In view of the engagement with our community, following our analysis of the Swiss nightclub fire, Terry Jackson and I explore how we believe the current regulatory requirements in some jurisdictions are inadequate to protect the life of the occupiers. I hope that most people, and certainly those of us in the general insurance industry are aware of the legal requirement to have smoke alarms […]
Reflecting on a claim
Last Thursday, I posted an article on the nightclub fire in Switzerland. Then on Friday, I posted a couple of thoughts triggered by that fire. Watching the video of people filming the fire starting sent shivers through me thinking that many of them most likely perished in that fire. It also brought back a liability claim that I investigated more than 10 years ago which […]
A quick reminder following a loss.
Following a major insured event, it is often necessary for an insured to relocate, all or part of their business, or in the case of a domestic claim, to alternate premises. With all the stress of the event, finding a new premises suitable to their needs, and managing the move, the ongoing recovery and resinstatement process it is often overlooked to arrange insurance both property/business […]
Just 3 weeks to go for the 2023 Mansfield Awards for Claims Excellence
Just a reminder that there is only 3 weeks to go before the 2023 Mansfield Awards, which is now in its 7th year! The awards night will be held at The Establishment Ballroom, located at 252 George St, Sydney. The function starts at 6pm, with the awards portion running for approximately 1 hour, during which 6 awards will be presented. The awards are: You can […]
Just how is insurance caught up in trade sanctions against Russia
Insurance really is a global industry and has many times been described as the oxygen in the lungs of the economy. With any insurance policy on commercial risks written out of the United Kingdom (UK) or the European Union there is a sanctions clause. In fact this appears in most if not all commercial contracts. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK issued the […]
Lessons Learned from the Devonport Tragedy
As I learned of the passing of the 6th child from the jumping castle tragedy in Davenport, I keep thinking of the lessons we can take from this truly tragic event. I know of no weather station near the Hillcrest School so I am relying on the weather observations from the Devonport Airport which is about an 11 minute car ride from the school. The […]
Survey for 2021 Mansfield Awards for Claims Excellence now open
As indicated in last week’s post, the survey for the 2021 Mansfield Awards for Claims Excellence opens today and will run for 4 weeks until midday (AEST) on 8 June 2021. Insurers and their claims staff place high value in the results and comments provided by insured’s, insurance brokers, loss adjusters and others associated with general insurance. The survey literally only takes a minute or […]
2 Companies face massive fines following a workplace drowning
It was reported today, a day of little good news, that two Perth companies face combined fines of up to $4.7 million over an incident in 2018 where a young plumber, Ryan Duffus drowned in a flooded trench on a Mosman Park construction site. Mr Duffus was allegedly working in a two by one-metre trench when it suddenly filled with water and mud. Workers tried […]
Can an insurer alter the coverage mid-term? In some rare cases, yes they can!
TAL Life Insurance received a great deal of criticism and ultimately changed their position regarding the insertion of an exclusion into life assurance coverage attaching to superannuation, that would have taken away life cover for front line medical staff who died after contracting COVID-19. I do not want to get into the morality of this at this time, but wish to correct a general misconception […]
Yet more issues that need addressing + bouquets and brickbats
I was contacted via one of the fire brigades, concerned at the increasing cessation of mandatory fire appliance inspections such as sprinklers, fire extinguishers, and the like. This is due to a combination of lock downs/access restrictions and inability, say, through illness, of the fire officers or private contractors to perform these mandatory works. There will, no doubt, be dozens of issues such as this, […]