Food & Drink Industry insurance update | Winter 2015 SPECIALIST INSURANCE SOLUTIONS FOR THE FOOD & DRINK INDUSTRY Welcome to our first newsletter which I hope you find interesting – and of use! It has been a busy couple of months within the industry and we have been to very interesting meetings at IOSH, SOFHT, BSB and BFFF. Standards are constantly improving within the industry but it is faced with some unique challenges – and ever increasing regulation. HSE targets industry More than just the bottom line Solicitors in headlights The HSE has moved the Food and Drink industry from category C to category B, in a move which will have insurance ramifications. The industry now sits alongside companies in the Stone, Brick, Ceramics, Woodworking and Boat Building industries. The HSE will also be looking closely at carcinogenic products and processes within businesses which could cause asthmogens. From an insurance perspective, the focus will be on the measures companies have in place to prevent future claimants. These are the types of claims that come back to haunt us all. Companies who can demonstrate that they are taking measures to reduce the risk of long term health issues will be far better placed and benefit from reduced premiums. The ‘claims portal’, a system which offers fixed legal costs for RTAs and straightforward injury claims has been a huge success and has reduced solicitors’ fees considerably. Not surprisingly, the legal fraternity is now turning its attention to more complex claims where their fees are not capped. One to keep an eye on. Dean Smith, Associate Director, Food & Drink All too often the focus is on the financial consequence of accidents – and not the emotional. At a recent IOSH meeting, a director spoke candidly of the time when an employee suffered a serious arm injury. “If only I knew then what I knew now, having completed the NEBOSH qualification, the accident may well have been prevented.” The regret and hardship experienced by both parties in this case was a salutary lesson to us all – it is not all about the bottom line.
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Food & Drink Industry insurance update | Winter 2015
S P E C I A L I S T I N S U R A N C E S O L U T I O N S F O R T H E F O O D & D R I N K I N D U S T RY
Welcome to our first newsletter which I hope you find interesting – and of use! It has been a busy couple of months within the industry and we have been to very interesting meetings at IOSH, SOFHT, BSB and BFFF. Standards are constantly improving within the industry but it is faced with some unique challenges – and ever increasing regulation.
HSE targets industry
More than just the bottom line
Solicitors in headlights
The HSE has moved the Food and Drink industry from category C to category B, in a move which will have insurance ramifications. The industry now sits alongside companies in the Stone, Brick, Ceramics, Woodworking and Boat Building industries. The HSE will also be looking closely at carcinogenic products and processes within businesses which could cause asthmogens.
From an insurance perspective, the focus will be on the measures companies have in place to prevent future claimants. These are the types of claims that come back to haunt us all. Companies who can demonstrate that they are taking measures to reduce the risk of long term health issues will be far better placed and benefit from reduced premiums.
The ‘claims portal’, a system which offers fixed legal costs for RTAs and straightforward injury claims has been a huge success and has reduced solicitors’ fees considerably. Not surprisingly, the legal fraternity is now turning its attention to more complex claims where their fees are not capped. One to keep an eye on.
Dean Smith,Associate Director, Food & Drink
All too often the focus is on the financial consequence of accidents – and not the emotional. At a recent IOSH meeting, a director spoke candidly of the time when an employee suffered a serious arm injury. “If only I knew then what I knew now, having completed the
NEBOSH qualification, the accident may well have been prevented.” The regret and hardship experienced by both parties in this case was a salutary lesson to us all – it is not all about the bottom line.
The debate over how to meet the ‘reasonable’ standard for food defence continues to gather momentum and it took centre stage at a recent SOFHT meeting. In a bid seemingly to reassure consumers that there is no threat to public health, local authorities and other government agencies are now actively promoting cases where there has been a breach of food safety standards. As a consequence, breaches are now more likely to hit the headlines and investigations are on the rise. Where there is an investigation, lawyers try and
persuade insurers to pay for legal costs in any investigations. It is worth checking your D&O policy. At Jobson James, with our understanding of what is needed by the industry, and why, we have found insurers who will provide legal representation costs for official hearings and investigations brought by the HSE, EHO and other government agencies. What is more, legal representation is not just limited to ‘health and safety’ – legal representation for an LA investigation for instance would be available.
As can be seen, the Food & Drink industry is well and truly under the microscope. We are specialist insurance brokers in this field and will ensure that you have the right cover, on the right terms, and, most importantly, at the right price. Being totally independent we guarantee access to the whole market and we are not tied to any one insurer.
We can help with:
• Product Recall/Crisis containment
• Damage insurance – protecting your assets
• Employers/Public/Products/Pollution insurance
We promise:
• Competitive premiums and bespoke terms
• Impartial advice with a risk management bias
• Industry expertise
• An objective review of existing arrangements
Interested?
Please call Dean Smith, ACII Chartered Insurance Broker, on 07551 156 810 or email him at: [email protected]
Jobson James Insurance Brokers Ltd 30 St Paul’s Square, Birmingham B3 1QZ and 148 Leadenhall Street, London, EC3V 4QTAuthorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority No. 516147
FoodMatters
How can we help?
Illness causes more accidents at workIll health contributes to up to 46% of all accidents at work according to research produced at the IOSH National Food and Drink Conference. Companies who can demonstrate a ‘pro-active’ as opposed to ‘reactive’ approach to Health and Safety consistently achieve lower premiums. Proof of this was demonstrated at the 2012 London Olympics. During the construction programme, a simple £1 porridge campaign was promoted. As a result, RIDDOR and near miss accidents were reduced to zero. There is a lot of free information in the public domain, including the HSEs ‘New recipe for Safety’ guide which can be found at www.hse.gov.uk
S P E C I A L I S T I N S U R A N C E S O L U T I O N S F O R T H E F O O D & D R I N K I N D U S T RY
Protection against what is ‘reasonable’ in food defence
