April 2007
A quarterly newsletter of the Archdiocese of Boston Office of Risk Management designed to increase risk management safety and awareness among affiliates.
Parish & Schools Edition
By Michelle Cross, Senior Vice President, Acordia
Damage to personal property is upsetting and can cause significant financial
loss, but when the property damage is caused by vandalism, the losses can have
an even greater impact on the property owner. Vandalism is “the willful or
malicious destruction or defacement of public or private property.” Vandalism
can occur in a variety of ways: from irritant children with no real motivation
to cause damage; incidental, in the course of committing another crime; and
with malice, such as hate crimes. But regardless of the motivation, vandalism
can be demoralizing and can cause much more damage than just financial loss.
Because most vandalism occurs while
property is vacant, it is important to take the
following steps to protect your property
while you are away:
building and keep shrubbery trimmed
below 4’. Make sure windows are visible
from the street.
Illuminate your Property
Use Door and Window Locks
Each day, lock all doors and windows when
you leave the building. Repair broken locks
immediately.
Control Access to Buildings
Strictly control the issuance of keys, being sure
to keep a record of everyone who is given a
key. Change or re-key locks as necessary.
Eliminate Places to Hide
Clean the building perimeter. Remove tree
branches below 7’ from trees adjacent to the
Install perimeter lighting around buildings
and light all exits and entrance ways. Lights
can be placed on motion sensors to conserve
electricity. The lights should be on from dusk
to dawn. Be certain that exterior lighting is
in good working order, replacing burnt-out
bulbs immediately.
Install and Properly
Maintain an Alarm System
To prevent incidental physical damage from
burglary, deter break-ins by installing an
alarm system and posting notice of alarms.
Have your alarm system periodically
inspected and tested. Utilize the Office of
Risk Management and the Manager of Risk
Analysis and Reporting to assess your alarm
system needs.
Consider Evening Security or
Custodial Services
Scheduling cleaning staff or utilizing
evening/weekend security patrols reduces
the amount of time a building is vacant.
Know Your Neighbors
Because not all parish and school facilities
have or use security cameras, it is a good
idea to encourage neighbors to keep a
watchful eye during unoccupied hours.
Thanking them with a neighborhood dinner
once a year would be one way to show your
appreciation for their efforts.
Maintain Relationship
with Local Police
Coordinate with the local police to ensure
appropriate patrols and visibility to students
and neighborhood residents.
■ Preventing Vandalism
(cont. on page 2)
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R C A B :
■ Preventing Vandalism
R
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A N A G E M E N T
Q
U A R T E R L Y
(cont. from page 1)
Report Suspicious Activity
■ Suspicious telephone calls or letters
In the Event of Vandalism
Look for early warning signs and report any
suspicious activity, rumors of mischief or
concerns over disgruntled employees to the
Office of Risk Management and the local
police department. Some warning signs to be
aware of are:
■ Holes cut in fences; repair them
immediately
If vandalism occurs, instruct staff members
and volunteers to leave the crime scene and
damage untouched until the police arrive so as
not to interfere with their investigation. Once
the police have concluded their investigation,
the damage should be cleaned and repaired
immediately in order to minimize the effect
and help prevent future occurrences.
If you have any questions at all about
vandalism or the suggestions noted above,
please call the Office of Risk Management.
■ Suspicious persons loitering or passing
frequently by the facilities
■ Matches or other combustible materials
discovered in unusual places
■ Failed break-ins or arson attempts
Create an Open
Communications Plan
Educate all staff members and volunteers to
report suspicious activity to the pastor or
business manager. In the case of parish
schools, encourage students to discuss their
knowledge of vandalism with a teacher or
another adult.
Update on
Sacred Heart
Church
in Weymouth
By Kent Wilkins, Claims Manager
With God’s blessings and a relatively mild winter,
construction for the new Sacred Heart Church in
Weymouth is proceeding very quickly. Shingles
for the roof have been delivered and construction
is moving ahead faster than anyone anticipated.
We are fully expecting the church to be open to
parishioners by Christmas 2007.
R C A B :
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A N A G E M E N T
Your
Coverage
Q
U A R T E R L Y
This is the second in a series of articles
detailing the lines of protection and
coverage offered by the RCAB Office
of Risk Management.
By Joseph F. McEnness, Director, Office of Risk Management
Boiler and Machinery
Boiler and machinery coverage provides
protection for damage to the heating and ventilation systems, air conditioning, and generators
within the participant’s buildings. This
coverage also includes any structural property
loss arising out of damage to the above-noted
machinery and systems. For example, if the
failure of a mechanical system results in
overheating, fire, or explosion, the resulting
damage from this system failure would be
covered under this policy. In addition to
paying for these damages, many boiler and
machinery programs (including our own) also
include the mandatory inspections of the boilers
or pressure vessels. The Commonwealth of
Massachusetts requires these annual inspections,
which are sometimes referred to as “jurisdictionals.” Inspections are performed by
engineers and reports are filed with the state.
