The day dawned cold and windy, so the roofing crew stopped to pick up breakfast before heading for the jobsite. Mike decided he needed a different type of warmth and purchased some beer. The rest of the crew decided to stay off the roof but Mike announced that he was going to work. He ignored warning signs and advice of the rest of the crew and climbed upon the wet roof.

The expected happened. Within a
few minutes, Mike lost his footing, fell four stories and landed on his feet. He lived but sustained serious injuries. His blood was tested about five hours after the accident and registered a .11 blood alcohol level.

Because Mike sustained his injuries in the course of his employment, he made a claim for workers compensation benefits. He was not pleased when all benefits were denied because there is no coverage in the state of North Carolina if an employee’s injury is due to his or her own intoxication.

Click here for more details on this court case.

The workers compensation section of the policy does not describe the types of actions or injuries covered. Instead, it refers to the benefits required in the applicable workers compensation law. This means Mike’s injuries might have been covered in another state. Would they have been covered in your state?

Click here to review PF&M Workers
Compensation and Employers Liability Insurance Policy Coverage Analysis.

Mike bought his own beer before his accident. According to the North Carolina statute, Mike would have been covered if his employer had supplied the alcohol.

The possibility always exists that an individual may injure himself, herself or another party when alcohol is provided. Are your clients aware of this exposure?

Click here to review an e-marketing article that evaluates office functions and alcohol that you might use to start an important coverage discussion.

The Commercial Lines Risk Evaluation questionnaire is designed to help you uncover exposures and hazards that can be mitigated and/or covered. The important point is to expose potential problems, actively discuss them and decide how to address and resolve them.

Click here for the liquor section of every
contractor’s CGL questionnaire.

We've updated Insurance Words and Their Meanings! The changes include additional acronyms and the full names and sponsoring organizations for various insurance-related groups, additional crime insurance terms and revisions, updates to two supplemental glossaries and a new, supplemental glossary of trucking terms.

Some of the many terms added are:

Have you found what you need in the Producer OnLine? Is there a classification
to add to the Producer's Commercial Lines Risk Evaluation System or a subject that you would like to see covered in PF&M?  Contact us now.

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