An excavation contractor purchased pollution coverage for $8,000. The driver for purchasing coverage was encountering pre-existing contamination in soil on a project and realizing that there was no coverage in their General Liability (GL) policy for this risk. An electric contractor purchased pollution and professional coverage for $30,500. The reason for purchasing was a contractual […]

The construction manager of a construction, renovation and expansion project for a food distribution center hired an insured to construct and install a new refrigeration system at the facility. The insured was cutting a section of pipe when approximately 50 pounds of ammonia was released as a gaseous cloud inside the facility. It took over […]

XL’s construction specialty for the past 25 years has been to provide annually renewable pollution and professional liability insurance solutions for middle market contractors. XL has new and expanded family of insurance policies that provides pollution coverage at construction job sites as you would expect and also provides cradle to grave coverage such as: Contractor’s […]

Slate (04/19/10); Salmon, Felix Not all companies are taking proper steps to prepare for – and adapt to – the future effects of climate change. Many firms seem to focus solely on mitigating changes to the climate: reducing carbon emissions, improving environmental sustainability, and striving to be an enlightened steward of the planet. Adaptation is […]

CNet (05/18/10); LaMonica, Martin Recycling rates need to increase significantly to ensure the future supply of rare-earth and specialty metals, which are needed to power many green technology products, according to a United Nations Environment Program report. A UN committee has determined that the recycling rates for specialty metals are only about 1 percent, while […]

Mondaq (05/10/10); McAree, Marc Statutes and regulations involving the environment are increasingly being passed at the federal, provincial, and local levels of government. Such laws can affect requirements for corporate directors and officers, such as environmental offences for causing pollution; failing to report discharges and spills; non-compliance with orders, approvals, and permits; obstructing the regulator; […]

Wall Street Journal (04/28/10) P. A8; Wotapka, Dawn; McQueen, M.P. At least one Chinese drywall maker that produced tainted gypsum board now burdening U.S. homeowners with health issues and property problems has signaled its willingness to settle claims with American builders. The inferior material was brought in from China to replenish a shortage of domestic […]

Claims Magazine (06/10); Brownlee, Ken Ken Brownlee discusses the plethora of natural disasters throughout the U.S. as well as the ins-and-outs of being prepared with the proper insurance. Central New England recently faced a bout of devastating floods, and Brownlee expects that most residents did not have flood insurance. As a result, the cash-strapped states […]

Pollution Engineering (06/10) Vol. 42, No. 6, P. 31; Zeller, Stephen N.; Ambulkar, Archis Dredging is the process of extracting sediment material from waterway beds, and common techniques of sediment removal from lakes include draining and excavating the lake, mechanical dredging, and hydraulic dredging. The hydraulic dredging process entails removing and transporting waterways material via […]

Building Design (06/10), Winston, Anna A May report from Environmental & Human Health Inc. indicates that LEED-certified buildings may be contributing to toxic indoor environments, as the highest “platinum” rating can be achieved without credits for indoor air quality protection.  According to the report, LEED Certification: Where Energy Efficiency Collides With Human Health, “[The LEED […]

Compliance Week (06/15/10), Thompson, Louis M. In order to examine risk assessment in general, one must see how companies have developed their risk-assessment process. Most tend to follow legal and regulatory requirements relevant to their industry and standards from the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.  Risk assessment has evolved to a large number of people with responsibility having the […]

Contractors are increasingly using Building Information Modeling (BIM) to generate and manage building data during a building’s life cycle.   BIM uses three-dimensional, real-time dynamic building modeling software to produce a computer model, essentially constructing a virtual building before mobilizing to a construction site.  This can save both time and money by detecting and correcting conflicts early.  XL’s […]