Last week, the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI) hosted its 36th Construction Risk Conference in Orlando, Florida. The conference featured three general sessions and 27 seminars presented by more than 60 nationally recognized insurance, risk management, safety and surety experts. CBO Editor Kathy Wells was there on the conference floor along with 2,000 industry professionals who manage or insure construction risks. Check out the following tweets from her time there:
1. The conference attracted 2,000 attendees—the majority of which were contractors/construction firms, agents/brokers and insurers, along with architects engineers, lawyers and consultants.
#IRMI2016 Conf Cochairmen William S. McIntyre & Jack Gibson kick off general session to huge crowd of #risk pros pic.twitter.com/6GiQA2NJ5q
— Kathy Wells (@KathyWellsCBO) November 7, 2016
2. Keynote speaker Ronn Lehmann spoke on developing a commitment to safety to eliminate the almost-17 deaths per week on construction jobsites.
#IRMI2016 "In a business with a #true #culture of #safety, safety always wins." - Ronn Lehman, keynote speaker pic.twitter.com/LA7A54gnje
— Kathy Wells (@KathyWellsCBO) November 7, 2016
#Safety #compliance is important, but your #companyculture will teach people more than you ever could. - Ronn Lehman #IRMI2016 @CBOMagazine
— Kathy Wells (@KathyWellsCBO) November 7, 2016
3. The Gary E. Bird Horizon Award, honoring commitment to improving risk management, was presented to the Construction Subcommittee of the Workplace Task Force; National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. The award recognized the committee for their innovative suicide prevention program.
Congrats! @sspencerthomas wins #IRMI2016 Gary E. Bird Horizon Award w/ shoutout to @CBOMagazine EAB member Cal Beyer @riskleadership
— Kathy Wells (@KathyWellsCBO) November 7, 2016
4. A popular session covering joint ventures explored a variety of issues contractors should address up front, starting with the selection of a partner, division of work, allocation of risk/reward, and also legal and insurance issues.
#jointventure project concerns: Do both parties define "cost" the same? Need clear understanding of charges to avoid probs later. #IRMI2016
— Kathy Wells (@KathyWellsCBO) November 7, 2016
5. The recent increase in widespread use of drones on the jobsite brings concern for risk managers. One session reviewed FAA regulation updates, potential risks and best practices for avoiding incidents and claims.
Nerding out in this session on #drones at #IRMI2016! Presenters from @LibertyMutual & @Turner_SE break down highlights of FAA final rule
— Kathy Wells (@KathyWellsCBO) November 8, 2016
#didyouknow about the #UAS #safety triangle? #Preplanning your #approach is the key for a successful launch #literally #IRMI2016 pic.twitter.com/4szay2aCn5
— Kathy Wells (@KathyWellsCBO) November 8, 2016
#IRMI2016 POLL: Does your #construction #business employ the use of #drones on #jobsites?
— Kathy Wells (@KathyWellsCBO) November 8, 2016
6. The choice of several Toolbox Talks offered attendees the chance to join short, interactive discussions on new technologies impacting the construction and insurance industries.
"Construction tech is headed toward live-recording every step of a worker's day on the jobsite" - @JamesMBenham #riskmanagement #IRMI2016
— Kathy Wells (@KathyWellsCBO) November 8, 2016
7. Overprescribing narcotics has contributed to an epidemic of abuse and addiction throughout the construction industry. Tools, such as patient contracts, risk assessments and drug screenings can help contractors and employees feel better and return to productivity following an injury.
#IRMI2016 session on #prescription #drugabuse in the #workforce - #didyouknow The U.S. consumes 99% of the world's hydrocodone? #yikes
— Kathy Wells (@KathyWellsCBO) November 9, 2016
56% of #injured #workers take #opioids - 15% of #construction #workers actually admit to engaging in illicit #druguse #IRMI2016
— Kathy Wells (@KathyWellsCBO) November 9, 2016
#IRMI2016 staggering stat: 60% of #patients taking an #opioid @ 90 days are still taking them 5 years later. Watch out for ur #workforce!
— Kathy Wells (@KathyWellsCBO) November 9, 2016
8. FMI's Hank Harris shared a construction economic outlook, trends impacting the contractor risks, short- and long-term challenges and opportunities for the industry.
#construction added 219,000 jobs over the past year. #IRMI2016 Closing Session - @FMICorporation Chairman Hank Harris shares what's next pic.twitter.com/sC5DajDlyB
— Kathy Wells (@KathyWellsCBO) November 9, 2016
"People are the most important thing in a business." - Hank Harris, @FMICorporation #IRMI2016
— Kathy Wells (@KathyWellsCBO) November 9, 2016
The 37th CRC will be held November 5-7, 2017, in Indianapolis, Indiana. For information and resources on risk management, visit IRMI. For more industry news and featured business management content, follow us on Twitter: @CBOMagazine, @KathyWellsCBO and @EManningCBO.
