From this month’s Construction Executive Magazine (Sorry, no online copy for this article, authored by Chris Mosley at Sherman & Howard LLC)
- Purchase the Right insurance – Review your policy limits to confirm the existence of completed operations coverage. Typical general liability policies limit coverage to $1 million, which is wholly inadequate for construction companies. Also, liability policies limit their coverage for defects claimed during a single policy year ( i.e. you can’t file a claim for work that was done several years ago.) Consider excess insurance including completed operations coverage.
- Procure the appropriate additional insured endorsements from subcontractors – GC’s should required Subcontractors to maintain their own completed operations coverage. Also, GC’s should review each Sub’s additional insured endorsements. If the Sub has not obtained a completed operations additional insured endorsement, the GC is liable for that Sub’s defects.
- Hire a Qualified Insurance Broker – Make sure the broker as claims experience. Also, you should have confidence in your broker’s ability to review your risk exposure and the additional insured endorsements of your subcontractors.
- Engage a Personal Counsel Experienced in Insurance Issues – Doing so increases the probability that insurers will pay claims in full. It’s also best to find your attorney at the same time you are shopping for coverage, rather than doing so after a claim arises when you’re likely to have a few more things on your mind.
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Tags: construction attorney, construction claims, construction defects, construction insurance, construction liability, construction quality, construction quality control, construction risk, construction warranty, dispute resolution, insurance, risk management, wrap insurance
