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A rising story is emerging around the refusals of some big names insurers to refuse to pay out on Business Interruption insurance for numerous bars, night-clubs, restaurants – in fact, any business Interruption cover venues effected by Corvid-19

This is from NTIA, an organisation that is battling to support the night-time economy venues from small independents to large multi-site venues throughout the UK. Together with the market leader insurance broker NDML, a class action against the insurers is now underway.

This is the clause in the NFU Mutual policy, but a great number of insurers are doing the same

WE will pay for loss of INCOME arising from an incident in the immediate vicinity or within a one mile radius of the
PREMISES where access is hindered or prevented by the action of any civil or statutory authority or by order of the
government or any public authority for more than 24 consecutive hours.
The most WE will pay in any one PERIOD OF INSURANCE is £50,000.

Yet they do not consider that Corvid-19 and the total closure ordered by UK Gov to actually count and when contacted to confirm their position this is again the response given:

“Thank you for your email. I am sorry that you feel that the answer I provided you when we last spoke was incorrect. I can confirm that the response I provided was correct and that NFU Mutual’s position has not changed.
In line with UK market practice, our standard Business Interruption cover usually requires damage to property in order to be triggered. This covers damage from events such as fires, floods and thefts”.

Now for me, the Interpretation is very clear, yet they, like many others, have given replies similar tot above!

DO INSURANCE COMPANIES TRULY BELIEVE THAT WHEN THEY BEHAVE BADLY IT WILL BE FORGOTTEN??

Many Companies have paid in good faith year after year for these business insurance interruption policies and now when they are needed to fulfil the cover the insurers are looking for any way possible to avoid paying out, what is absolutely clearly covered.

Luckily for the small Independent venues who have joined with NTIA and NDML Insurance Brokers they have been extremely well supported by both of these organisations to the degree that they are being represented for free with NDML funding the class action, lots of venues insured with other brokers may now be regretting their position as not every broker is committing as many resources into supporting the night-time economy as these two organisations.

The NTIA is also battling the Landlords of venues who have not been helpful to their tenants as well, I’m not sure where the landlords think the revenue would be appearing from to cover the rent bills, at this time in the UK I believe that everyone should be doing their share of carrying the burden, if not then the industry is doomed! and Landlords will not be getting any money for a long time!

HSADD says: Well done NDML and NTIA, without this support I dread to think how the venues would deal with this issue!

One of the insurers has answered the criticism levelled at not just Hiscox but others too and you can read their response reported here: https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/uk/news/breaking-news/hiscox-speaks-up-amid-legal-action-threat-219811.aspx

If you have any issues caused by Insurance who have not paid out for business interuption insurance then use the buttons below to cantact either NDL or NTIA

Those that have continued to pay the monthly fees will receive a separate letter from us once this is over to outline a bonus reward for helping us to help the smaller venues as a ‘thank you’.

We are still here ready to help and working closely with #NTIA and #NDML to make sure that those who are members get the absolute most help as possible during and after this crisis is over.

Keep hope and consider others as much as possible, we are standing side by side with our Clients, before, during and after this crisis – stay safe.

It is possible that Insurance Companies will increase their charges by 400% on renewal?

Unfortunately, the answer to that maybe the horrible next thing that is going to hit once the Insurance has paid out all the claims for Business interruption cover, just when you thought the trade couldn’t get any harder the strong possibility that this could happen.

How can I cut this cost down?

The only way to reduce the costs of insurance is by reducing the risk of liability, this is achieved by ensuring that your Health & Safety, staff training and checklists are of the highest quality that you can. This may make the difference between even getting an offer of insurance or being declined for cover.

It is enviable after the amount that is being paid out by insurers over the Corvin-19 to many businesses throughout the UK, not just hospitality industry but almost every person in the UK, whether you are insuring a fleet of vehicles, a restaurant, a nursing home, most likely even private insurance, all will rise in price – without a doubt!

Don’t leave it until the last minute renewal to get your business compliant, if you want help then contact us at least 3 months before renewal and we will help you.

Cross-contamination, social distancing, all key and important terms to think about when considering your workplace.

Whether it’s a cleaner, a security officer, shop worker or Nurse who has to complete any form of paper checklist then the minimum amount of people who handle that paper/pen then the more likely that you can remove the risk of any cross-contamination.

For example:

As part of your due diligence system to have the public toilets checked at frequent times.  By using our software your staff can scan a QR code at the location and complete a real-time checklist, i.e. ‘Toilets clean’, ‘hand drier working’ or any other check required. 

A Security Guard patrolling your site, you may have 5-10 locations that the guards have to check during their patrol, a QR code at each location will enable you to ensure that the patrol has completed his/her duty.

The temperature of food in the kitchens, refrigerator and freezer has to be checked and recorded.  This can all be completed, paperless and in real-time, IF it is missed then a warning is sent to the Supervisor.

Key features:

• Paperless system
• Real-Time system
• Cloud-based
• Automatic system timestamp
• GPS location
• Missed checks can be escalated and notified to Management
• Free IOS and Android App
• Multiple different checklists from the same QR code

How can you risk assess and reduce the contact risk of Corvid-19 and similar viruses that can be passed through contact?

The biggest way to remove a ‘risk’ is to remove the cause of the risk altogether.

