It started as a simple numbers exercise: a five-year property valuation project designed to ensure the SDA Church had accurate data on its insured assets. But what it uncovered went far beyond figures and insurance premiums. The condition of Adventist Church-owned properties – ranging from pristine to near-derelict –

Asbestos poses a significant health risk if not properly managed. To address this, Australian states and territories progressively implemented legislation from 2011 making Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking† (PCBUs) responsible for managing asbestos-related risks in workplaces. PCBU duties: If asbestos or asbestos-containing materials (ACM) are present or assumed

He lowers our team’s average age by a whole generation! That’s a win, right? Meet Jai, our new Risk Officer – Support. If you haven’t already received an email or phone call from him, chances are you will soon, as he’s here to provide much-needed support to our insurance

Large regions of NSW and QLD now face the threat of TC Alfred. If your area is under threat of cyclone damage or potential flooding, please keep the following in mind: DO NOT put your life at risk to save Adventist church-owned property from flood or damage – please

Recreational activities like camping, bike riding, abseiling, and canoeing are core to the Adventist experience, bringing us closer to nature, boosting fitness, and building strong connections. But with great adventure comes great responsibility – that’s why we’re always here to help! At RMS, we often get asked, “Is this

The introduction of industrial manslaughter legislation across Australia brings a significant shift in legal accountability for workplace fatalities. A workplace fatality or serious injury is deeply significant, extending beyond the court room. Such events impact the victim’s loved ones, colleagues, the organisation’s reputation and operations, and the wider community.

Even if your claim is legitimate, forgetting vital documents or evidence can leave you out of pocket. Keep meticulous records to avoid hiccups in your claim process. Here are three key essentials for a successful travel claim: 1. Keep Detailed Travel Records Claims assessors may ask you to provide

If I get sick or hurt while travelling, when should I see a doctor? We get this question a lot, but often it’s asked too late. Here’s the deal: when you’re traveling, you might not want to admit you’re sick or injured because you don’t want to miss out

We know times can be tough, and the urge to add a little extra to your insurance claim can be tempting. Maybe it’s inflating the real value of an item or sneaking in a few extras – that little voice saying, “Go ahead, no one will know,” might seem

As an organization we travel a lot – more than 60,000 travel days in a year! Whether you are new to this or a seasoned globetrotter, it’s easy to overlook some necessities. So before you head out, pause and ask yourself these essential questions so you can be better

Organisers of Adventist Church events, gatherings, or meetings taking place overseas sometimes assume that short-term travel cover is the best option, but could there be better or more efficient alternatives? While short-term travel cover is a good option, we’ve found that some groups may benefit from contacting RMS early

Aah, the grapevine of the Adventist church network—always buzzing with stories, but not always with the facts straight. Consider this article your trusty ‘fact check’ on all things Travel Cover for church-related trips. Let’s be real, we’re kinda annoyed by the misinformation about travel cover. Not for us, but

Heading off on a trip for church business? Of course, you should never leave home without travel insurance. It’s essential for protecting your finances if things go wrong. But what steps can you take to avoid a time-consuming and expensive claim in the first place? Here are our 8

At RMS, we don’t mince words when it comes to safety, especially regarding church-related travel. While snagging a bargain flight is enticing, you need to know the potential risks that come with low-rated, budget airlines. Let’s face it: those slashed prices might be a sign of cut corners in

When feeling the sting of cost increases it is easy to question the ‘grudge purchase’ known as insurance. We may find ourselves asking, “Does it even pay to have cover?”  Since 1972, RMS and the Church’s insurers have been faithful to respond to loss events impacting the Adventist Church’s

RMS is a long-term advocate for the Adventist Church to construct more resilient buildings, to mitigate risk exposures, and to ensure property and assets are well-maintained. To protect ministry and mission into the future we will always plead for better construction and better maintenance of Church property, here are

Launched in 2016, the RMS Risk and Safety Co-Funding program has now contributed over $2M towards risk and safety projects across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific – a milestone for ministry and mission resilience. Adventist communities are often faced with multiple risk and safety challenges and budgets

