News & Insights

Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic many schools are considering reopening and school bus contractors are now starting the process of calling employees back to work and taking precautions for students who will soon be boarding buses. However, one concern of many contractors is the risk of liability claim exposure related to COVID-19 from people riding on their vehicles or in their premises. This article will discuss 1) the scope of the risk of liability to your company from COVID-19 exposure, 2...

Now that the Payroll Protection Plan loans have started funding – the questions re: how to qualify for forgiveness and how to coordinate these funds with other benefits are on everyone’s mind. School bus contractors have their own unique difficulties in this area, especially in coordination with their contracts and the school year calendar. Just like the application process, the tax issues are as clear as mud in many regards. Some questions can be answered, but some just cannot, so far. So, Ri...

While many Contractors understand the importance of safety in their operations, few may actually be maximizing the benefits of company safety policies and procedures. Did you know that an employer with a Certified Workplace Safety Committee is eligible to receive a five percent (5%) discount on their Workers' Compensation Insurance premium annually? Soliciting the assistance of your staff and developing a Certified Safety Committee will help you identify and correct additional risks you may ...

Employers are often unsure how to proceed when they receive a complaint of alleged misconduct in the workplace. Sometimes the complaints or allegations are clear and detailed. But, other times employees might not be forth coming with details for a number of reasons. Knowing how to identify and respond to reported or potential improper workplace conduct is important for all employers. Investigating reported or possible incidents of improper conduct in the workplace can be done through a workplace...

What is your retirement plan? At this year’s PSBA Annual Convention at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, Rich Kelly presented a workshop discussing Succession Planning. If you were unable to attend Rich’s presentation, this article to reviews what you need to know about planning to transition your business from one generation to the next and other ways your business can fund your retirement.

While Pennsylvania law requires school bus drivers to have a physical no later than every 12 months, most healthcare plans will only pay for an annual physical if it has been more than 12 months since the last exam. This forces a school bus driver to choose between paying out of pocket for an annual exam every other year or risk a gap in compliance with the annual physical requirement. This note will discuss the current Pennsylvania state law, proposed statutory changes, and what some contractor...

There’s a simple way to avoid many risk management claims like worker’s compensation, bus accidents and regulatory citation: Don’t put the wrong worker to work. The “wrong worker,” is anyone who is physically unable or unfit to perform essential job functions. Creating and following a Fitness for Duty program at your company can help you identify workers who should not be behind the wheel, turning a wrench or assisting special needs students in an out of the seat. In doing so, you can prot...