Risk navigators

We've compiled our educational resources into interactive documents called risk navigators. Risk navigators provide a comprehensive understanding of subjects relevant to our insureds. Below you will find resources available to view, download, and share in one of four categories--construction, environmental, primary casualty, and products liability.

Feel free to email risksolutions@markel.com with any additional topics of interest you'd like to see covered here.
  • Cooking and food safety

    Man delivering food in pastic bag
    Best practices for food safety
    In these changing times, there has been a growing trend for restaurants to move toward a delivery model. This guide is intended to provide some best practices related to food safety and driver safety
    Commercial kitchen
    Commercial cooking operations
    Learn about NFPA requirements for your commercial kitchen, including servicing needs to ensure adequate fire protection.
  • Construction

    construction worker on laptop
    Construction best practices
    General contractors can find guidance on best practices for their construction business based on the size of their operations.
    Construction geo-technical
    Access information on soils reports for construction engineers to analyze the subsurface conditions for a site investigation prior to construction or as part of a claim.
    Lead paint chips
    Lead exposure awareness for contractors
    As a contractor, your employees and/or subcontractors may encounter lead-based paint (LBP). When absorbed into the body in high enough doses, lead can be toxic. Lean more about LBP in this guide.
  • Crime

    Crime prevention through environmental design
    This safety guide provides information to help you prevent crime by implementing the principles of CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design). CPTED is a way to design and build your physical environment so that it positively influences people's behavior and reduces crime.
    person in gloves holding a crowbar
    Employee theft
    How do you know it’s happening? What steps you can take? What are the prevention strategies? What to do if you suspect? No matter the size of your organization, you should be vigilant about employee theft and take some steps to prevent it.
  • Dental

    Woman getting a dental cleaning
    Dental offices
    Dental office employees are exposed to a wide range of hazards that may lead to illness or injury. This guide provides a resource to assist in understanding these hazards along with information to obtain additional resources.
  • Emergency response

    Crisis management
    Presents ways to prepare for and respond to a crisis, including working with emergency services, establishing crisis headquarters and a crisis team, dealing with parents, and managing the media.
    Ambulances parked
    When to call an ambulance
    Many camps are located in rural areas, where it can take 15 or 20 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. You may be tempted to drive an ill or injured camper or staffer to the hospital to save time--this guide describes situations in which it is best to call an ambulance.
  • Health and safety

    child abuse prevention ribbon
    Child abuse: Identification, reporting and prevention
    Provides information on how to identify and report suspected child abuse, prevent abuse, manage the media, and access other helpful Internet resources.
    Glyphosate guidance
    Read this guide to learn more about the herbicide glyphosate and health concerns with this agricultural chemical.
    Hand sanitizers
    Hand sanitizers
    Evaluating hand sanitizers for safety and reviewing recalls for those sanitizers deemed unsafe is outlined in this guide.
    Wet floor sign
    Slips, trips, and falls - English
    Though figures vary considering the time frame, depth, and type of research performed and reporting entity. However, many agree that injuries from STFs are among the most significant of the general liability losses—especially in numbers.
    Wet floor sign
    Resbalones, tropiezos y caídas definidos
    Aunque las cifras varían según el plazo considerado, la profundidad y el tipo de investigación realizada y la entidad de generación de informes. Sin embargo, generalmente se puede acordar que las lesiones de RTC están entre las pérdidas de responsabilidad general (RG) más significativas, especialmente en números;
  • Medical

    home healthcare worker

    Home healthcare: liability and risk management
    Home health care delivery will increase as the population ages and less expensive alternatives to inpatient, hospital, and nursing home care are desired. This guide covers several challenges that can contribute to home health care liability risk.

    Medical transportation

    Medical transportation - loss scenarios
    Best practices can be discovered through experience, near misses, and lessons from others. The following context is offered to demonstrate possible situations and provide actionable items for your medical transportation service.

