Construction industry insurance is an important level of coverage to have in place if you are the manager of a construction site. This type of insurance, in addition to the required OSHA training programs you have in place for your company, helps mitigate against any potential loss that may occur as a result of an accident resulting in personal injury or property damage. This also includes heavy equipment insurance in place to cover your cranes and other site based heavy equipment as part of the overall operational risk management solutions for your construction company.
Construction industry insurance, as useful as it is as an operational risk management solution, only represents a portion of what you need to consider when engaged in the management of your construction site. A construction equipment safety check is your first line of defense in ensuring that you have taken proactive measures to reduce (not eliminate) the potential for a catastrophic or serious event to happen on the site. Here are some of the things you need to consider as elements of a safety check for your construction equipment.
Elements of a Heavy Equipment Safety Check
An inspection of the heavy equipment that you use on your construction site should include many of the following elements to help you determine whether you are at particular risk for loss due to equipment that has a greater potential to produce a loss, whether injury or damage. This loss, in the absence of proper heavy equipment insurance coverage or related construction industry insurance could translate into millions of dollars out of your pocket, drastically impacting your construction company’s bottom line.
Things that you should consider with respect to the equipment that is used on site in your construction jobs include the wear and tear on certain parts, such as tires, wipers, exhaust system, hydraulics, etc. The regular check and verification of oil levels, tire pressure and other parts that are involved in the movement of earth and materials is also a vital part of your construction equipment safety check process. The ounce of prevention that you engage in during regular, periodic and consistent inspections of your heavy equipment can be the difference between the successful, riskless completion of your construction project and the financial loss associated with personal injury and/or property damage.
What to Consider
Does your construction company have in place some type of regular procedures for the inspection of heavy equipment used on site? What is the frequency of the inspections performed on the heavy equipment used on site during your construction projects? What are the steps that need to be taken to mitigate against construction site losses and reduce the potential for a huge financial payout due to negligence or other causes that result in damage or injury?
These are just some of the considerations that should be at the front of your mind when engaged in a construction related project. If you do not use some form of heavy equipment inspection checklist or procedures in place for the regular and ongoing inspection and certification of your site equipment, you may be opening yourself for a potential lawsuit and financial damages being awarded against you, especially if you do not have adequate insurance coverage in place.
Making Your Construction Site Safer in Order to Reduce Your Liability
Taking the appropriate steps in ensuring the safety of your heavy equipment will give you the necessary peace of mind and assurance needed to complete your construction site job. The required safety checks that should be conducted need to take place on a scheduled basis and problems, when identified, with the performance of your heavy equipment should be addressed immediately. Failing to identify problems immediately only intensifies your level of risk and potential liabilities that may be related to those problems.
If you have not considered the risks associated with your construction site and your potential financial liability, you need to discuss the construction industry insurance options available to you. Work with a team of insurance brokers that knows the construction industry like no other by contacting Allied Insurance Brokers. With over 20 years of experience handling construction industry insurance, Allied Insurance Brokers understands your risks and can help you minimize your company’s vulnerabilities. Don’t let accidents affect your bottom line and contact the team at Allied Insurance Brokers today.
