Intel

Two workers narrowly avoided serious injuries after being thrown from horizontal metal beams at a construction site on the Boston University campus May 14. The accident happened when a steel column fell to the side, causing the adjacent beams to topple “like dominoes” and partially collapse the steel frame of what is slated to become a 13-story data sciences building…

The homeowner’s association for a luxury, oceanfront condo tower in Florida recently settled its construction defects lawsuit against the tower’s developer, contractors and architect for $17.5 million. The Regalia on the Ocean Condominium Association in Sunny Isles Beach filed the lawsuit in 2018, alleging construction flaws including improperly-installed pool joints, unsafe steam rooms and problems with sliding glass doors. As…

COVID-19’s impact on the Canadian construction industry has been substantial; to learn more about current challenges facing construction companies and how Construction Insurance can help address them, we spoke with Steven Hrab, Director, Construction, Burns & Wilcox, Toronto, Ontario. What are the greatest risks facing companies in Canada’s construction industry? S.H.: Global lockdowns are currently the greatest challenge facing the…

The Hawaii Department of Health issued a Notice and Finding of Violation and Order on January 7 against a contractor responsible for a sewage spill that sent 28,000 gallons of untreated domestic sewage into Reed’s Bay, just off the coast of the Big Island. The leak occurred on November 30, when workers for Maui-based Goodfellow Bros., LLC, a general contractor…

The stars of HGTV’s Windy City Rehab are being sued by the buyers of a luxury home they renovated. The homeowners said their $1.36 million dream house became a nightmare, alleging the contractors are responsible for water leaking into the kitchen from an upstairs bathroom, a roof that was never replaced as promised, crumbling mortar and other major construction issues.…

A fire that destroyed a 100-year-old mansion in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan on May 16 was so intense that several local fire companies were required to help douse the flames. Thankfully no fatalities or serious injuries were reported, though two responding public safety officers sustained minor injuries. Two months ago and less than a mile away, a five-alarm fire started in a…

The $2.2 billion Transbay Transit Center construction project in downtown San Francisco is under intense public scrutiny for cracked support beams that closed the centerpiece of city infrastructure just weeks after it opened. An investigation will determine if the cracks are related to fabrication, installation or design, and if one or more specific parties are at fault. The transit center,…

Even in good times, policy exclusions can test a relationship with a client. In tougher times, unforeseen exclusions can wreak havoc on an insured’s business and impede their ability to repair property damage, pay medical fees or adequately protect their assets. Here Amanda N. Ruppel, Personal Insurance Manager, Burns & Wilcox and Melanie M. Elias, Corporate Associate Vice-President, Director of Claims, Minuteman Adjusters,…

Owners and developers continue to seek new and innovative ways to complete construction projects faster and more cost effectively. And who can blame them? After all, the sooner the building is complete, the quicker tenants can be moved in and paying leases to the owner and manager. Large construction projects are extraordinarily complex and require intense collaboration between all parties…

Major infrastructure developments around the country have helped bring the construction and building industries back to life following the economic downturn. According to recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Value of Construction Put in Place Survey, more than $900 billion was invested in construction work across the country. As investment in building and construction continues to grow, so does…

Beef processing plant case highlights the importance of maintaining contacts A retail agent’s job is to produce results, not excuses, for their clients. So when an agent lacks the right primary market to place a complicated account, what he or she needs most is quick, seamless assistance. When an account is especially challenging, a strong wholesale brokerage may even put…