Managing safety and health is one of the most important and challenging responsibilities in the retail grocery business today. Employers are naturally concerned about the well being of their employees and customers. However, despite their interest in safety, productivity remains the primary source of motivation in most settings. And, with the increased pressure and competition brought on by large, nationally owned chain stores, the traditional retail grocery industry has been forced to place more and more emphasis on keeping operating costs down. There is no inherent danger in managing costs. In fact, the purpose of any good loss control program is exactly that…to control costs! However, this added pressure to reduce costs often provides an avenue by which to cut corners. Nothing could be more contrary to your business interests.

Your business faces a tremendous risk of loss. Higher insurance costs, damaged employee morale, your reputation with your customers and your community, additional training and the ability to recruit and maintain good employees are only a few of examples of how adverse loss experience can hurt your competitiveness.

Achieving a safe work environment and promoting a positive safety culture is essential to a healthy bottom line. Over the years, industry has made safety and loss control a very complicated business. The goal of our Loss Control Staff is to help you establish the foundation of an effective, clear and concise loss control program that is simple to implement, revise and maintain.

Benchmark Insurance Company is committed to forming a partnership with its clients to overcome the industry specific loss control and safety issues facing the retail food industry. The goal of this alliance is to provide assistance to our clients in specific areas of risk management that will help lower claims and insurance related costs and increase profitability.

Risk Assessment

Your B.I.C. Loss Control Representative will perform an initial risk assessment at each insured location.

During this assessment, your B.I.C. Loss Control Representative will:

• Perform a physical Inspection of each facility and create an engineering file.
• Evaluate equipment, conditions and facilities to identify opportunities for loss in your operation based on the lines of coverage benchmark provides.
• Discuss critical situations, general recommendations and alternative solutions to reduce these exposures.
• Present and review Benchmark’s “Grocer’s Risk Management Guide.”
• Present and review training and informational materials to assist your organization in the prevention of financial loss.
• Provide materials and instructions necessary for proper, timely claim filing and claim management.

Extended Loss Control Consultation

Benchmark Insurance Company will periodically review your loss performance in order to rank your organization according to your apparent need for extended loss control consultation.

Groups that are characterized by unusually high claim frequency, severity or both will be identified and your B.I.C. Loss Control Team may perform problem-specific training and consultation including: