The company is enhancing its capabilities to take on emerging risks from the substance
Crawford & Company, a global provider of claims and risk management solutions, has announced a new service solution to address a number of potential risks arising from the legalization of cannabis for recreational use in Canada.
“The legalization of cannabis in Canada is a recent development that we will have to address from within the insurance community and outside,” said Pat Van Bakel, president and chief executive officer, Crawford & Company (Canada).
Citing risks tied to issues and situations touched by legalization, Van Bakel said the company has “developed a claims solution, incorporating legal services, to effectively address these potential losses.”
Aside from addressing property and commercial risks, the Crawford solution includes access to experts who can audit or help to establish workplace policies on cannabis usage. “Employers’ duty to accommodate, as required by provincial and federal human rights legislation, applies to disabled employees who use medical cannabis,” the company said. It added that whether employers are dealing with recreational or medical cannabis use, they are required by provincially regulated occupational health and safety legislation to provide a safe workplace.
The company also offers services as a third-party administrator in handling disability claims, as cases where cannabis contributes to an injury or is used medically to treat injuries or illnesses. The company can manage the claims and rehabilitation process to promote an early, safe, and successful return to work by offering assistance with:
- Individual tasks as well as end-to-end claims management and return-to-work services;
- Claims intake and triage using their full service, 24/7 contact centre, CLAIMSALERT;
- Real-time data management and customized tracking and reporting capabilities; and
- Possible customization of their Human Risk Services, which is offered separately or as an integrated program.
There’s also workers’ compensation claims relating to cannabis, which involve work-related injuries or disease for which the employer would be liable. Those include claims from employees injured on the job who are prescribed medical cannabis to manage their pain, or employees injured at work as a result of provable cannabis usage by them or another employee.
“Crawford’s workers’ compensation consultants are well-versed in the various stipulations laid out by each provincial workers’ compensation board, as well as the intricacies of legislation applying to cannabis usage in the workplace – both in terms of medical and recreational usage, to properly address and administer such claims,” the company said.
