Viagra is the most frequently counterfeited product on the market. Running a close second – and of far more concern to workplace safety experts – come electrical components. The Electrical Safety Foundation International has identified more than 1 million fake parts that can easily fail, putting workers at risk of serious injury or death from electrical accidents.
To protect your employees against this danger (and make sure that you’re getting the parts you’re paying for), manufacturers offer these guidelines:
- Buy from an authorized dealer whenever possible. However, bear in mind that counterfeit parts are often mixed in with the genuine article, making them difficult for reputable dealers to detect. Also, a broker might be your only source for discontinued items.
- Examine the packaging. Check for such obvious discrepancies as logos that are missing or don’t look right, misspelled or badly edited text, etc.; and make sure that shipping documents and parts numbers on the packaging match.
- Check the product. To make sure that a part looks and feels right, lay it next to a genuine component and see if they match. If they don’t, have an expert examine the product using a microscope, X-ray, or ion chromatography technology that can detect tampering.
- Test the part. Because many counterfeits can pass basic functionality tests, it makes sense to send any suspicious products to an independent lab for testing under a variety of conditions. This is the best way to detect actual manufacturer components that were discarded because of damage or quality control failures. Don’t choose a lab based strictly on price; ask for a detailed listing of its procedures and inspect the facility in person.
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No matter how much care you take to keep job sites safe and finish projects according to specifications, accidents happen. Consider these scenarios:
- an improperly installed kitchen cabinet shelf in a home you built collapses, injuring the owner
- one of your employees posts a blog accusing a competitor of shoddy workmanship
- a visitor to your worksite trips over an air hose, falls, and fractures her leg
To protect your business against the financial threat of costly litigation from such all-too-common mishaps, you need construction liability insurance.
This coverage will pay costs and legal expenses, up to the amount of the policy, for something your business did, or failed to do, that damages a third party, related to 1) your products or services (products and completes operations); 2) allegations of slander (personal and advertising injury); or 2) injury on your premises or job site (medical expenses).
As a common business practice, both residential and commercial clients will require you,and your subcontractors, to show evidence of construction liability insurance before starting a job.
In general, residential contractors should buy coverage two to three times the amount of the construction budget. Commercial contractors usually carry policies in the multi-million dollar range. Firms that face higher risk of damages, for example, roofing contractors or those in specialized trades, tend to have more coverage. Some contractors prefer to pay their premiums up front, while others make a down payment and finance the premium over the policy period (six months to a year).
No matter how large or small your business, having comprehensive construction liability insurance is always the best policy.
We’d be happy to review your situation and recommend the coverage that’s best suited for you.
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I do a lot of reading. Here are some thoughts inspired by the latest round:
- No person who produces from the heart will go for naught. Career success requires both inner and external engineering.
- As the scope of your life becomes bigger, less will be under your control.
- “I will be happy….. when” is meaningless. Be happy now!
- Comfort is an illusion if sought from the outside. Do you want to be comfortable or awesome?
- To map your career path, ask “Where can I help the most people with the least amount of energy?”
- When overwhelmed by information, we lose clarity of thought, which comes in the spaces between information – yet another reason to meditate.
- Do you identify with your limitations – and let them define you?
- Have these “limitations” blocked you from career success?
- Personal peace is about our internal chemistry. All happiness, despair and other human experiences have a biochemical basis.
- Every person is an energy field functioning at different levels of capability.
- How loyal, how engaged, and awesome do you want your people to be?
- You can’t bullshit yourself into well being.
- Situations don’t make you – they expose you.
- Use time off to reward employees.
- Personality comes from the word persona, which in Greek drama meant a “mask.” Like a mask our personality is a construct – a story we tell ourselves about ourselves.
- All creativity is an imitation of nature.
- Conduct scavenger hunts, field trips, lunch-and -learns, suggestion meetings, crossword puzzles, jeopardy games, volunteer projects, blood donations, fun clubs, etc.
- If people feel good, they will______________
- Over-committed heroes end up becoming martyrs. Avoid this behavior pattern!
- Can you be peaceful where you are or must you go someplace to feel that way?
- HR’s focus on the negative does a disservice to human well being.
- Work doesn’t cause stress; your reaction to it does.
