Santa Claus is a risky guy!

There's no two ways about it - Santa is an underwriter's nightmare. He's overweight, he drives too fast, and there is some evidence that he is tipping brandy while he drives. Plus he smokes a pipe and eats too many cookies.

Besides all his bad habits, Santa's job is a nightmare, and he faces a lot of unusual health risks. He is sneezed or coughed on up to ten times a day, and he has been "wet on" in 34% of his mall stops, poor guy! And sometimes, he is even attacked and mauled by his reindeer! (video alert). And an ergonomic risk assessment of Santa's job turns up a host of other alarming issues that need to be addressed.

Would you insure this guy? One independent insurance agent enumerates Santa's risks and offers some sound pointers that Santa would do well to heed:

• Hire a fulltime risk manager, or at least allow his agent to conduct a loss control and safety survey of Santa’s home and workshop.
• Put together an employee manual and provide instructional DVDs to all supervisors and elves to avoid EPLI claims
• Expand his in-house manufacturing operation to eliminate the use of sub-contractors and control his liabilities
• Consider self-insuring some hard-to-place risks in a captive. Bermuda was dismissed as too warm, but Vermont would be acceptable.

~~ All of us at Workers Comp Insider wish you and yours a happy and safe holiday season. ~~