Summer is in full swing and the last thing you want to worry about while on vacation is if your home is safe. When preparing to leave for a vacation, it’s easy to overlook basic home safety precautions. There are a number of hazards that could affect your home while you’re away, including lightning, theft and flooding. The more you are prepared for the “what if’s” – the less chance of a disaster occurring. Keeping a check list will also prevent any worry while you are on vacation.

To protect your residence while you’re away and enjoy a worry-free trip, keep these tips in mind.

In order to keep your property safe while you’re on vacation, consider the following:

• Unplug small appliances and electronic devices.
• Stop the newspaper and mail. To do this online, visit the U.S. Postal Service’s website.
• Lock all windows and doors.
• Arrange to have your lawn mowed or snow shoveled while you’re away.
• Have a neighbor keep an eye on your home throughout your trip.
• Remove any house keys you keep outside your home, even if you think they’re in a safe place.
• Set timers on inside lights. Install a motion-activated sensor on outdoor floodlights.
• Consider turning off your home’s water.
• Avoid posting photos of your trip on social media until after you return home.  Raise the temperature on your thermostat or turn the system off completely. This ensures that you aren’t paying to cool your home while you’re away.

Insurance Considerations: Taking the proper precautions before you go on vacation can make all the difference when it comes to preventing damage to your home. However, accidents can still occur, and it’s important to ensure you have adequate insurance coverage. Ensuring you have adequate insurance coverage should be top priority. Contact Anastasi Insurance Agency, Inc. to learn more.

Your Business First… 

This week, Anastasi Insurance Agency is focusing on Cyber Risk / Cyber Liability Services. Each day we will be posting new content on Cyber Risk to help you learn more about this very critical issue.

Cyber threats are an increasing concern for businesses of all sizes, yet many businesses lack the resources to protect themselves. In fact, two thirds of businesses do not have a stand-alone cyber insurance policy, and over half have not discussed cyber insurance coverage with their broker within the last year. As cyber attacks continue to become more sophisticated and common, cyber insurance will be an essential part of a business’s insurance coverage package. Cyber Risk should not be ignored.

 

Having a conversation about cyber insurance is not something that should be delayed. In fact, nearly 20 percent of businesses that had not discussed cyber insurance with their broker within the last year had a cyber security incident during that period. As cyber policies continue to become more necessary and commonplace, now is the time to have the discussion and find the correct policy for you.

 

Check out this video on Cyber Risk.

 

In recent years, cyber attacks have emerged as one of the most significant threats facing organizations of all sizes. The Internet and other network operations have created risks that were unheard of less than a decade ago. When cyber attacks (such as data breaches and hacks) occur, they can result in devastating damage, such as business disruptions, revenue loss, legal fees, and forensic analysis and customer or employee notifications. It is important to remember that no organization is immune to the impact of cyber crime. As a result, cyber liability insurance has become an essential component to any risk management program.

Take this quiz to determine your organization level of risk. Contact us today to make sure you are properly covered for your level of risk.

Take The Survey

Massachusetts: Tick Explosion!

Some are calling this summer Tick Explosion! “Ticks are the primary carrier of Lyme disease and according to the latest data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, there were more than 8,600 infections in 2017 — a 50 percent increase from 2013. The most infections last year came from Plymouth (1449) Middlesex (1,424), and Worcester counties (1077).”

Before you head out into the great outdoors, you need to be aware of a danger lurking not so deep in the woods—Lyme disease. This bacterial infection is contracted after coming in contact with a deer tick that has feasted off another infected animal.

Healthy Hints

Bacteria from a tick bite do not transmit into your bloodstream for 36 to 48 hours, which lessens your chance of contracting the disease if you find ticks and remove them immediately:

• Use a tweezers to grab the tick firmly where it has entered the skin.
• Slowly, yet firmly, pull the tick directly outward.
• Once the tick is removed, clean the bite thoroughly with a disinfectant and watch the area for any symptoms.

CDC’s Preventative Steps From Tick Bites:

• Know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, or even on animals. Spending time outside walking your dog, camping, gardening, or hunting could bring you in close contact with ticks. Many people get ticks in their own yard or neighborhood.
• Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin. Permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing and camping gear and remain protective through several washings.
• Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. EPA’s helpful search tool can help you find the product that best suits your needs. Always follow product instructions.
  • Do not use insect repellent on babies younger than 2 months old.
  • Do not use products containing OLE or PMD on children under 3 years old.
• Avoid Contact with Ticks
  • Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.
  • Walk in the center of trails.

After You Come Indoors

Check your clothing for ticks. Ticks may be carried into the house on clothing. Any ticks that are found should be removed. Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors. If the clothes are damp, additional time may be needed. If the clothes require washing first, hot water is recommended. Cold and medium temperature water will not kill ticks.

Examine gear and pets. Ticks can ride into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later, so carefully examine pets, coats, and daypacks.

Shower soon after being outdoors. Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease and may be effective in reducing the risk of other tickborne diseases. Showering may help wash off unattached ticks and it is a good opportunity to do a tick check.

Check your body for ticks after being outdoors. Conduct a full body check upon return from potentially tick-infested areas, including your own backyard. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body. Check these parts of your body and your child’s body for ticks:

• Under the arms
• In and around the ears
• Inside belly button
• Back of the knees
• In and around the hair
• Between the legs
• Around the waist

Anastasi Insurance Agency, Inc.

www.anastasiinsurance.com

(508) 248-1440

June is National Safety Month. As an outdoor worker, it is important to take precautions against exposure to sun, heat and bug bites during the summer months.

We have some helpful safety tips for keeping you safe during warm weather

Sun Safety

1. Wear lightweight, tightly woven clothing that you can’t see through. 
2. Use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 blocks 93 percent of UV rays. Make sure to reapply as needed.
3. Wear a hat that protects your neck, ears, forehead, nose and scalp
4. Wear UV-absorbent sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of UVA and UVB radiation.

Heat

Heat can be a serious health threat during the summer months. Protect yourself in the following ways:

1. Drink plenty of water before you get thirsty.
2. Wear light, loose-fitting, breathable clothing such as dry-fit material.
3. Eat small meals before work activity.
4. Skip the caffeine and soda; drink water instead.

Ticks

If you’re working in tall grass or wooded areas, take the following precautions to protect yourself from ticks:

1. Wear light-colored clothing to see ticks more easily.
2. Wear long sleeves and long pants (tuck pant legs into socks or boots)
3. Wear high boots or closed shoes that cover your feet completely.
4. Wear a hat.
5. Use tick repellants, but not on your face.
6. Wash and dry your work clothes at high temperatures.
7. Examine your body for ticks after work, and remove any attached ticks promptly with a tweezers. If you get bit and develop a rash, see your doctor.

Insect Bites and Stings

Bee, wasp, hornet and yellow jacket stings are typically only dangerous to those who are allergic or have been stung multiple times.

1. Wear bug repellant.
2. Avoid wearing heavy perfumes or scented lotions.
3. Check before drinking from cups, bottles or cans. Stinging insects are attracted to sweet drinks.

Be safe and healthy on the job at with these helpful tips provided by Anastasi Insurance Agency, Inc..

It’s finally time to open up the pool and invite your friends and family over for a swim! At one point in our lives, most of us learned CPR, but would you remember the steps if an emergency happened? Read the below for a refresher…

 

3 Steps to CPR for Adults:

1. Call 911

2. Pump – 30 Chest Compressions 

3. Open Airway

4. Rescue Breaths

Check out this video for a demonstration on how to perform CPR on an adult and on a child.