In a recent article in the Providence Journal, in depth discussion noted the very serious concern of frivolous lawsuits. This could be detrimental to the small business sector. In addition, an article in Industry Week quoted Gary Pearce, chief risk architect at Aclaimant. Pearce believes the legal aspect will ramp up once we are past dealing with the day-to-day concerns of the pandemic. He sees an increased willingness on the part of employees to pursue legal remedies. This will arise from higher expectations of safety standards. People will look to their employers, generally a trusted source of information, to protect them. “The issue of safety and ensuring the safety of a workplace will not be something that is nice to have but it will be a must have,” says Pearce. And Pearce warns that if employees feel this is missing they might be willing to pursue remedies which could include regulatory complaints or even take to social media to air grievances. At the end of the day, says Pearce, the workforce needs to believe that the employer is doing the right things, having balanced the needs of the organization, the safety of the employees, and the expectations of the customers.
Based on what we are reading and seeing, RIMA will continue to keep the pressure on including Liability coverage in the next PPP on the Federal level as well as the State level.