Source: AXA XL Environmental A GC used muriatic acid while performing concrete etching in a commercial building. The highly corrosive fumes from the acid were not properly contained and were released into the building damaging the newly installed chrome fixtures. As a result, the GC was responsible for $75,000 in property damages.

Source: AXA XL Environmental A GC removed lead-based paint from a commercial building. The contractor isolated the work areas with containment; however, the HVAC system was not disconnected. The dust generated from the lead removal operations clogged the heating coils of the HVAC system in the building. The contractor was liable for replacing the HVAC […]

Source: AXA XL Environmental A GC was renovating a municipal government building and did not properly contain the area to minimize seepage of fumes from materials utilized and emissions from gas-powered generators and equipment. Ten separate bodily injury claims were filed when employees complained of headaches, nausea and respiratory  problems due to unsafe air quality […]

Source: AXA XL Environmental A subcontractor improperly tied-in sewage piping during installation causing raw sewage to migrate into the underlying ground, contaminating a nearby water well. The general contractor was subject to defense costs exceeding $25,000 as well as property damage and bodily injury claims.

Source: AXA XL Environmental A GC installed new carpeting in an office building. One week after installation, the building owner informed the contractor that employees were complaining of headaches and dizziness. This was attributed to the odors from the new carpets. The general contractor could not prove that the manufacturer of the carpet or the carpet […]

Source: AXA XL Environmental A GC added a curing agent to a concrete utility trench it had poured. The curing agent emitted vapors containing xylene. When an employee at the facility entered the enclosure, he was overcome by the vapors, became dizzy, and fell into the trench, sustaining various injuries. The employee filed suit against […]

Source: https://www.irmi.com, September 2015 By: Kent Holland Where a natural gas pipe exploded due to construction workers disturbing it while working on an excavation project, the Wisconsin Supreme Court held that the resulting bodily injury and property damage was caused by a “pollution condition,” i.e., the escape of the natural gas, and that the contractor’s […]

Source https://www.irmi.com, July 2014 By: Kent Holland A Wisconsin appeals court found that an insurer’s duty to defend under a contractors pollution liability (CPL) policy was not triggered by an explosion caused when a contractor hit a natural gas line. The court explained that the CPL policy only covered property damage and personal injury due […]

Source: https://www.fireengineering.com, February 6, 2019 A gas explosion in a San Francisco neighborhood shot flames into the air for hours Wednesday and burned five buildings, sending panicked residents and workers fleeing into the streets. It took utility crews more than two hours to put out the fire after private construction workers cut a natural gas […]

Source: https://www.enr.com, October 24, 2018 By: Scott Van Voorhis The engineering giant was stuck with liability for an accident triggered by others The record of the fateful hours before the horrific June 2009 explosion at Conagra Brand’s now-defunct Slim Jim plant in North Carolina reveals an excruciating, slow-motion series of errors. Brought in to commission […]

Source: https://www.theblaze.com, November 23, 2018 By: Teri Webster The University of Maryland in College Park is contending with fears about whether a student’s death from adenovirus was related to mold found in campus dorm rooms. Five more students also have illnesses tied to the virus, but it isn’t clear if mold is the culprit, according to published […]

Source: https://www.enr.com, August 30, 2018 By: Jeff Yoders UPDATE: Worker’s torch set off methane explosion The roof of the sludge concentration building at Chicago’s Calumet Water Reclamation Plant collapsed after an explosion Aug. 30 around 11 a.m. Ten people were hurt and successfully evacuated to area hospitals for treatment by the Chicago Fire Dept. The […]