Getting to the jobsite in one piece is only part of your daily effort. Getting supplies, materials and equipment there is also a primary consideration.

Many contractors drive large commercial-type vehicles to move their supplies. Others have decided the best approach is to carry the goods in a trailer. In fact, it’s possible that the trailer carries the majority of the goods you need to conduct business. Losing the services of the trailer could result in immobilized equipment and lost work time.

Standard commercial auto policies are very limited in liability coverage for trailers that are on the road or set up at the jobsite. While there may be some automatic liability coverage available for small trailers or those not owned, a majority of trailers capable of hauling significant amounts of equipment or supplies must be scheduled separately for coverage to apply. Additionally, scheduling the trailer on a policy may be the only way to secure coverage for damages to the trailer itself.

For more information on insuring your trailer and the goods it carries, call our service team today.

Certificates Tell the Basics

In an effort to complete a job on time, contractors often turn to outside resources for aid. In a perfect world, these resources would all be well vetted, well established firms with impeccable credentials and adequate insurance protection in place. In the real world, they may be simply another person or small firm whose main qualification is being readily available at the time needed.

Before someone joins a job you head, there is one important question that must be answered: If the portion of the work that person performs causes bodily injury or property damage, how will the claim be paid?

Answers to questions about that firm’s coverage start with a simple request for a certificate of insurance, which will help you determine if it is insured properly and has high enough policy limits. Many details are left off of the certificate of insurance, so if you have deeper questions, a legal review of insurance requirements could be in order.

A survey of tradeswomen conducted by Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT) and two research studies by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) indicate that, as increasing numbers of women enter the construction trades, concerns about their health and safety are growing.

In addition to the primary safety and health hazards faced by all construction workers, there are safety and health issues specific to female construction workers. The small percentage of females within the construction trades and the serious health and safety problems unique to female construction workers have a circular effect. Safety and health problems in construction create barriers to women entering and remaining in this field. In turn, the small number of female workers on construction worksites fosters an environment in which these safety and health problems continue.

Similar concerns surfaced in all three studies. The prevalence of a hostile workplace, restricted access to sanitary toilets, protective clothing and equipment in the wrong sizes and poor on-the-job training were significant issues that adversely impacted women’s ability to perform their jobs safely.

Many of the identified problems can be changed through engineering, and behavioral or administrative intervention. Improving the work conditions for women in the construction trades will not only ensure their health and safety but will also serve to protect your firm from accusations of discrimination.

While the traditional step in insuring a building project while under construction is the purchase of a builders risk policy, coverage discussions often focus solely on “hard costs,” such as direct damage to the structure, materials and tools/equipment. This policy generally will last until the project’s supposed completion.

Yet sometimes events beyond the builder’s control cause a delay in construction, and additional expenses arise that would not have been incurred had there been no delay. Examples of such “soft” expenses include:

• Additional interest on money borrowed to finance construction, remodeling, renovation or repair

• Additional realty taxes and other assessments incurred for the time construction has been extended beyond the projected completion date

• Additional advertising and promotional expenses as well as additional costs resulting from the renegotiation of leases and other similar extra expenses incurred following an interruption.

An endorsement typically known as “Soft Costs”— when attached to the builders risk policy—offers coverage for these and other related expenses due to a delay resulting from a covered cause of loss. Such an endorsement can round out your insurance program. Call to learn more.

Thank you for your referrals.

If your business is seasonal or cyclical, you may find yourself awash with cash for part of the year and short on funds at other times. Without adequate preparation, cash flow problems can sneak up and bite you like old Jack Frost. They can even cause problems in keeping up with your insurance premium payments.

The good news is that you might have options for how you pay your insurance bill. You may be able to tailor your insurance premium due dates to the peaks of your cash flow, not the valleys. We’ll be happy to explain premium payment plans, changes in policy effective dates, or other available strategies to help make sure your premium due dates, and the best time for you to make payments, both arrive on the same page of the calendar.