Wednesday, October 29—Afternoon Workshops (select two from W7–W13)
Most contractors know that their workers compensation experience modifier
can make or break them in terms of qualifying to bid on a project and being
competitive in their pricing. What many contractors do not understand is that
errors are common, and it is up to them to monitor the accuracy of this critical
calculation. This workshop uses sample work sheets to demonstrate how the experience
modifier is calculated and provide tools for ensuring its accuracy.
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Reviews the calculation of an experience modifier and the impacts loss
frequency, severity, and deductibles have on the modifier.
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Demonstrates the importance of systematically reviewing work sheets and
how to identify errors that impact premiums.
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Shows how the same loss experience produces different modifiers across
states and the implications for using modifiers as a prequalification tool.
Sonja J. Guenther,
Senior Vice-President, Hilb, Rogal & Hobbs (HRH) of Colorado
Residential development in virtually every part of the United States is in
a deep recession. Slower sales and lower revenues mean that many existing residential
general liability insurance programs no longer make economic sense. At the same
time, claims and litigation are increasing dramatically on both residential
and commercial projects. This timely workshop provides attendees with a plan
for surviving and thriving during an economic downturn.
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Offers recommendations for handling project closeouts and dissolution
of entities.
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Describes effective preclaim and prelitigation defensive strategies.
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Provides strategies for modifying insurance programs to protect the owner
and the contractor in light of financial realities, including an examination
of current insurance market options for residential construction risks.
George D. Dale,
President and Chief Executive Officer, DBH Resources, Inc.
Jeffrey D. Masters,
Partner, Cox Castle & Nicholson LLP
While construction management is a well-known term in construction circles,
many people are confused about what exactly it entails and when a general contractor
crosses over into functioning as a construction manager.When do professional
liability and other nontraditional exposures arise, and what is required to
adequately insure these exposures? This workshop demonstrates how to identify,
manage, and insure construction management risks, whether they arise from agency
or at-risk methods.
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Defines the different forms of construction management and the associated
liability risks.
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Explains where the line falls between a general contractor and a construction
manager and how to avoid crossing that line unintentionally.
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Examines available options for insuring construction management liabilities
and key terms and provisions to look for in professional liability policies.
Gregg E.
Bundschuh, J.D., Partner, Ames & Gough
David H. Collings,
Partner, Ames & Gough
The environmental insurance marketplace is extremely dynamic and changes
quickly compared to standard coverage lines. Owners and contractors can be overwhelmed
by the choices and nuances of the environmental market and often face confusing
changes in their coverage. Failure to stay on top of market changes may leave
you with an inadequate program.
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Examines common pollution liability exposures for both project owners
and contractors.
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Describes the coverage options for insuring pollution liability and identifies
key terms and provisions to look for or avoid.
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Outlines the current marketplace for pollution liability insurance and
provides strategies for negotiating the optimal program.
Jeff Slivka,
Executive Vice President, New Day Underwriting Managers LLC
Lack of adequate security on a construction site can have any number of bad
consequences—theft; vandalism; injuries to trespassers; access to workers for
loan sharking, gambling, and sale and distribution of drugs; use of property
by criminal element; and more. In addition to the significant financial costs
of such losses, contractors and project owners can suffer particularly irreparable
damage to their reputation when a loss or improper activity gets the attention
of the media. This workshop identifies key job site security risks as well as
techniques for reducing these risks.
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Provides insight for getting all participants on board in achieving a
more secure job site.
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Outlines strategies for developing, enforcing, and auditing security
policies and procedures.
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Advises on how to communicate to project owners the importance of adequate
security and persuade them to share the associated costs.
Greg H. Walker,
CPP, ARM, Attorney at Law, RisKontroL—Risk Management of Security
Related Matters
A successful project begins not at the onset of construction but on day one
of project development and design. The roots of a troubled project can often
be traced back to inaccurate budgets, unrealistic schedules, unfavorable bidding
strategies, and the failure to properly allocate and define risks. This workshop
demonstrates how to get a project started off on the right foot and avoid the
negative outcomes of a project that has gone bad.
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Describes how to avoid cost overruns and delay and disruption claims
by developing a realistic budget and schedule.
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Addresses the growing interest in “design to budget” and the challenges
and risks it presents.
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Provides strategies for avoiding disputes by assigning responsibility
for resolving problems during the contract phase.
Joseph W.
Wallwork, PE, CCE, PSP, CFCC, Vice President, Strategy, LLC
In the format of a popular game show, this interactive and educational session
will help contractors and their insurance representatives identify ways to protect
corporate assets. Through a series of “games” the audience will learn how to
avoid unintentional assumption of risks, how to match the insurance coverage
to the risks assumed, and a variety of strategies for reducing insurance costs.
Contractors will learn where to focus their negotiations and how to ensure they
pay the lowest possible price for comprehensive coverage.
Steven D. Davis,
CPCU, ARM, Director, McGriff, Seibels & Williams
Susan G. Staff,
CRIS, Director of Risk Management, Zachry Holdings, Inc.