Pressure from Insurers
Liability insurers are increasingly taking a closer interest in how their clients are managing risk by carrying out liability surveys, where traditionally they would have merely wanted to know what the business did, the annual payroll and a 5 year claims history and then set a premium accordingly.
Some of the insurers´ surveyors are experienced and knowledgeable safety professionals, able to provide a valuable "free" source of advice; others however have little experience and a lack of communication skills, leaving your site without explaining their findings, subsequently submitting a list of unreasonable "insurance requirements" to be completed within impossibly short timeframes. This latter approach clearly adds little to your relationship with the insurers and imposes pressures upon the business.
However, even this extreme situation can be recovered. Whilst unreasonable or incorrect insurer requirements can be challenged, the potential conflict is more usually a result of misunderstandings that can be resolved through negotiation.
LRS have experience of working with insurers, brokers and their clients to resolve such issues and also in keeping insurers fully aware of improvements in the standards of risk management so that clients may benefit from any improved terms that may result. We also carry out these surveys on behalf of some major insurers so have a particular insight as to why particular requirements may be stipulated, how to interpret what the insurers are really asking for, what they may accept, how to approach the underwriters with an alternative plan of action and how to get maximum benefit from any improvements that you may make.