Nationwide reveals most common agribusiness insurance claims

Des Moines, IA - Over the last three years, the top ten types of agribusiness claims have accounted for more than 50,000 claims received by Nationwide. To help educate agribusiness professionals about costly trends in the industry, Nationwide, the number one farm insurer in the United States¹, has released its most common commercial agribusiness insurance claims. Below are the top 10 commercial agribusiness claims received by Nationwide in 2017:

Top 10 Agribusiness Insurance Claims:

1. Motor Vehicle Accidents
2. Workers Compensation for Disability or Death
3. Misapplication of Chemicals or Drift
4. Slip, Fall or Injury
5. Food Related Claims
6. Animal Caused Damage or Bite
7. Glass Breakage
8. Wind Damage
9. Hail or Lightning Damage
10. Fire Damage or Loss

“By sharing our top claims data, we hope to help agribusiness owners recognize areas of their operation that may need increased safety precautions,” said Carol Alvarez, vice president of claims for Nationwide. “These national trends can help business owners pinpoint areas where they can take extra measure to keep their employees, products and equipment safe.”

Motor vehicle accidents were the most common commercial agribusiness claim Nationwide received in 2017. Over the past three years, motor vehicles accidents have accounted for more than 20,00 total commercial agribusiness claims. Nationwide’s data for these accidents show the following trends in frequency and severity:

Most Frequent Accidents: 

1. Rear End Accidents2. Backing into Vehicles3. Accidental Strike of Stationary Object

Accidents Causing Most Significant Damage:

1. Overturned Vehicles2. Head on Collisions3. Intersection Accidents

Nationwide recommends the following risk management tips to help agribusiness professionals reduce motor vehicle accidents and keep their employees safe:

• Embrace safety technology by equipping vehicles with collision mitigation and telematics monitoring systems.
• Develop standard hiring criteria for drivers comprised of new driver orientations and documented training.
• Develop “safe following distance” and “distracted driving” policies that include comprehensive training and procedure enforcement.
• Be aware of advanced safety benefits in newer trucks, such as electronic stability control systems to prevent overturn.
• Provide additional documented training for commercial truck drivers with tanker endorsements, and those carrying high center of gravity loads.