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Certificate of Insurance

How to Reduce Liability When Selecting Subcontractors

General contractors and/or prime contractors are designated “controlling employers” in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) construction standard. Controlling employers are defined as those contractors who may be held responsible for the actions of subcontractors, including bodily injury and/or property damage caused by subcontractors to the public, other contractor’s employees, or for injuries to the subcontractor’s own employees. These exposures can be broken down into the following areas: Employee injuries (workers’ compensation) Job site physical injury to others or property loss (premises liability) Physical injury or property damage to the public around the site (premises/general liability) A defect arising… Read More »How to Reduce Liability When Selecting Subcontractors

September is National Preparedness Month

A recent Travelers survey found that 48% of small business owners do not have a written business continuity plan. That’s especially troublesome considering that The American Red Cross estimates as many as 40% of small businesses do not reopen after a major disaster. We have partnered with Travelers Insurance Company to offer Business Continuity tools that help business owners plan for the unexpected so they do not become part of a statistic. You can start building your plan today using resources on Small Business Safety, Protecting Your Business, Plan Ahead, at travelers.com pages. Should you have any questions, please feel… Read More »September is National Preparedness Month

Business Insurance Market Update

The hardening insurance marketplace has led to a great deal of success for us in a variety of our niches recently. We continue to develop new products at the same time. Below are several items we wanted to highlight: 1) Apartments / Lessors Risk (Office Exposure – Real estate schedules that generate more than $100,000 in premium in the “better weather” states have been a good fit for us recently. We are interested in the properties that are built after 1980 and located in the western US for the most part. If it is large and we can write casualty… Read More »Business Insurance Market Update

Risk Transfer: Managing 3rd Party Relationships

Introduction: Case Scenarios – A painter’s scaffold collapses resulting in severe injury to the painter and a pedestrian. The painter had no insurance. The building owner is held liable for all losses. – A cabinet installer puts a long screw into a wall. It punctures a water pipe causing water damage. The installer’s insurance policy was not renewed. The homeowner’s insurance company sues and recovers the damages from the cabinet retailer who recommended the installer. – A small motor manufacturer, to get the business of a big new customer, agrees to sign a contract which the customer requires of all… Read More »Risk Transfer: Managing 3rd Party Relationships

Paperless Insurance Now Offers Coverage in New York

SAN FRANCISCO-based independent insurance brokerage Paperless Insurance Services (PIS INC), Inc. has started offering business insurance products in the State of New York, PIS INC announced Thursday. PIS INC will be using their website as the marketing and underwriting base in the State if New York CFO Diana Motseniat said in her announcement. Paperless Insurance also announced that it is in the process of starting operations in the State of Texas. “Starting operations in New York is vital to the continued expansion of our U.S. platform to complement our strong position and build a truly unified small business insurance platform,”… Read More »Paperless Insurance Now Offers Coverage in New York

Eleven Cybersecurity Tips for Small Businesses

Broadband and information technology are powerful factors in small businesses reaching new markets and increasing productivity and efficiency. However, businesses need cybersecurity tools and tactics to protect themselves, their customers, and their data from growing cyber threats. Here are ten key cybersecuritytips for businesses to protect themselves: 1. Train employees in security principles Establish basic security practices to protect sensitive business information and communicate them to all employees on a regular basis. Establish rules of behavior describing how to handle and protect customer information and other vital data. Clearly detail the penalties for violating business cybersecurity 2. Protect information, computers and… Read More »Eleven Cybersecurity Tips for Small Businesses

Often Misunderstood Facts Surrounding Certificates of Insurance

Certificates of Insurance are informational only, and cannot be used to grant, amend, extend or alter coverage or policy terms; Inserting any additional wording onto a Certificate of Insurance that grants, amends, extends, or alters coverage is an improper use of the Certificate of Insurance and is in violation of certain state statutes; The number of days notice for cancellation to a Certificate Holder should not be inserted onto the Certificate of Insurance; this notice can only be accomplished by attaching a separate endorsement to the policy; The separate cancellation notification endorsement is attached to the policy, it is not attached to and… Read More »Often Misunderstood Facts Surrounding Certificates of Insurance