ISO Verisk is an industry leader in risk and insurance assessment. They conduct site surveys of our insured properties throughout the United States and provide high-quality information on buildings, conditions, and risk hazards. Adventist Risk Management, Inc. (ARM) has partnered with ISO Verisk to provide this service free to our insureds. Through this partnership, we seek to help you insure properties accurately and detect hazards or risks that can lead to injuries, death, or property damage.
At ARM’s request, ISO Verisk conducts surveys at churches, schools, offices, and other related buildings. ISO Verisk does not survey dwellings (that are being used as homes), camps, boarding academies, or other large campuses. ISO Verisk field representatives will identify themselves as “ISO Verisk contacting you on behalf of Gencon Insurance or ARM.” In this article, I would like to walk you through who ISO Verisk is, what their process is, and what you can do to help your ministry.
The Process
A team member from ARM will submit a survey order request to ISO Verisk. Once ISO Verisk has received that request, they will assign a field representative within your area to come perform a site survey. That field representative will contact you (the designated contact) via phone call or email to schedule an appointment that is agreeable for both of you.
The goal of the appointment is for an ISO Verisk field representative to perform a site survey of both the exterior and interior of the facility. During the site survey, the representative will ask a series of questions. They will also make observations and take measurements of the buildings. We ask that you provide accurate answers to the best of your knowledge.
After they have completed the site survey, they return the data to ARM and we generate a report. An ARM account executive will contact you and your conference to provide the final report within 30 days, or as soon as it is available. The report will include three important parts:
-
Appraisals of values of the property (replacement cost), construction quality and type, occupancy, protection elements and exposures.
-
Recommendations for risk hazards that might lead to injury or damage to the property.
-
High-Risk Notifications (HRN) that are only provided upon discovering high risks or extensive damage. Produced within 24 hours of the site survey visit, an HRN will not include the full report. HRN reports are to be addressed and resolved immediately or as soon as possible.
What is Your Role and How Can You Help?
At ARM’s request, the conference provides us with a designated contact person for the facility (e.g., a pastor, safety officer, or appointed leader) who can be available and present to help facilitate a site survey with an ISO Verisk field representative. It is important that you show up for the appointment. If you are unable to make it to the appointment, it is your responsibility to communicate to the field representative and reschedule. If you cannot be present or your schedule does not allow, inform your conference or kindly direct the representative to another member of your facility.
As the designated contact person for your entity/facility, your role is to help facilitate an ISO Verisk field representative’s successful site survey of both the exterior and interior of the building(s). You are to meet with the field representative at the schedule appointment time, provide access to the facility, and accurately answer to the best of your knowledge a series of questions presented by the field representative.
After we have generated the final report, your conference risk manager or treasurer should be available to meet with an ARM representative. Be prepared to address any relevant questions highlighted in the report. To prevent injury and damage, ensure that the recommendations are addressed, repaired, and resolved as soon as possible.
If you have questions regarding the recommendations, please address them with your conference, ARM account executive, or a team member from the risk control team at riskcontrol@adventistrisk.org. Communicate to your conference and ARM risk control team when recommendations are resolved, including any available evidence, such as photos. Available evidence can be sent to a risk control team member at riskcontrol@adventistrisk.org.
As the designated contact person for your facility/entity, you play an important role in helping ARM protect your ministry. To do so, it is important that you show up, provide access to the facility, answer questions, and make sure recommendations are resolved in a timely manner. Our goal is to help improve and mitigate oversights that can lead to costly accidents in your organization.
Join ARM’s Senior Risk Manager Hunter Pettis and ARM’s Risk Control Coordinator Lydiah Ogega as they explain the process and how these resources can support you in protecting your assets. [Video]
Image Credit: Martin Barraud-istockphoto.com