That is what ISITCHECKED, paperless, real-time and contactless checklist systems do already.

Let’s look at a normal checklist on paper:

• Office staff print out the forms
• The manager passes the checklist form to the employee
• An employee takes the form and starts to complete it
• IF more than one employee completes the form then they handle it
• A member of the public see’s the form on the wall, looks at it, sneezes – contaminates it further
• The employee completes the form, hands it back to maybe another Manager, they check the form
• The Manager hands it to admin staff, they file it in a box

ISITCHECKED – Paperless real-timer system

• QR Code is placed on the item or near the item to be checked
• A staff member uses own mobile and ISITCHECKED App to scan the code
• Completes the checklist, submits the report
• Report is filed
• FINISHED

No handling of paper = reduced risk of contact, cross-contamination no one in the sequences has to touch anything they don’t personally own – AND the APP is free for all users

Merseyside Police, probably amongst many forces have issued the warning below to all licenced premises, the advisory basically covers the security of the premises whilst it is closed.

Under the terms of your insurance policy, your insurance company will expect you to have taken reasonable care of your property. More than ever you will need to record the steps taken and keep verifiable records of the checks made on the premises

DON’T LOSE A CLAIM BECAUSE YOU HAVEN’T KEPT RECORDS – MAKE SURE YOU COMPLY WITH INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR EMPTY PREMISES

HSADD and ISITCHECKED system is recognised by many high-quality insurance specialists like NDML, Club Insure Ltd and by Government bodies such as VMD, S.I.A, as being an ‘accurate and reliable system to create and maintain important checklists which can be verifiable and of high evidential value’

Existing Clients of HSADD and ISITCHECKED have a huge benefit in that the ISITCHECKED system can deploy a new QR code or multiple QR codes for checkpoints to cover the premises or add another check using existing deployed QR codes so that either your own Management or an external security company can record the visits made to your premises in a provable accurate method.

New clients who haven’t got our system could deploy our system (Free for the first 28 days) and then for the smallest package to get you through these times around £20.00 per site per month by Direct Debit. This cost would likely be covered by your insurers in order that they have irrefutable evidence that the checks were completed.

When considering hard times and cost-cutting you still have to comply fully with safety regulations, including working at heights and safety harness compliance.

HSADD Says: Please keep safe in these times, we will all get through this and come out stronger and better prepared, think of others, keep smiling and don’t be selfish and help others wherever you can.. Customers and clients alike will remember how they were treated in hard times!!!

The less that people have to pass something, whether it’s a pen and clipboard, or sheets of paper from the person completing the form to the supervisor then to the person who files the form away, then the less chance of cross-contamination – reduce the risk!

With ISITCHECKED the person completing the form or checklist uses their own mobile phone, the checks are made and then the form submitted in real-time. The whole chain above is bye-passed, no-one else has to either interact with the person or touch the paper, clipboard or pen! No even the filing cabinet or storage box!

Biologic contamination presents a risk to your staff and management that you should be reducing and showing how you have reduced the risk of contamination, whether is Covin-19 or other transmittable diseases the methodology is the same. REDUCE THE RISK!

Everyone at, the moment is concerned about the closing of businesses, drops in revenue, disruption to everyday life, how can we improve our chances, VERY IMPORTANT – will out business interruption insurance cover us??

Can you reduce the risk of passing on the virus to customers, other staff members of staff, did you take ‘reasonable’ care and steps to protect staff? Do you need to record that the staff have washed and sterilised their hands? A record that you have cleaned down and sterilised door handles, handrails etc? These are the questions you should ask!!

Working from home provides a great opportunity for the workforce, reduces the risk of cross-contamination if your Company has the capacity and ability to do that then this will help, long passed are the days when bully bosses believed that ‘IF your not in the office you are not working’!.

Litigation

This risk is no different from any other risk, training should be recorded, even advice to staff should be recorded, definitely cleaning records should be checked and validated and this is where the better the records the better the defensibility. ISITCHECKED, real-time recording, time-stamped and GPS tagged – you cannot improve on this system with any other!

A waste management company pleaded guilty to causing a life-changing injury to one of its employees.

Folkestone Magistrates’ Court heard that, on 27 February 2017, an employee of Viridor Waste Management Limited was crushed by a reversing 22.5 tonne shovel loader driven by an on-site contractor at Viridor’s Crayford Materials Recycling Facility site in Crayford. The injured employee was working on foot in the area in his role as banksman, assisting a lorry to manoeuvre into a bay while a shovel loader reversed out of the bay independently, knocking him to the ground and driving over the lower half of his body. He suffered very serious internal injuries and multiple serious fractures, both with significant life-changing effects.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Viridor Waste Management Limited failed to organise the workplace in such a way that pedestrians and vehicles could circulate in a safe manner. This prosecution is the fourth in 4 years for this company, two of which related to fatal incidents.

Viridor Waste Management Limited of Crayford Creek, Dartford, was found in breach of Regulation 4(1) of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 by virtue of Regulation 17(1). The company was fined £400,000.

Speaking after the case HSE inspector Megan Carr said “This incident is a reminder to the waste and recycling industry as to the importance of good workplace transport control which can often be achieved by simple pragmatic steps to avoid such incidents from occurring. HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

HSADD Says Yet another serious incident at a recycling station – When will these start being Pro-active for the safety!