Vol.

12, Issue 6
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5
Emergency Preparedness Helps Get Policies Renewed
According to the Insurance Informa-
tion Institute, up to 40 percent of busi-
nesses affected by a natural or human-
caused disaster never reopen. That
quote was recently released by a com-
pany, which provides fre, safety and
document management services to ap-
proximately 900,000 businesses.
If you are an insurance agent, how
grateful do you think a business owner,
bank executive, restaurant manager or
hospital administrator would feel if he
(she) knew that you were responsible
for getting his company back online in
record-breaking time?
Most experts
agree that the
best way to
get a business
back open
after a
disaster is to be prepared for that di-
saster in the frst place! But you don't
have the time to go around to all your
business policyholders and walk them
through a disaster preparedness/crisis
management evaluation.
Guess who does?
Many restoration companies have
been offering emergency response
plans to local businesses as a way to
attract business. So, talk to your adjust-
ers, fnd out which companies do a good
job in that feld and offer those services
to those who are already your custom-
ers. Make yourself as visible as you can
during the process, without burning up
too much of your time (as an example
-- when the restoration company has
completed the evaluation, they could
put your business card on the cover of
the report).
Part of the evaluation would include
the recommendation that the company
make sure their insurance is compre-
hensive and complete. Here is a quote
directly from a FEMA publication, In-
surance is Financial Risk Mitigation
-- Purchasing insurance is a way to re-
duce the fnancial impact of a business
interruption, loss or damage to a facil-
ity or equipment. Insurance companies
provide coverage for property damage,
business interruption, workers' com-
pensation, general liability, automobile
liability and many other losses. Insur-
ers only pay when the peril (i.e., haz-
ard) that caused the loss is insured by
a policy. Losses caused by food, earth-
quake, terrorism or pollution may not be
covered by standard property insurance
policies ... Earthquake, terrorism and
pollution coverage may be purchased
separately or as an endorsement to an
existing policy. Coverage for other haz-
ards such as mold may be provided as
part of the basic property insurance but
the amount of loss payable under the
policy may be limited.
And that is where an insurance agent
comes in. The restoration company
can assess potential damage based
on forms they have and on their experi-
ence, then an agent can make recom-
mendations based on weaknesses in
the existing policy.
The restoration company will have lots
of great ideas for business continuity,
restoring contents, electronics, back up
for documents and fles, etc. and may
even offer a pre-event agreement to
give the business owner peace of mind.
Choose your restoration partners
well they could be worth a whole lot
of saved businesses. Companies can't
renew policies when 40% never open
their doors again.
In the U.S., the Internal Revenue Ser-
vice (the IRS), has created disaster loss
workbooks that enable homeowners or
business owners to compile a list of be-
longings. And in a recent IRS tips bul-
letin, they added, One option is to pho-
tograph or videotape the contents of your
home, especially items of greater value.
You should store the photos or video in a
safe place away from the geographic area
at risk. This will help you recall and prove
the market value of items for insurance
and casualty loss claims in the event of
a disaster.
Since contents pros take pictures of
all valued items during the initial walk
through, then take inventory pictures of
every item that is packed for storage,
then more pictures of each item as it
is cleaned and restored, this would be
an ideal way to fulfll the RS require-
ments.
And recently, many contents compa-
nies are handing, upon request, a CD
with copies of all the pictures to adjust-
ers, agents and home or busi-
ness owners. So they can run
a quick visual survey of the
inventory, what condition it is
in and where it is located.
This is another bonus for
the owner that provides a
much-needed feeling of con-
trol during the restoration.
Taxing Situation
3
Research by the American Journal for Infection Control reveals 92% of hospital privacy curtains were contaminated bacte-
ria such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococcus) within one
week of being laundered. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tell us that a person spending the
night in a hospital has a 1 in 20 chance of picking up an infection.
The solution? Well, the contents pros have been paying close attention to a new type of antimicrobial fabric that is to be
used in place of the old privacy curtains.