    NDMA
    NDMA
    Learn about the exposures of the nitrosamine, NDMA, in both environmental and medication applications.
  • Museums

    children in museum
    Museums risk management guide
    Best practices to help promote safety, mitigate risk, and prevent claims at your museum.
  • Products liability

    above ground storage tanks
    Above ground storage tanks (ASTs)
    This document is focused on aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) used for the storage of petroleum products—many of which are regulated primarily under the EPA’s SPCC rules.
    batteries
    Batteries, battery chargers and rechargers
    Batteries are present in a variety of products and most contain hazardous materials. Release of hazardous materials into the environment is dangerous and regulated. Learn more about batteries in this guide.
    Hemp
    Hemp products
    Industrial hemp products are found in everyday materials. Learn about the usage, characteristics, and regulations in this guide.
    Nanotechnology
    Nanotechnology is relevant to a large number of industries with thousands of consumer products available on the market. Read the guide to learn more.
    PFAS
    PFAS
    Learn about the toxic properties of PFAS in our environment, including packaged food and drinking water, and the regulations to control hazards.
  • Property

    EIFS
    EIFS vs stucco vs DAFS
    Learn about the differences between EIFS, stucco, and DAFS, and the legal issues and expenses involving these end-use-related products.
    Incidental mold
    Incidental mold
    The types of mold and how it grows is described, and guidelines are provided for remediation with contractor checklists.
    Red frozen pipe
    Water damage
    Sooner or later, every business will suffer some sort of loss from water damage, whether from a broken pipe, a leaky roof, or heavy rains. This guide details ways to prevent, plan for, and handle water damage losses.
    building in winter
    Winterization - property
    The following information may be applied generally across the board as good standard practice for winterization of low-rise to mid-rise buildings.
  • Sports and youth recreation

    swimmer
    Aquatic risk
    This safety guide discusses the major areas that aquatic managers must address, such as principal causes of drowning, staff certification and training, rescue equipment and emergency procedures, communications equipment, facility design and managing visiting groups.
    Children on race track on a bright day
    Challenge courses and climbing walls
    The evolution of risk management practices for challenge courses and climbing walls over the past 10 years has been remarkable. This Safety Guide describes ways to create a new program and make your existing program safer.
    Child kicking a ball on a playground.jpg
    Field trip
    The reasons that make field trips attractive are often the same reasons that can pose some risks to your organization.
    Golf cart safety
    A guide to help facilitate the responsible use of golf carts.
    Child climbing on jungle gym
    Safe playgrounds and reducing risk
    A discussion of the issues involved in proper playground design and maintenance, as well as helpful hints on reducing risk and preventing injuries while children are at play.
    children on soccer field
    Soccer: Making safety your goal
    This guide will help you provide a safe environment in which young athletes can compete. It covers procedures that coaches and parent volunteers can follow in the event of an emergency and steps you can take to keep players and spectators safe. It also includes a soccer safety checklist.
    man's hand writing with pen
    Using effective waivers for youth program activities
    Using waivers for your youth program activity is a best practice and this information will provide the proper guidelines.
  • Technology and the internet

    Laptop ipad and phone on table
    Internet safety and youth-serving organizations
    A guide for recognizing risks on the Internet, preventing misuse, establishing and writing an Internet Acceptable Use Policy (IAUP), training your staff and children, and preventing your organization from liability arising from Internet misuse.

    Virtual reality
    What is virtual reality and what are the potential adverse effects on the user? Read the guide to learn more

  • Vehicles and driver safety

    Driver adjusting rearview mirror
    Components of a driver safety program
    Risk management and best practices available to manage your drivers and their associated driving exposures.
    Tractor trailer
    Fleet telematics
    Telematics is a term coined by the combination of terms telecommunications and informatics. Discover how telematics can benefit the fleet operations for your business.
    Managing vehicle risk
    This guide will tell you how to choose vehicles for your business, select and train drivers, and develop procedures for normal daily and special field trip transportation.
  • Weather and environmental

    Photo of a hurricane approaching the east coast of the United States.
    Hurricane preparedness guide
    This guide will help you in preparing for a hurricane. Even though the impact of hurricanes is largely unpredictable, there are ways to prepare your organization and your employees. By better understanding the many concerns associated with such a threat, planning ahead, and training your staff, you can better manage weather-related risks.
    wildfire
    Wildfire preparedness
    This guide discusses the primary threats to a property during a wildfire, the concept of the structure ignition zone, and an assessment checklist to mitigate exposures.
  • Workers compensation

    Work comp basics for your business
    Understand the fundamentals of managing your safety program, including accident investigation, claim reporting, and return to work.