Designing and implementing an effective safety program is much like putting together a puzzle, you need to have the right pieces in place for a perfect fit. That was the theme – Solving Your Safety Program Puzzle - of the 2024 PestSure Safety and Loss Prevention Conference held September 10-11, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
More than 150 PestSure members from across the country gathered for two days of interactive sessions, peer networking and information sharing on how to continuously improve their company’s safety programs.
“The Safety and Loss Prevention Conference is part of PestSure’s unique value proposition to our insureds,” said Todd Burke, COO of PestSure. “The program is loaded with timely and relevant topics that are specific to managing risk in the pest control industry. There is no meeting like it in the industry, and our insureds receive tremendous value by attending.”
Highlighting the education programs were a series of keynote sessions focused on timely topics that are significantly impacting the way pest control professionals operate their businesses and manage their risk.
The opening session featured a mock deposition led by attorneys James Foster and Joe Panatera of Chicago-based law firm Cassidy Schade. Foster and Panatera pointed to the sharp rise in ‘nuclear verdicts’ – a verdict in favor of the plaintiff with a damage award surpassing $10 million - in auto liability cases and the importance of thorough deposition preparation.
“Corporate depositions should keep you up at night,” said Foster. “With nuclear verdicts becoming increasingly more common it is essential to prepare your company’s representative.”
Foster said plaintiffs’ attorneys will try to use your company’s safety program against you and put your company on trial versus an individual’s actions to win a larger verdict.
A plaintiff’s attorney must provide a list of areas of inquiry prior to a deposition. Foster said it is critical to research these areas thoroughly so that the person most knowledgeable on the subject matter can competently represent your company at the deposition.
“You can lose a case in your deposition preparation,” said Foster. “Remember, whatever your representative says binds the company. You want the prep day to be the worst day for your witness – not the actual deposition.”
Panelists John Judge of Certus, Efrain Velasco of Lloyd Pest Control’s and Jason Miller of Nozzle Nolen shared their experiences of designing, implementing and enforcing no cell phone policies in their companies. Each talked about overcoming concerns regarding productivity, enforcement and the risk of losing employees who violate the policy or leave because of it.
“The roll out message needs to be right, and it needs to be clear that it is OK for technicians and sales to not answer phone while behind the wheel,” said Velasco. “There will be hiccups as the process rolls out, but if you stay the course and remain consistent, you’ll see the results.”
Certus’ Judge said the company purposely overcommunicated the reasons why they were adopting the policy and how it would benefit employees. He also mentioned the importance of a top-down approach and having teeth to the enforcement policy.
“It’s one thing to say it and another to do it,” said Judge. “There must be teeth in the policy and the policy must meet the company’s needs and objectives.”
On the topic of enforcement, Lloyd’s Velasco added that, “You know what your company can live with or without (when it comes to enforcing the policy). It could be three strikes; it might be five strikes.”
As for the impact on productivity, all three panelists indicated they had not seen any dip in productivity once technicians understood what was at stake and that waiting five or 10 minutes to return a call or text was not going to cost them a sale. To further the point on productivity, Lloyd Pest Control said it experienced the two biggest revenue months in the company’s history, after their no cell phone policy went into effect.
Other featured sessions at the two-day event covered a wide array of safety and loss prevention topics impacting pest control professionals including:
- Unique Risk Exposures – Frank Fowler (Forshaw)
- Supervisors: The Critical Safety Program Component – David Billingsley (The Billingsley Group)
- Getting the Most from Your Safety Meetings – Tammy Rudbeck (Bug Busters) and Jay Yarsinske (Terminix)
- What’s in Your General Liability Policy – Abby Thalachelloor (PestSure) and Tate Eperjesi (Sedgewick)
- The BIG Book – Safety Program Manual – Annie Dahl (Sprague), Mike Voss (Cook’s Pest Control), Russell Jenkins and Mary Margaret Jenkins (ABC Home and Commercial DFW)
- Beat the Heat – Real World Experience – Bob Gilbert (Blue Sky Pest Control)
- Accident Inquiry – Why Bother? – Clay Williams (PestSure)
- The Name is Modifier, Experience Modifier – Kristina Phillips (PestSure)
PestSure – Your Partner in Safety
Founded in 1980, PestSure is the only insurance and risk management provider that is 100 percent dedicated to the pest management industry. It offers industry professionals a full suite of insurance, risk management, and safety training and education offerings.
PestSure provides insurance, safety and risk management consulting to pest management companies representing $2 billion in revenue, $750 million in payroll and more than 16,500 service vehicles. The program is administered by Alliant Insurance Services.
Call 888.984.3813 or visit our contact page for more information.