The secret? The manufacturers have woven silver and copper threads (that have been proven to kill germs) into the fabric!
Silver Bullet?
In a recent edition of Contents Solutions, we told
about a new process that involves electrolyzing water
and creating aqueous ozone, a chemical-free clean-
ing and sanitizing solution.
Insurance adjusters and agents have shown a strong
interest in this new system and now so have some of
the major universities.
In an article for the University of Michigan, they called
it, liquid ozone, and said, Liquid Ozone is more sus-
tainable than chemical cleaning agents because, once
used, liquid ozone reverts to water and oxygen mole-
cules, leaving only a bucket of dirty water to be poured
down the drain. And unlike chemical agents, liquid
ozone does not leave a residue on cleaned surfaces.
The author, Kyle Swanson, went on to say, It is ex-
pected that nearly $50,000 will be saved in chemical
expenses each year
Now other universities, including Harvard, the Uni-
versity of Vermont and Ohio State are investigating the
process for themselves.
Recently on the Rachel Ray, television program,
medical personnel took swab tests of an ordinary kitch-
en and found that the countertop had 200 colonies of
the corynebacterium and 600 colonies of staphylococ-
cus epidermidis bacteria.
After a few sprays of the electrolyzed water, second
swab tests showed no trace of either bacterium at all!
Other researchers are quick to point out that it can kill
E.coli, salmonella, MRSA, C-Diffcile and 99% of odor-
causing bacteria as well.
But it is so "human friendly, that it is being used to re-
move toxins and bacteria from food that can be eaten
in seconds after being sprayed!
Contents pros think this one could be a game changer.
Chemical-Free Cleaning
Goes to College
Some homeowners and busi-
ness owners, who have never
seen a contents company in ac-
tion, are amazed at the amount of
plastic sheeting that is used on the
job.
For example, before the struc-
tural workers begin wall, ceiling or
foor removal, it is very common
for them or for their contents coun-
terparts to quickly erect plastic
barriers between damaged areas
and areas that remain unaffected.
That will reduce the chances of
dust, soot, grit or mold transferring
from one region to another.
Often, they will
create negative air-
fow on one side of
the barrier to push
dust and moisture
out through open-
ings (windows,
doors) on the af-
fected side. But
any knowledgeable
contents pro will tell
you that fans are a
bad idea when you
are working with
homes or offces
that are drenched
with sewage the
circulating air can
spread the contamination and cre-
ate a whole new hazard (and a lot
more work!)
Plastic bags might be used for
small contents transport (wet
clothing, pillow cases and teddy
bears) but for the larger items,
sheets of plastic are the most
economical method to wrap con-
taminated mattresses and other
furniture for transport out of the
building.
Plastic walkways are employed
(sometimes moisture resistant
"painter's cloths.) Plastic sheets
are used to cover book cases,
tables and carpets (taped down of
course!)
But the item that seems to fas-
cinate the customers most is the
air-lock effect that has come into
vogue in recent years. Usually, a
plastic barrier is taped in place,
but recently (historically speak-
ing), a clever restoration pro fg-
ured out a way to use telescoping
rods and clear plastic sheeting to
create a small
room that acts
like an airlock
between con-
taminated and
non-contaminat-
ed areas.
And more
recently still,
someone added
zippered doors
in the airlocks
so we can sim-
ply unzip the
opening, enter,
re-zip and pass
through the
other side, com-
pletely protecting all the contents
and structure on the pristine side.
Even so, contents pros will of-
ten use fltering masks and ap-
propriate protective clothing when
transporting bedding, carpeting,
drapes, etc., with visible mold and
fungus because even the best
barriers can't protect them when
they are on the wrong side of the
plastic!
Just Pennies a Foot
And Worth Its Weight in Gold!
Contents Solutions! may not be reproduced in whole or in part except by prior written permission of the
publishers. Contents Solutions is created each month by the research team at Total Contentz who are
solely responsible for its publication and the material contained within 2012.
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