According to a recent analysis from S&P Global Ratings (S&P), the cyber insurance sector needs “clear and precise policy wording” to build a sustainable market and encourage contract certainty for buyers and insurers. The cyber coverage segment has grown faster than any other subsector of the insurance market, reaching $9.2 billion in global premiums in 2021.

Any host employer (HE) that utilizes temporary workers (TWs) through a staffing company (SC) may be opening themselves up to safety and health challenges. When done haphazardly, these nonstandard short- and long-term work arrangements can threaten the safety and health of the workforce and the company. According to OSHA, the HE and the SC are joint employers of TWs, meaning they are both responsible for providing and maintaining a safe work environment for these workers.

Temporary workers (TWs) employed by a host employer (HE) through a staffing company (SC) can create unique occupational safety and health concerns. Since the work arrangements for TWs tend to be nonstandard short- and long-term agreements, it is the responsibility of both the HE and SC to ensure the TW is properly trained on all aspects of their work and task assignments.

When purchasing or renewing their commercial property insurance, it’s vital for businesses to ensure such coverage includes correct property valuations. Doing so can make all the difference in providing sufficient protection and preventing coinsurance penalties amid covered property losses. That’s where conducting accurate insurance-to-value (ITV) calculations comes into play. Generally speaking, ITV refers to an approximation of the full cost to replace or restore insured property.

Fewer ransomware victims paid to retrieve access to their systems, and the median ransom payment dropped 51% in the second quarter of 2022, according to a recent report from Coveware. Though the median payment dropped to $36,360, the average ransom payment increased 8% to $228,125, boosted by a few outliers. However, the improvement in the median payment reflected threat actors’ shifts toward less risky, lower-profile targets, and the average remains below a fourth quarter 2021 high of over $300,000.

On July 26, the Biden administration launched Heat.gov—a new website through the National Integrated Heat Health Information System web portal—to provide the public and decision-makers with information to understand and reduce health risks related to extreme heat. This one-stop hub contains clear, timely and science-based data to “equip local officials and the public with robust and accessible information,” according to a White House press release.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) recently scheduled this year’s Brake Safety Week for Aug. 21-27, 2022. This annual event emphasizes the importance of ensuring sufficient brake systems in commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). Specifically, the event highlights the role that brake maintenance and efficiency plays in reducing brake-related CMV accidents on the road.

Legislation surrounding the gig economy, single-payer health insurance and marijuana legalization all have the potential to impact the U.S. workers’ compensation system, according to a National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) report. Digital platforms such as Uber ushered in a modern gig economy and renewed public discourse on worker classification.

Motor vehicle deaths in the United States continue to rise, with early estimates for 2021 indicating an 18% increase since 2019 despite similar miles driven, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Specifically, the CDC recently reported that motor vehicle deaths rose by 6.8% between 2019 (36,355 fatalities) and 2020 (38,824 fatalities). This trend occurred despite an 11% decrease in vehicle miles traveled over the same period.

Twenty-two workers have already been killed due to deadly trenching and excavation hazards in 2022—representing a 68% increase from the entirety of 2021. In response, OSHA launched enhanced enforcement initiatives to protect workers from known industry hazards. Doug Parker, the assistant secretary for OSHA, stated that all 22 deaths could have been prevented if employers had complied with the agency’s safety standards.

The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) maintains the Known Exploited Vulnerability (KEV) catalog to help organizations better manage and mitigate cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The agency encourages organizations to utilize the KEV catalog—the authoritative list of vulnerabilities that have been exploited—to keep pace with threat activity and remediate the listed vulnerabilities to reduce the likelihood of compromise by known threat actors.

Driving is a common task for many employees. Workers across industry lines may get behind the wheel for various reasons, such as moving between job sites, delivering or picking up goods or materials, or transporting passengers.

Cyberespionage is a type of cyberattack that involves an unauthorized user (or multiple users) accessing a victim’s sensitive information in order to secure economic benefits, competitive advantages or political gain. Also known as cyberspying, the primary targets of such cyberattacks include government entities, large corporations and other competitive organizations.

Hackers exploit virtual vulnerabilities to gain access to networks and devices illegally. While most engage in this activity for financial gain, others, called hacktivists, have different motivations.

Ransomware incidents entail cybercriminals compromising their victims’ computers or servers with malware and demanding large payments in order to restore the technology (as well as any files or data stored on it). They have often been considered one of the most damaging cyberattack methods.

Poor housekeeping in the workplace can be a serious issue. Not only does it lead to a cluttered workspace, but it can also create additional workplace hazards.

In recent years, active shooter incidents have become a growing concern across the United States. Also called a mass shooting in some situations, such an incident refers to an individual or group of individuals entering a populated area in order to kill or attempt to kill their victims, generally through the use of firearms.

Every year, people report fraud, identity theft and bad business practices to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and law enforcement partners. According to FTC data, more than 2.8 million people reported fraud in 2021, and 1 in 4 said they also lost money.

Credential stuffing incidents entail cybercriminals leveraging stolen usernames and passwords in attempts to gain access to additional accounts and systems. For example, a cybercriminal may obtain a target’s username and password for a social media account and use those same login credentials to try and access the victim’s other systems (e.g., email accounts, banking applications or workplace networks).

A man-in-the-middle (MITM) cyberattack refers to a cybercriminal intercepting a digital interaction or exchange between individuals, systems or an individual and a system. During a MITM incident, a cybercriminal could either eavesdrop on an interaction or pretend to be a genuine participant in the exchange.