Archive for the ‘General’ Category
One of the most interesting facts about the Irish Construction industry is that there is no legal requirement for a construction company to hold any from of construction insurance! In fact, the only insurance an Irish contractor is legally obliged to have is basic motor insurance on his/her motor vehicles!
Although there is no legal requirement under Irish law for a contractor to hold adequate Construction Insurance it is extremely important that adequate cover is in place.
One of the most important reasons is the high injury & mortality rate on Irish Construction sites. One major positive of the recent construction boom is the fatality per thousand ratio has fallen in recent years although it is still at an unacceptable level.
For example, in 2001 28% of workplace fatalities were Construction related and the Irish Construction industry is consistently second only to the Irish Agriculture& Forestry Industry.
As many primary contractors require their subcontractors to hold Construction Insurance the reality is that although Construction Insurance is not a legal requirement it is usually a prerequisite to obtaining work on the majority of the countries construction sites so the need for construction insurance is a necessity in everything but law!
Although Construction Insurance is quite a complex field the four main areas of cover are as follows:
• Public Liability Insurance
• Employers Liability Insurance
• Contractors All Risks
• Personal Accident
Public Liability Insurance
Public liability insurance [PL] provides cover in the event that the policyholder is sued by a third party who feels that they have suffered injury or loss as a result of the policyholders negligence (lack of care).
Consider the following examples where Public Liability Insurance will provide cover:
• You run a plumbing company. One day you are called to an office to sort out a problem in their kitchen. Accidentally, you burst a pipe, and flood the office. Your client then makes a claim against you for the damage to their carpet and computer systems which have been damaged by the water.
• You are a building contractor. While walking along scaffolding one of your men drops a piece of equipment which falls to the street, injuring a passing pedestrian. The pedestrian makes a claim against your firm.
Obviously these are very simplified examples and we haven’t discussed the complexities of Products Liability/Liability Law/Duty of Care etc however it should provide a basic understanding of Public Liability Insurance.
Employers Liability Insurance
Employers Liability Insurance [EL] provides cover if any of your employees suffer physical injury or death, and it is proven that as an employer you acted negligently and subsequently could have prevented their loss. If they then decide to pursue you for compensation the insurer will pay the cost of the claim.
Consider the following examples where Employers Liability Insurance will provide cover:
• You run a carpentry company. One of your employees loses a finger while using a chop saw and decides to claim against you for his injury
• You are a scaffolding contractor and are erecting scaffolding around an apartment block. While erecting the scaffolding one of your employees falls and suffers severe bodily injury. He decides to claim against your firm.
Please note that Public & Employers Liability is offered ‘hand in hand’, that is when arranging construction insurance you will need to arrange both Public Liability & Employers Liability Insurance together [Also known as Combined Liability Insurance] as Employers Liability Insurance is not available on a ‘Stand Alone’ basis..
Contractors All Risks Insurance
Contractors All Risks insurance (also known as Contract Works insurance) is an insurance policy specially designed for builders and a number of other trades working at a contract site. Contractors All Risks insurance can include cover for contract works, own plant, hired-in plant and employee’s tools. The main part of the contractors all risks insurance is the contract works section which provides cover for the property being worked on (e.g. new house, etc.). However, cover for the existing property is excluded (e.g. the existing structure when building an extension) and must continue to be insured under its own insurance cover.
Consider the following examples where Contractors All Risks Insurance will provide cover:
• You are a building contractor and are building a house for resale. So far you have spent €200,000 on materials and labour. The property catches fire and is destroyed before it has been completed. • You are groundwork’s contractor and are presently digging foundations for a new housing development. Naturally you leave your excavator on site until the contract is completed however one night your excavator is stolen.
Personal Accident Insurance
Personal Accident Insurance [Also known as Income Protection Insurance] is highly recommended for a sole traders, business partners and company directors as a combined liability policy does not cover any injury caused to a sole trader/business partner while it is extremely difficult for a company director to sue his/her own company. A policy can be tailored to your exact needs and policies include a tax free monthly benefit, a lump sum [capital benefit] and hospital cash.
Consider the following examples where Personal Accident Insurance will provide cover:
• You’re a self employed carpenter with no employees. You cut your hand and are unable to work for eight months. As you have Personal Accident cover you receive a tax free benefit of €1,500 after one month and continue to receive this amount until you return to work.
• Although Personal Accident/Income Protection insurance is no substitute for full time earnings it will provide you with an income if you are unable to earn and it will reduce your financial worries at a time when your recovery should be your number one priority.
Machinery & Plant Insurance
Machinery & Plant Insurance is normally arranged on a case by case basis and provides Accidental Damage Fire & Theft Cover on Machinery. This policy is normally taken by contractors who wish to cover a specific number of items.
Health & Safety Executive
In Ireland the HSE [Health & Safety Executive] have the ultimate authority over Construction Sites and have the ability to close a site if they feel it is a safety hazard. Their primary initiative is the ‘Safe Pass’ – a one day site safety training programme.
Who needs to do Safe Pass awareness training?
