Latest Contractors Headlines

All the headlines from our Contractors Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Small Businesses Under Scrutiny Over Classifying Independent Contractors

Jan 28 2019 // Small business owners who want to use independent contractors need to be sure these workers really aren’t employees.Federal and state government agencies are on the lookout for businesses that use independent...

Wildfires, Dynamex Dominate California Wholesaler Conference

Jan 21 2019 // Wildfires and the Dynamex decision dominated discussions at an insurance wholesaler conference in early January.The California Wholesaler Association conference in La Jolla, Calif., from Jan. 6 to Jan. 8 featured numerous...

Flood Coverage, TWIA, Workers’ Comp Relativities Among TDI Concerns in Legislative Report

Jan 21 2019 // In its 2018 Biennial Report to the Legislature dated Dec. 14, 2018, the Texas Department of Insurance made several recommendations to state lawmakers regarding issues the agency believes are worth looking at in the...

TDI Shares Consumer Concerns About Contractors, Roofers with Lawmakers

Jan 15 2019 // While not making any specific recommendations to lawmakers regarding the licensing of building and roofing contractors, the Texas Department of Insurance noted in its 2018 Biennial Report to the Legislature that the...

Wildfires, Dynamex Dominate California Wholesaler Conference

Jan 8 2019 // Wildfires and the Dynamex decision.Those two topics dominated discussions at an insurance wholesaler conference this week. The California Wholesaler Association conference in La Jolla, Calif. from Sunday through today...

Western Region Could See Action on Disaster Mitigation, Independent Contractors, Workers’ Comp

Jan 7 2019 // Most eyeballs were on California during the midterm elections in November, with polar opposite candidates facing off in the race for governor as well as the office of insurance commissioner.As in most years, Democrats...

Midwest Legislative Priorities Include No-Fault Auto, Distracted Driving, Contractor Fraud, Tort Reform

Jan 7 2019 // With some of the highest auto insurance rates in the nation, Michigan’s no-fault insurance laws — much maligned by the insurance industry and business interests — are sure to be a target for legislative...

Death in the Oilfields: Boom Brings Mounting Risk of Death, Injuries

Dec 28 2018 // Parker Waldridge had worked in the Oklahoma oilfields since he was 16 and acquired the traits that make a good driller: fortitude, intellect and a healthy respect for the power of a runaway gas well.And so, when...

New York Contractor Convicted of Hiring Hit Men for Killing

Dec 14 2018 // A Schenectady, N.Y., contractor has been convicted of first-degree murder in a scheme to kill a man for life insurance money.A jury convicted 54-year-old Tarchand Lall on Wednesday for hiring hit men from Delaware to kill...

Florida Fraud Strike Team Arrests Unlicensed Contractor in Panhandle

Dec 6 2018 // An unlicensed contractor operating in the Florida Panhandle has been arrested by the Florida Disaster Fraud Action Strike Force (DFAST) for allegedly conducting roofing repairs following Hurricane Michael, according to a...

Ironshore Enhances Contractors Ability Coverage for Pollution Incidents

Nov 28 2018 // Ironshore Environmental has enhanced its Contractors Environmental Legal Liability (CELL) program to include coverage for damages resulting from pollution incidents caused by the contractor’s work.CELL is offered on...

Vermont Seeking Public Input on Regulating Contractors

Nov 27 2018 // Vermont officials are seeking a second round of feedback from the public on a proposal to regulate home improvement and construction contractors.Lauren Hibbert, of the Office of Professional Regulation with the Secretary...

Gallagher Affinity Launches Online Cyber Suite for Small, Midsize Federal Contractors

Nov 21 2018 // Gallagher Affinity and Secure CyberID, a provider of cybersecurity services, have launched an online, discounted suite of cybersecurity products for small to mid-sized companies under contract with the federal government....

Markets

Nov 19 2018 // Market Detail: McNeil & Co.’s FireWatch Program (www.mcneilandcompany.com) is a comprehensive insurance and risk management program. The program offers specialty insurance products to the complete fire protection...

Travelers Partners with Contractor, Tech Firm on Wearables for Construction Safety

Nov 16 2018 // The Travelers Companies has partnered with contractor company Gilbane, and Triax Technologies, a provider of Internet of Things (IoT) construction technology, to explore the potential safety benefits of wearable...

Mass. Contractor Faces $311K in Penalties for Exposing Workers to Safety Hazards

Nov 15 2018 // Northeast Framing Inc., a contractor based in Lunenberg, Mass., has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for exposing workers to falls and other hazards...

Texas Underground Tank Contractor Cited for Excavation Hazards

Nov 5 2018 // Federal workplace safety regulators have cited Texas-based UST Systems Inc. for trench safety violations after the company allowed its employees to enter an excavation site in Austin without proper protections or training...

Pressure’s on the Trucking Sector

Nov 5 2018 // The transportation industry is considered a barometer of the U.S. economy. If freight is trending up, so too is the U.S. economy. But capacity constraints for trucking – including a shortage of qualified drivers, low...

Ohio Supreme Court: Subcontractor’s Faulty Work Not Covered by Contractor’s Policy

Nov 5 2018 // The Ohio Supreme Court in early October ruled that a general contractor’s commercial general liability policy does not cover the faulty work of a subcontractor.In its consideration of Ohio N. Univ. v. Charles Constr....

Investigators: Contractor Mismarked Gas Line Before Deadly Wisconsin Blast

Nov 2 2018 // A utility-location worker failed to properly mark a natural gas line in a Madison, Wisconsin, suburb this summer, leading to an explosion that leveled more than half a dozen buildings and killed a firefighter, according to...