the cost of attending the annual conference. Full and partial scholarships will be awarded and may include up to the following:

• In-person Conference registration
• Cost related to attending the conference, including travel, and lodging at the conference hotel
• Complimentary membership in Texas PRIMA through September 2023

This will be our tenth year to include scholarship donation opportunities for our sponsors. It has been a huge success and our sponsors’ generosity has enabled us to bring more recipients to the conference each year.  We look forward to the support of our sponsors again this year and to top last year’s scholarship recipient numbers. Applications will be accepted through September 16, 2022.

We appreciate your help in spreading the word about Texas PRIMA’s Annual Conference and scholarship program.  Eligibility requirements can be found by visiting texasprima.org/scholarship.         

Since our founding in 1976, Athens Administrators has been a recognized leader in third party claims administration services. But more important than what we do is how we do it. We provide service that translates into real and lasting benefits - every single day! With four offices in California, one in New Jersey, one Florida, and two in Texas, Athens Administrators offers Workers' Compensation, Property & Casualty, Managed Care and Program Business solutions. Athens is very proud to be a family-run company for over 40 years offering a caring and engaging culture and environment to employees at all levels.

Government entities face risks that are significantly different than those faced by commercial businesses and corporations. Public entities need an insurance partner who is truly on the cutting edge of designing specialized insurance programs, but one who also understands the process of operating in the public sector "the different constituencies, timelines and regulatory requirements” as well as the heightened need for accountability and precision that come with them. Alliant's Public Entity Group was formed more than 40 years ago to focus exclusively on meeting the unique risk management, insurance, and benefits needs of public organizations. Now the nation's largest Public Entity practice, we place over $1B in Public Entity premium. We understand how these organizations are perceived within the insurance marketplace and how the operating environment of public agencies shapes their risk. We understand that the process can be as important as the result. We offer comprehensive solutions to your risk management, insurance and benefits needs, with no outsourcing. Our service model is based on the principle of continuous improvement, which means we're optimizing your solutions and adapting to changes 365 days a year.