Safe Pass is a one-day safety awareness programme aimed at general construction workers, craft workers and “on site” security personnel in the construction industry. The aims of the programme are to:
• raise the standard of safety awareness in the construction industry
• ensure that site personnel after completing the one day awareness programme can make a positive contribution to the prevention of accidents and ill health while working on the site
• maintain a register of personnel who have received training
• provide participants with a FAS Safe Pass registration card, indicating that the holder has attended a formal course in health and safety awareness
Under the Safety Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2006 Safe Pass / Safety Awareness Programmes applies to -
(a) craft and general construction workers,
(b) persons undertaking on-site security work, and
(c) persons or classes of persons as may be prescribed by the Minister.
For more information on Irish Site Safety please visit the website of the Health & Safety Authority www.hsa.ie while for more information relating to Irish Construction Insurance please visi
t the website of Keystone Insurance www.keystone.ie, Ireland’s premier supplier of Construction Insurance
Getting insurance quotes and buying a policy without leaving your office with only a few clicks of the mouse is nothing new these days. Many insurance companies have their activities ran online, and while the real-world negotiations are still prevailing, the number of businesses employing online insurance services is steadily growing. In case a business owner follows certain tips on quoting and buying insurance online, this form of insurance purchase can offer significant saving options. What you won’t find online is an insurance agent or broker that will offer valuable tips and solutions right when they are needed. It is said that having an agent or a broker to represent your insurance interests is a good investment for the business in the long run. On the other hand, the savings, offered by online insurance vendors can eliminate this difference. What’s really needed is a closer look and a detailed comparison of online vendors and insurance agent services from different perspectives. What the client gets When employing the services of a real agent or broker there are certain advantages he or she may offer to the business: 1. Pay visits in person to your enterprise. 2. Undertake a financial analysis of your assets and liabilities to determine what kind of policy your business requires. 3. Give advice concerning local and state laws. 4. Represent your interest when filing claims. 5. Suggest solutions for avoiding possible claims. When getting your insurance online, you will get such services only in case the online vendor has a contract with a local insurance agent you will be referred to. Insurance price This is where online insurance rules the stage. Starting with auto insurance services, insurance companies have observed that people are looking into online insurance services because of the significant advantage – the price. This is why buying insurance online can be cheaper: 1. No agent or broker commissions. 2. Overheads are lower. 3. Automatic payment systems very easy to use. 4. Insurance is sold through a lower number or no intermediaries at all. Selection of insurance providers There’s no definite win here. On one hand insurance agents and brokers offer a limited number of business insurance providers. Agents in general are tied to a particular company, representing only its services. However, the knowledge and expertise in these services is very profound and vast, allowing you to receive very detailed analysis and suggestions regarding your policy. On the other hand, insurance quote sites offer a far more diverse selection of insurance providers but without the profession in-depth look into the offers. It is up to you to decide which offer is good and which is not. Quality and security of services By looking at search results in Google for business insurance, you will clearly see that there are many well-established insurance companies offering their services online. But the number of questionable sites that have no valid proof of their quality and safety is far more overwhelming. Here insurance professionals take their lead in terms of safety and quality because: 1. Insurance professionals are regulated by the state. 2. Insurance agents and brokers are accountable and should follow the insurer’s guidelines. 3. Insurance professionals wield their own workers’ insurance. 4. Insurance brokers typically analyze the financial situation of the enterprise before offering insurance services. Conclusion After taking such an analysis there is still no clear win in this battle. Both sources for business insurance have their pros and cons and it’s up to the business owner to decide what his or her business really needs and what is more welcome and why. As always, it’s a matter of personal choice within a particular situation.
Nature is one of God’s creations. It is one of His best works of arts. But nowadays, the degradation of the environment seems to be unabated. One of the things, which contribute to the gradual destruction of the environment, is air pollution. Studies show that one of the great contributors to this is the smoke coming from the vehicles. Because of this fact, new concept in car insurance is formed – the pay as you drive auto insurance.
The idea behind pay as you drive auto insurance is simple – if you do not drive much, you will pay high insurance premiums. Advocated for this type of insurance policy thinks that there are many merits to this type of program such as the gas consumption, lower costs to the consumer and less air pollution.
You might have a question in mind like, “Why am I paying high premiums if I’m not using my car often”? With the pay as you drive insurance premiums, you would be able to quite literally pay as you go.
Essentially the insurance company will set an average driving amount for each car type. It could be broken down into a cents par mile basis. You would purchase a set of number of miles if you wanted to use the pay as you drive auto insurance system. You would be covered for insurance during this period. For those individuals who do not use their car most often or try to find cost saving methods or environment saving alternative, this pay as you drive system is an excellent idea. Though this type of program is not yet available, there are supporters in many states who are hoping to have this soon.
Environmental Defense, the conservation Law Foundation and even the US environment Protection Agency are some of the groups that are working to organize a national cooperative that would work with insurance companies to offer deep discounts for low-mileage drivers. This is halfway a step towards PAYD (pay as you drive) insurance.
General Motors and On-Star offers PAYD rates. GMAC or General Motor Acceptance Corporation Insurance began offering mileage-based discounts to Onstar subscribers located in some states, in the middle of 2004. To verify mileage, the Onstar system reports a vehicle’s odometer readings at the beginning and end of the policy term. Motorists who drive less than the specified annual mileage car receive insurance premium discounts of up to 40%. PAYD program are now available in Israel, South Africa and Holland.
Like in the cell phone plan that you can pay as you talk. The pay as you drive auto insurance is also a good idea. From this little thing, you can also contribute to the renewal of the beauty of nature.