Additional Insured Endorsement Considerations for General Contractors

As a licensed general contractor and insurance broker, I’m often asked by trade and general contractors for guidance with their risk management. Usually, they’ll ask me how I managed risks with my own construction company through the years. We constructed a new building for our company 3 years ago, for which I was the general contractor. We hired the construction managers and all the trade contractors. On most commercial jobs, including our own, artisan or trade contractors are not allowed to set foot on the job unless they name the property owner, general contractor, and/or construction managers as an additional insured with “your work” wording for completed operations.
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Cleaning & Restoration Magazine August and September 2010

August 2010 - Risk Management: Purchasing Insurance, Safety & Probability, Smart Franchising.

September 2010 - Expanding Your Market Share: Generating Sales Leads, Must-Have Insurance Coverage, Smart Selling, Using Consultants to Market.

Exclusive Plumber GL with Pollution and Mold Combined Form

National E&S is proud to announce our exclusive plumber combined general liability, pollution and mold coverage with an A XV rated carrier. The program targets service and repair plumbers and is available in CA, AZ, and TX at present. The rates for the combined form are very competitive with carriers offering general liability only. All plumbers work in environments where asbestos, lead , mold, bacteria, and blood borne pathogens exist. General liability policies specifically exclude these exposures. Offering this to your clients will help your agency protect your own errors and omissions.

Why Plumbers Need Liability Insurance: Plumbers Pollution Liability Exposures

Today’s plumbing professional is assuming risks that were previously covered by their general liability policies. Insurance carriers today routinely insert pollution, asbestos, lead, microbial matter (mold) and bacteria exclusions into their policies. These exclusions were being added over the last 7 years as insurance carriers were paying claims for the above exposures they never intended to cover. Insurance companies develop new exclusions when they start getting losses they never originally contemplated. Plumbers are the new targets of the attorneys who routinely sue fire/water restoration contractors. The need for pollution insurance arose for this group when the pollution exclusions were put into their policies. Lawyers started suing for mold, then lead and asbestos.

New Plumber and HVAC Program

We have a new plumber and HVAC program available in all 50 states. Coverage includes GL with Pollution and Mold on combined form.

Why Contractors Need Environmental Insurance

No matter how careful you are, you can never eliminate all exposure to hazardous materials or waste on construction jobsites. Improving quality control, material handling procedures, conducting site surveys, and updating work policies can help prevent accidents and exposure and improve work site health and safety, but these steps alone may not be enough to protect your clients. You should be concerned about the financial impact of lawsuits against your clients, it would be a wise business decision to investigate environmental insurance and weigh the costs against the potential damage from litigation.

Sampling of Environmental Losses in Buildings

Long Island apartment tenants forced out – mold remediation expected to cost millions for Archstone-Smith
A resident of a water-damaged apartment complex filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the property owner, saying that the Archstone Westbury's "water intrusion problems" and reported mold and mildew made her sick and damaged her property, according to court documents. Andrea Sorrentino, a business executive, had signed a 26- month lease for a $3,000-a-month, two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment at the mixed-income complex at 1299 Corporate Dr. and moved there in June 2005, said her attorney, Richard Cohen, of White Plains. Sorrentino learned of the water problems when parent company Archstone-Smith of Colorado sent letters on Tuesday to each tenant of the 400-unit complex, asking that they move out by March 31 so that renovation may begin. Newsday 11/28/07

Apartment and HOA Environmental Impairment Liability Including Asbestos, Lead, and Mold

REITs, property managers, portfolio owners, condominium associations and HOA’s can now receive pollution coverage at competitive rates with specific coverages through this brand new program. The carrier offers coverage for first party clean-up and third party liability claims arising from covered pollution events. Coverage can be provided for all pollutants including asbestos, lead, and mold. Policies may be written for periods of 1 or more years. The rates are extremely competitive and surprisingly affordable for property owners.

National E & S Insurance Brokers New Apartment Program Policy

Habitational risks such as apartments and including condominiums, hotels, assisted living communities, college dormitories, homeowner associations, and healthcare facilities have significant indoor and outdoor environmental exposures whether already built or new construction. While mold is a major risk, other exposures exist such as lead, asbestos, radon, carbon monoxide, soil contamination, underground storage tanks, and bacteria outbreaks like MRSA and Legionnaires Disease. Universal exclusions for pollution, mold, and bacteria related losses in property and general liability policies have significantly increased the need for environmental insurance.

Aspen Specialty and National E & S Create a Specialized Liability/Pollution Coverage Insurance Product Exclusively for Qualified RPS Authorized Service Companies

Kernersville, NC- Risk Prevention Systems (RPS) has accepted a proposal from Aspen Specialty Insurance and National E&S Insurance Brokers to provide its members with a specialized liability insurance policy that includes pollution coverage. Ross Driscoll, President of National E&S Insurance Brokers facilitated the relationship. According to Ross Driscoll this policy includes:

• A+ Carrier
• Broad Pollution and General Liability with an Occurrence Form
• Nose coverage available for qualifying prior claims-made policies
• Higher limits available