During Post-Rain and Flood Cleanup Efforts, Businesses Must Protect Their Employees and Themselves from Further Loss, Zurich Says

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As rain and precipitation continue to drench already-soaked regions of Southern California and Arizona, area businesses are evaluating water infiltration damage and preparing for recovery. According to Zurich, a leading property and casualty insurance provider globally and in North America, it is important that businesses have a post-incident recovery plan in place to help ensure employee safety and minimize loss.

“Clean-up and recovery operations can also be dangerous, and steps must be taken to help protect workers from hazardous conditions.”

“While advance planning for all potential threats and emergencies can help protect a business from water infiltration and subsequent damage and loss, ensuring the safety of employees during and after an event should be the top priority,” said Clayton Shoup, workers compensation line of business director, Zurich Services Corp. “Clean-up and recovery operations can also be dangerous, and steps must be taken to help protect workers from hazardous conditions.”

Zurich recommends following these guidelines during cleanup efforts:

Proper personal protective equipment must be issued. Employees should be required to use reasonable equipment to help prevent head, eye, hand, and foot injuries.
Structures and property should be reviewed by qualified individuals to assure that these areas are structurally safe to enter before reconstruction work begins.
The status of utilities should be determined to help minimize the potential for gas leaks or electrocution hazards.
All tools to be used, such as hand tools, ladders, generators, and man lifts, should be inspected to determine whether that they are in good working condition. Any defects should be corrected or the tool or device should be taken out of service.
Electricity and water are a deadly combination. Extreme care should be taken in use of power tools and extension cords in proximity with water.

“Once worker safety has been considered, businesses can turn their attention to mitigating loss and preventing further damage,” said A.V. Riswadkar, Liability Line of Business Director, Zurich Services Corp. “Next steps include evaluating if pumps are needed to remove standing water; documenting damage for your insurers and other authorities; communicating to employees, senior management, civil authorities and the media; and determining which items can be salvaged or saved, and which items cannot.”

For more information on mitigating risk and loss in the workplace, visit www.risk-engineering.com.

Zurich customers who need to file a claim have five channels through which to report a claim:

Internet – go to http://www.webclaims.zurichna.com and select the type of claim from the navigation bar on the left.
Phone – Contact Zurich’s Claims Reporting Care Center at 1-800-987-3373 or 1-847-240-8020.
Fax – 1-877-962-2567 to send all important documentation.
E-mail – Contact Zurich’s Claims Reporting Care Center at usz_carecenter@zurichna.com.
U.S. Mail – Zurich Claims Reporting Care Center
P.O. Box 49547
Colorado Springs, CO 80949-9537

Once a claim is filed, customers can use the 10-digit claim number they will receive to inquire about the status of the claim by following these procedures:

Call 1-800-987-3373 or 1-847-240-8020.
Select option '2' to check on an existing claim.
Then select option '1', enter the 10-digit claims number, and you will be connected to the Zurich claims professional handling your claim.

This is intended as a general description of certain types of services available to qualified customers through Zurich Services Corporation, a member company of Zurich in North America. Zurich Services Corporation does not guarantee a particular outcome, reduction in costs, or improvement in administration or safety and further assumes no liability in connection with the providing of these services.

About Zurich

Zurich's North America Commercial and Global Corporate in North America business divisions are part of Zurich Financial Services Group (Zurich), an insurance-based financial services provider with a global network of subsidiaries and offices in North America and Europe as well as in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and other markets. Founded in 1872, the Group is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. It employs approximately 60,000 people serving customers in more than 170 countries. In North America, Zurich (www.zurichna.com) is a leading commercial property-casualty insurance provider serving the global corporate, large corporate, middle market, specialties and programs sectors. Risk engineering services are provided by Zurich Services Corporation.