Canadian Underwriter

What are the most common agribusiness claims?


May 16, 2018   by Staff


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48089736 - agricultural field with a house in the backgroundOver the last three years, the top 10 types of agribusiness claims have accounted for more than 50,000 claims received by U.S. farm insurer Nationwide.

Here are the top 10 commercial agribusiness claims received by Nationwide in 2017.

  1. Motor vehicle accidents
  2. Workers compensation for disability or death
  3. Misapplication of chemicals or drift
  4. Slip, fall or injury
  5. Food related claim
  6. Animal caused damage or bite
  7. Glass breakage
  8. Wind damage
  9. Hail or lightning damage
  10. Fire damage or loss

“By sharing our top claims data, we hope to help agribusiness owners recognize areas of their operation that may need increased safety precautions,” says Carol Alvarez, vice president of claims for Nationwide. “These national trends can help business owners pinpoint areas where they can take extra measure to keep their employees, products and equipment safe.”

Motor vehicle accidents were the mo­­­st common commercial agribusiness claim. Over the past three years, motor vehicles accidents have accounted for more than 20,00 total commercial agribusiness claims.

The insurer’s data for these accidents show the following trends in frequency and severity.

Most frequent accidents

  1. Rear end accidents
  2. Backing into vehicles
  3. Accidental strike of stationary object

Accidents causing most significant damage

  1. Overturned vehicles
  2. Head on collisions
  3. Intersection accidents

Here are some risk management tips to help agribusiness professionals reduce motor vehicle accidents and keep their employees safe.

  • Embrace safety technology by equipping vehicles with collision mitigation and telematics monitoring systems.
  • Develop standard hiring criteria for drivers comprised of new driver orientations and documented training.
  • Develop safe following distance and distracted driving policies that include comprehensive training and procedure enforcement.
  • Be aware of advanced safety benefits in newer trucks, such as electronic stability control systems to prevent overturn.
  • Provide additional documented training for commercial truck drivers with tanker endorsements, and those carrying high center of gravity loads.

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This story was originally published by Canadian Insurance Top Broker.


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