London Riots and Insurance Claims....

Why you need to be quick to get your claims in.

According to the Chartered Institute for Loss Adjusters....the insurers can take their losses and make claims against the police agencies for losses.

The Claims need to be lodged with the police within 14 days of a riot.

Riot is defined as “when 12 or more people have gathered to use or threaten violence for a common purpose” (full definition within Public Order Act 1986).

This is according to the Riot Damage Act. They include a form for making claims on their site here.

Concrete Failing All Over Montreal - Mob Involvement?

Montreal is seeing its bridges and roads crumbling, big chunks of concrete falling onto roadways....worries about bridges and tunnels.

Lots of reasons are being suggested, but could there be any ties to the mob and inferior concrete?

In Manhattan the District Attorney has laid organized crime charges against the company that graded and approved cement for work on projects....seems it was owned by the mob.

The New York mob has long had associations in Montreal.....wonder if there is any connection?

Story on Montreal here.

Infrastructure Security - Siemens PLC controllers vunerable to hack

One of the devices which helps control everything complicated systems run on is the PLC controller.

(A programmable controller is a digital computer used for automation of electromechanical processes, such as control of machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, in many industries)

A security program exists with the pre 2009 Siemens controller according to this security experts report. He say among other problems is a hard coded back door password in all the controllers that can be used to change their programming.

If you run an industry that may be a target for terrorist hackers, you need to read this story.

...this is the same exposure that has been used to attack nuclear plants and water treatment facilities.


Update - Siemens says it is issuing a fix for some of the security holes identified....read about it here.

Stage Collapse in Ottawa Cancels Cheap Trick Concert at PNE

A collapse of a stage that Cheap Trick was performing on in Ottawa dramatically collapsed when windy stormy weather moved in.

The manufacturer of the mobile stage, is the same manufacturer who supplies the stages to the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver.

Cheap Trick was scheduled to play a concert there, but cancelled when they became aware that the same stage was being used, and they want to know why it collapsed, and that it won't do it again.

The cancellation won't result in lost money for tickets being returned, it was a concert paid for by the PNE, but now they will have lost this attraction...which could ultimately hurt attendance.

You have to keep an eye out for risk, what happens somewhere else in the world could affect you and your business.

Read about the story here.

Does your Insurance protect you from this?

Are you in finance, or operations for your company? Have you looked at a comprehensive review of what can interfere with you business operations and cash flow.

One of the areas is government and infrastructure.

Are you prepared if you get a sinkhole in front of your street that prevents access?

One owner in this story says its a triple loss.....he is losing Customers, Income, and inventory from the water damage.

Read more here.

How to Break into Fort Knox?

As someone who used to protect the Canadian version of Fort Knox, I have a few thoughts on this column......but I will keep them to myself.

A short slide show on what protects Fort Knox.

.....although there are a lot of people questioning if the gold is really still in there!

Getting Your Insurance Policies in Shape for Business Continuity

What are some of the simple things you should do now, before you have a business interruption?

1) Call in your insurance agent and find out what your policy currently covers in terms of business interruption and claims.

2) Have your insurance agent point out any gaps or potential gaps in your coverage, so you are at least aware of your options and can weigh the benefits of increasing coverage, or manage the risk yourself.

3)Develop clear guidelines for how to contact and process information in the event of a loss.

4)Decide if you need to create, update, or train your team on emergency responses to business interruption events. (we can help you with that plan)

5)Insure your program protects key documents, invoices and accounting required to make claims.

If you need help putting together a business continuity plan, contact us at rossmcleansecurity.com