b'firm that the subcontractors general liability in- It is not all about savings; it is also about showing the surance includes hot works coverage (and, if nec-essary to complete limits of insurance, umbrella or excess liability insurance). If uncertain, ask yourinsurer you are willing to have more skin in the game, broker to check. If the subcontractor cannot for-mally confirm hot work coverage from its insurer,which will create a more stable; long-term relationship do not award them the work. If a fire happens and there is an open flame exclusion on your subcon- between you and your insurer.tractors policy (if it has one), the claim that in-evitably follows will come against you and your liability insurance. Warning: an increasing num-ber of roofing contractors have no protection for open flame works. 10)Supply your insurance broker with a copy of yourCOR(IHSACertificateofRecognition)ifyou have achieved this certification.Try to negotiate a limitation of liability in contract 11) indemnificationagreements(especiallyprivate contracts) and keep track of your success. 12)When renewing your liability insurance, ask allofficers and employees to confirm they are not aware of any situation that could give rise to a claim against your company. 13)Ifyourcompanysustainsanaccidentthatbe-comes a claim against your current or prior liabil-ity insurance, communicate any changes you have made to corporate policies/procedures to ensure the situation does not re-occur. Communicating lessonslearnedfrominsuranceclaimsdemon-strates to insurers that you practice risk manage-ment and loss prevention. 14)Consider a higher deductible. At times when in-surance becomes more expensive, demonstrating that you are risk aggressive by assuming a greater level of self-insurance will achieve some extent of savings. The savings may not be as great as you would expect for roofing liability exposure; how-ever, from the insurers perspective, a roofing fire more often than not will exceed the annual cost of your insurance by multiples. It is not all about savings; it is also about showing the insurer you are willing to have more skin in the game, which will create a more stable, long-term relationship between you and your insurer. There are many ways to control risk to your operation, which in turn reduces risk to your insurer, which could positively impact the cost of your liability coverage. If you apply any of the foregoing, share them with your insurance broker so they can in turn share them with your insurer. At Fenn & Fenn Insurance Practice Inc., we are increas-ingly investing our time with our clients to help them un-derstand the importance of risk management and loss pre-vention, and to help them control insurance cost. If you are interested in discussing this, please contact me directly.Viana Roong & Sheetmetal Ltd. is a progressive roong, To conclude, as I wrote in 2019, the single most effec- waterproong and restoration company who has successfully tive way today to reduce the cost of your general liabilitycompleted thousands ofprojects over the past37 years. insurance is to reduce the extent of torch-applied roofing you perform annually. Torch fires have the greatest impactOur services include all types of roong, sheetmetal and siding,on insurers. Water damage losses are increasing in frequen- caulking work, waterproong and more.cy and cost per claim, but annually, they do not normally come close in severity to the cost of a catastrophic fire.This is a time of open communication, social media and in-formation sharing for the common good. If you have suggestions to share or any questions for me, please email me at simon@fen-ninsurance.com, or email your association if you prefer. Any risk management and loss prevention practices will be greatly appreci-ated by the majority in your industry as they will in mine. Simon J. Fenn, CIPChairmanFenn & Fenn Insurance Practice Inc. 74 Advance Road, Toronto|416.763.2664|vianaroong.comsimon@fenninsurance.com www.fenninsurance.com ORN THE ONLY SOURCE FOR PROFESSIONAL ICI ROOFING CONTRACTORS IN ONTARIO ONTARIO ROOFING NEWSISSUE 3 202117'