As local and state governments begin to ease shelter-in-place restrictions, risk pools are called upon for guidance as their members begin down the rocky path of reopening—so where do they begin?
State and local governments are continuing to relax restrictions and enable their employees to return to work. However, returning to normal operations is far a more complex endeavor than just receiving the green light. According to an Association for Governmental Risk Pools (AGRiP) blog, risk pools will play a key role in advising its members on decisions regarding how and when to reopen in conjunction with government guidance.
Whether looking at your own operations or providing member guidance, there are a number of tactical questions you might consider: What jurisdictional guidance applies to your pool or member entities? How many people can reasonably be in one space at the same time? How can your pool or member entities manage for employees who are sick, have underlying health concerns or have to care for others? Are some operations simply too risky to be resumed? Each tactical recommendation or decision a pool makes comes with strategic-level communications challenges and opportunities.—AGRiP
Not only is guidance and insight important in making sure members are happy, but it will also be essential in empowering members to reduce losses. So how can you help your members adapt to this changing environment, while keeping risk in check?
Guesswork, outdated systems, and a slew of spreadsheets will no longer cut it as risk pools and their membership attempt to navigate through the ongoing uncertainty. And be aware: this might not be the only time you may have to do this analysis. With cases rising in some states, some organizations may be forced to close up and reopen again over the next 18-24 months if a second wave of COVID-19 hits.
One tool that can be leveraged while navigating such uncertainty is data visualization. Operating under the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP)’s recommendation to commence planning for a “fall peak”, pool members are left with an even greater need for access to the latest updates on coronavirus and the ability to easily and quickly digest reliable data. Accessibility to granular geographical information like where government regulations allow reopening as well as risk factors like the number of confirmed cases, hospital beds, government mandates, and company locations—all in one place—becomes crucial.
Importance of an Integrated and Centralized Platform Solution to Drive Insight
But just having publicly available data at your fingertips is not enough for pools to make informed decisions in guiding their members. If organizations want true insight on whether it is okay to resume and continue operations, a centralized toolset to promote visibility of risk in a single system is key.
Exposure tracking and location audits available in a web-based portal are examples of the types of tools that can be leveraged to make assessments on reopening. In a March 2020 webinar and blog, we highlighted how some of our clients were able to quickly implement some of these solutions in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
[caption id="attachment_13121" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Example incident to track exposure reportable on employee portal.[/caption]
As one Origami client explained in a May 2020 forum, organizations will have to think about reopening, managing operations at reduced capacity, and the possibility of shutting down again—which makes survey tools and analytics/reporting functionality to roll up that information to decision makers—all the more necessary. Having true insight into what is happening at your members’ operations requires a system that gives you insight on a location by location basis.
Origami’s comprehensive risk management solution allows pools and members to see all incidents and exposures in a single application, with robust reporting and analytics tools that can surface issues at the location level. Meaning all of the data you need to make informed decisions on reopening and maintaining operations is aggregated in one place.
To learn more about how Origami can help you and your members navigate the complexity of reopening during a pandemic and other disasters, check out our COVID-19 resource page, or click here to request a demo.