Inland Marine
This protection is designed to provide a
very broad coverage for specific items of
higher value. Typically this type of protection
is utilized to cover copy machines, leased or
high-cost office equipment, high value jewelry
or furs, etc. Each item is scheduled and a
specific value is assigned to each item. The
types of damage that this coverage applies to
includes, but is not limited to, water damage,
theft, and accidental damage by others. In
commercial programs, this coverage also
typically has a lower deductible than the
“property” or “fire” policy.
Auto
The commercial auto insurance program is
a “package” program and provides coverage for
several different exposures and risks. These
include:
Physical damage to the automobile,
including towing expenses and storage
■ Collision coverage – damage to the covered
vehicle caused by a collision with another
vehicle or object.
■ Comprehensive coverage – damage or loss
to the covered vehicle caused by something
other than a collision. This would include
incidents such as theft, vandalism, and fire.
Bodily Injury to the driver or occupant
■ Personal Injury Protection – reimburses
the individual, in the event of injury, for
medical expenses, lost wages, etc. up to
eight thousand dollars ($8,000). This
coverage is provided no matter who is at
fault for the accident.
Liability
■ Provides protection for any bodily injury or
property damage claim or lawsuit against
the participant and the driver of the participant’s vehicle arising from the accident.
■ If there appears to have been negligence on
the part of the participant or it’s agent or
employee, this coverage pays the injured
party for lost wages, medical expenses, and
any long-term partial or total disability and
any property damage.
■ This coverage also pays for legal fees and
expenses incurred in the defense of the
claim.
Underinsured and
Uninsured Motorist Coverage
■ This coverage steps into the position of the
other vehicle’s liability insurer in the event
there is insufficient coverage limits, or none
at all.
■ Pays medical expenses, lost wages and
disability consideration to injured parties in
the participant’s vehicle.
This section is designed to provide a general
overview of various lines of protection and
insurance available through the RCAB Office of
Risk Management and is not intended to
provide all of the detail, exclusionary language,
coverage terms or conditions contained within
a policy or participation agreement. If you have
any questions regarding this type of coverage,
or if you believe that you may have a claim,
please contact the Office of Risk Management
for a thorough and accurate determination of
coverage and claims processing.
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R C A B :
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Q
U A R T E R L Y
&
Health Wellness
CATZ Kids Fitness
New Discount Program Helps Kids Get Moving
Active children are
healthier children
Kids need to move to grow and be
healthy. But today’s lifestyle—full of
carpooling, computers, video games, television, and other sedentary pursuits—has
contributed to an increase in overweight kids.
Over the past 30 years, the prevalence
of overweight has nearly quadrupled among
children between the ages of 6 and 11 and
nearly tripled among children between 12
and 19, according to statistics from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
To help our young members become
physically more active and work toward a
healthy weight, Tufts Health Plan is now
offering a discounted youth fitness program
just for them.
Fitness and nutrition program
The CATZ Kids Fitness Program offered
at CATZ Sports in Acton, Mass., is a 12-week
fitness and nutrition program for children
between the ages of 7 and 10.
Groups of 8 to 10 children are guided
by a certified CATZ coach through a series
of exercises, games, and interactive nutritional lessons designed to focus kids on
making healthy lifestyle choices.
One-hour classes are held twice a week
for a total of 24 sessions.
Parents meet with program staff every
two weeks to discuss their child’s progress
and how they can help the child at home.
There is pre- and post-assessment for
each child in the program to measure
improvements.
family members are all designed to help
children learn to make healthy food choices.
Benefits of the program
Call for more information
The CATZ Kids Fitness Program is
designed to provide a positive experience for
young people that will help motivate them to
continue to be physically active and fit.
Coaches help children become more
coordinated and athletic to help strengthen
their interest in other sports activities.
Nutrition classes, occasional take-home
work, and engagement with parents and other
This discount program is available to
all Tufts Health Plan members. For more
information, contact a Tufts Health Plan
member services coordinator.
Visit www.catzsports.com, call CATZ directly
at 1-781-449-2289 or e-mail CATZ at
info.ma@catzsports.com.
Office of Risk Management
Contact List
617-746-xxxx (see ext. to the right)
If you have any questions, comments
or topic requests for future newsletters,
please email doreen_rearden@rcab.org
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Office of Risk Management
2121 Commonwealth Ave.
Brighton, MA 02135
Reprinted from the Winter 2007 issue of WELL! Magazine,
Tufts Health Plan’s magazine for members.
Joseph F. McEnness, Director, Office of Risk Management .
Mary Regan, Director of Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kent Wilkins, Claims Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Jim Fleming, Finance Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Joanmarie Considine, Operations Manager. . . . . . . . . . . .
David Huskins, Manager of Risk Analysis and Reporting . . .
Tuija Brown, Benefits Specialist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brenda Wesinger, Benefits Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Nancy Gagnon, Benefits Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kate Lyons, Administrative Assistant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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