The rising costs of goods and essential services across the board is having a concerning impact on Adventist church communities and their ability to conduct mission and ministry, and unfortunately, insurance costs continue to rise. Likewise, Risk Management Service is affected by these cost increases. Every year the RMS

As a group of churches under one policy it’s important to remember that when we act collectively for good we can make significant and meaningful change. If each Adventist site commits to taking these actions we could see a positive net effect on the property insurance program. Tip #1

RMS charges too much! I can get cover cheaper elsewhere! Hearing this is sometimes hard to take, but we’ve grown to love it because it gives us the opportunity to explain how our Service works and how we give back value to support and enable the Church’s mission and

   By: James Winegardner – President, CEO – Adventist Risk Management, Inc. (USA) The largest claim ever paid through Adventist Risk Management, Inc. (ARM) is for liability claims generated by an organization we did not own. Further, this organization was not part of the denominational structure or even mentioned

We gave ChatGPT the following prompt: What are the key considerations for the introduction of a support (therapy) dog into a workplace, school, or aged care facility? How does a support dog differ from an assistance dog? Highlight any specific Australian or New Zealand legislation. Here’s what AI said:

We gave ChatGPT the following prompt: Explain why ‘principal controlled’ construction insurance cover is better than relying on the contractor’s insurance. Here’s what it said: While both principal controlled construction insurance and relying solely on the contractor’s insurance have their merits, the former is generally considered the better option,

Are you planning a fireworks display for your Carols or New Year’s Eve events? Do you know the financial consequences if something goes wrong? Without going into the complexity of insurance layers, exclusions and excess policies we want to give you a straight heads-up: THERE IS NO LIABILITY COVER

Is it just us, or does the ‘Christmas rush’ start in October? Right now, you’re probably neck-deep in end of school presentations, office Christmas parties, gift buying, deadlines, meetings – but that moment you leave work for the holidays is going to feel amazing! What could possibly get in

After a comprehensive tender process RMS has appointed new broker partner: Lockton. RMS sought an energetic broker partner who would be able to deliver the most appropriate and cost-effective insurance solution available in today’s market. To guide us, we engaged The Lion Partnership who managed the tender process for

RMS has just turned 50! We recently celebrated this milestone by rededicating the Service to ministry and mission at a reunion of former RMS managers. RMS was formally established on the 21st September 1972 with the purpose of administering the Church’s insurance program in the then Australasian Division (later

Risk Management Service has commenced a thorough broker review process for the Adventist Church organisation’s extensive insurance portfolio. Risk Management Service has engaged The Lion Partnership to guide us through a comprehensive tender of our insurance broking services sourced locally in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.  This review

An organisation as large as the Adventist Church has an extensive and deeply complex insurance program to protect the assets, ministries and the many and varied activities of the Church. Overseeing the Church’s insurance program within the South Pacific Division is us, Risk Management Service. Risk Management Service, or

Your Adventist site has experienced a property loss. To get the best possible outcome, and get you back to the business of mission sooner DOCUMENTATION IS ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL. We cannot stress this enough. Good documentation will help your site THE MOST in the event of a covered loss. Without

With the sharp rise in psychological injury claims in the Australian workplace generally, Risk Management Service sought to better equip Adventist leaders in best practice psychological injury management, prevention strategies and resilience training. RMS engaged expert psychologists, Kate Thomson and Heizy Serrels, from Resilia and the Centre for Corporate

As much as we don’t want our Adventist sites to be impacted by damaging weather, we have to prepare for the reality that property losses are likely to occur this summer. Widespread loss events that affect large communities, not just Adventist sites, take longer than usual to recover from

Governments around the region have announced reopening roadmaps that include COVID safety considerations for building ventilation within places of worship. Could this have a double benefit for church-goers? As we all know too well by now, public health advice cautions that COVID-19 can be transmitted by contact with droplets