- Have a plan for where you and your business will evolve.
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As kids, we learn that there are two ways to get in trouble: doing stuff we shouldn’t (giving the dog a haircut) or not doing things we should (letting Fido go hungry).
As a contractor, you can get into serious trouble for not doing something,– under a legal doctrine called “negligent supervision.” For example, if one of your employees injures another person by driving a car recklessly while on company business, you might face a negligent supervision lawsuit alleging that you failed to uncover or ignored the driver’s bad record behind the wheel.
To minimize this risk, experts recommend that you:
Understand your exposure to potential negligence. Although it’s an exaggeration to say that anything you do (or don’t do) might be seen as negligent, certain situations demand particular care Promoting or certifying unqualified employees, failing to fire or discipline them for potentially dangerous behavior, or terminating them without an effective investigation.
Never make assumptions about employees. Just because workers volunteer for additional responsibilities for which they might be unqualified (out of boredom, a wish to please, or to earn a higher wage) doesn’t mean they can actually do the work. Check the employees petitions before assigning the work.
Don’t ignore or minimize signs that employees pose a potential danger to themselves or others. After the tragic shootings at the Washington Navy Yard, the media was filled with evidence of the shooter’s troubling behavior that the authorities evidently ignored. If you’re concerned about an employee’s actions, investigate, inquire, and consult with experts, including the police. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
We’d be happy to review your exposure to negligent supervision claims and how liability insurance can protect you against these allegations.
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Key personnel tend to be one to two people that your company heavily relies on. These employees can be anyone from a partner to an operations manager or a site foreman. The contribution of these key personnel is essential to run your company. If one of the key personnel dies, where would you find the financial resources to keep your business up and running until you replace them?
The answer is a key person life insurance policy, which your business will receive all or most of the proceeds. This term may also apply to other coverages used for business continuation purposes, including 1) buy-sell or shareholder insurance which will reimburse partners or investors; 2) debt protection; 3) and revenue protection. You can use the policy benefit to replace lost income due to the unavailability of the key person and recruit, develop, and train a replacement.
The policy’s cash value might be available to your business through a withdrawal or loan, if needed. You could also split the premium and death benefit between the firm and the spouse of the key person to ensure that she or he receives replacement for the person’s economic value to the family. These premiums are not tax deductible.
What’s more, this coverage provides a financial asset that enhances the creditworthiness of your company for commercial lending (by ensuring that the business will remain in business if the key person is out of the picture).
When reviewing packages, get quotes on different amounts,anywhere from $100,000 to $500,000. Take into account what your budget allows versus how much the business would need to survive while you’re bringing a new person up to speed.
Our agency stands ready to advise you at any time.
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Because construction projects are complex operations involving a number of subcontractors under your supervision, onsite accidents or injuries resulting from their work can easily lead to litigation against you. To protect yourself against claims, losses, and expenses if disputes arise during the project, make sure that all subcontractors sign a “Hold Harmless Agreement” clause.
The terms of these clauses will vary from state to state. In some cases, this clause will protect the contractor from claims by corporations or companies that did not sign the agreement.
There are three types of hold harmlessagreements:
Under the Broad Form, the subcontractor assumes all liability for accidents due to negligence of the general contractor, and combined negligence between the two parties. Because of its sweeping terms, this form is relatively rare – and some states prohibit it.
With the Intermediate Form the subcontractor takes on all liability for accidents and negligence, but will not be held accountable for the general contractor’s actions. It doesn’t matter whether the incident was the subcontractor’s fault. If both parties were negligent, the subcontractor assumes liability all for its acts or omissions. Intermediate form agreements are relatively common.
A Limited Form agreement makes the subcontractor liable only for the proportional part of its responsibility for a mishap. Other parties – such as subcontractors – will be held liable under their hold harmlessagreement(s) for their corresponding part of the accident or negligence.
The type of agreement that’s best suited for your needs will vary depending on the nature of the project and state laws. As always, we stand ready to offer you our professional advice.
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Viagra is the most frequently counterfeited product on the market. Running a close second – and of far more concern to workplace safety experts – come electrical components. The Electrical Safety Foundation International has identified more than 1 million fake parts that can easily fail, putting workers at risk of serious injury or death from electrical accidents.