HAI Group Designated As First HEARTSafe Workplace In Cheshire

HAI: HAI Group, the nation’s leading member-owned property-casualty insurance company for the affordable housing industry, announces that it recently was designated by the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) as the first HEARTSafe Workplace in Cheshire.

As an insurance provider, HAI Group encourages its members to focus on safety and risk mitigation at their organizations. To practice these values at home, the company established an employee-run safety committee in 2012 to protect the well-being of employees and help ensure a hazard-free facility.

This year, HAI Group’s Safety Committee made it a priority to earn the HEARTSafe Workplace designation. HEARTSafe is an initiative of the CT DPH Office of Emergency Medical Services and the American Heart Association. These partners, along with a growing list of designated towns and workplaces, encourage and promote community awareness of the potential for saving the lives of victims of sudden cardiac arrest through the use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and increased public access to defibrillation equipment. By attaining the HEARTSafe Workplace designation, HAI Group is improving the chances that anyone suffering sudden cardiac arrest will have the best possible outcome.

“Managing risk is a critical component of any successful insurance company,” said HAI Group President and Chief Executive Officer Ed Malaspina. “I am proud that our employees took this element a step further and implemented a high-caliber program to ensure the safety and well-being of our staff and visitors within our own walls.”

CT DPH Director of the Office of Emergency Medical Services Raffaella “Ralf” Coler, RN, MEd., joined Malaspina and Safety Committee Chair Nick Mayo to announce the official designation at HAI Group’s latest staff meeting.

Commissioner of the CT DPH Renée D. Coleman-Mitchell, who was not present at the event, sent her congratulations. “On behalf of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, I offer congratulations to HAI Group for having met the requirements of a designated HEARTSafe Workplace. We commend you on your efforts to save lives and improve the health of your workplace.”

A HEARTSafe Workplace promotes and supports CPR/AED training for a minimum of 10 percent of staff; public access to defibrillation through strategic placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs); health promotion activities and events for employees; and a written emergency action plan. It is a three-year designation.