From 1 July 2021, RMS has increased excess amounts and reduced contribution rates for Extra Risks Cover. Extra Risks cover is a special cover that responds when equipment is accidentally damaged (such as being dropped); or lost or stolen when taken outside of a secure building or offsite to

RMS can confirm that property cover for the 2021/22 renewal is bound – good news for the resilience and sustainability of the Adventist Church organisation for another year. For Australia, however, this renewal is characterised by higher premium prices, with insurers decreasing capacity, coverage and sub-limits. Insurers have experienced

Risk Management Service would like to make you aware that insurers have tightened their internal procedures in relation to providing cover for new building purchases and new building constructions. As a result, it can take considerable time for sites to gather the necessary information required and for an application

The Bureau of Meteorology’s outlook for October to April shows an increased risk of flooding in eastern Australia and an increase in the likelihood of tropical cyclones in the north and the Pacific Community for the 2020/21 cyclone season. The usual risk of bushfires, heatwaves and severe thunderstorms for

In an effort to make it easier and quicker for Adventist sites to get back to the business of mission after a loss event, RMS has made changes to the Loss Reporting process. This small but time-saving change pushes back the need to complete the Schedule of Property form

Scale model of the mission boat, “Melanesia”, the first item of property insured by the Australasian Conference Association. Inset: Cecil J. Powell, first RMS Manager. Risk Management Service is owned and run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific. When you speak with one of the RMS

RMS would like to acknowledge and uphold the leadership of the Adventist Church’s Local Conferences and Unions as they have transitioned the Adventist Church through COVID-19. Naturally, it is at this point in time that we once again look to our local leadership for how we get back to

L-R: RMS Manager, Jonathan Hale; Assistant Manager, Hayley Tosen; and Senior Risk Officer, Andrew Mowbray. Over the next 5 years, RMS will embark on a major property valuation project in Australia and New Zealand. With the assistance and expertise of a professional valuation service, RMS will undertake a five-year

Has your organisation already put together a strategy for returning to operations and returning staff to the workplace? Have you communicated this yet?  Communicating your plan once is never enough. To be effective and ensure your message has been heard and understood, it may well be necessary to communicate

If you follow RMS on Facebook then you’ll have seen our recent series on mental health and wellbeing while working from home. Our 8-part series struck a chord with many of us in the office-not-office. We hope by sharing them here you’ll find something to help you through the

The closure of our churches, schools, campgrounds and offices has resulted in empty buildings with little to no activity. Since the COVID-19 lockdown laws a number of our vacant sites have already been vandalised and broken into. To help mitigate potential risks, Adventist-owned sites should continue maintenance programs, cleaning

If you’re using video conferencing more often these days, it’s time to exercise caution. As churches, businesses and schools turn to online modes to deliver live content during COVID-19 isolation we face the very real and present danger of becoming victims of cyber-crime. The latest target: video conferences. While

Every summer major loss events impact Australia and the South Pacific Islands as a result of thunderstorms, cyclones and bushfires. While the Pacific Cyclone season has already commenced it has not yet affected Adventist property in the region. Please pray for this part of the world and their communities

The renewal period will soon be upon us. Here are a couple of actions that you can take now to make life a little less stressful this May. Reminder #1 – Extra Risks Cover was changed last year. You are no longer required to provide RMS with an itemised

A recent Wall Street Journal article reported that prices on nearly every type of insurance are rising in the United States. And it doesn’t matter what your loss history is like. “Insurance is a cyclical industry. During periods without catastrophic claims, insurers compete for customers by lowering prices. Following

Risk Management Service would like to encourage Adventist Church entities to report loss events as quickly as possible, rather than waiting weeks or, sometimes months. Reporting a loss to RMS as soon as you’re able means you don’t have to go through the process alone which can be time

Indoor trampoline centres are a popular activity that encourages physical recreation in a fun setting, however it comes with high risks. Until the Australian government implements mandatory standards and a code of practice, this will leave park entrants exposed to injury at unsafe and poorly maintained trampoline centres. Risk