Products & Completed Operations (Included in General Liability) When you perform work for your customers, sometimes things can go wrong at a later date. If you sell products or complete projects that later cause harm to your customer in some way, a BOP will take care of the damages.

New York City’s public and private institutions initiated $2.9 billion in construction projects during the first half of 2015, up from $796 million through June of 2014, a 269% increase, according to a New York Building Congress analysis of construction data from Dodge Data & Analytics.

The sectors examined include elementary and secondary schools, hospitals and health care, higher education, courts, libraries, cultural facilities, and religious institutions.

With business income & extra expense, If your primary workspace must remain closed for repairs, a BOP can cover the expenses involved with renting temporary space or provide for losses in income due to the closure.

Specialty contractors around the four-state Southeast region are finding an increasing number of project opportunities. They are also dealing with mounting workforce-related challenges that increasingly look like they are here to stay.

Since the Great Recession finished laying waste to much of the Southeast construction industry, an increasingly robust rebound has taken hold across the region as most market sectors generate more work than many specialty contractors can chase. As this reshaping of the construction landscape has unfolded, specialty firms and general contractors alike have focused not only on improving their technological skills-think BIM-capable iPads on every job-but also on the main issue limiting their opportunities, finding good workers.

If you are a handyman that use specialized equipment in your handyman business, such as a power drill or air compressor, a BOP can protect you from losses if the equipment breaks down.

General liability insurance is designed to help protect small businesses from unexpected events and hazards.  Whether you work exclusively at your client’s locations or you work from a public office or shop, you can be held liable if a customer is injured or their property is damaged on your worksite.

General liability protects you from those hazards, as well as potential damage from natural disasters, product liability and problems generated from your advertising.

Charlotte’s eight-year-old LYNX Blue Line, which attracts more than 15,500 daily riders and has spurred $1.45 billion in development within a half-mile of its 9.6-mile corridor, is frequently touted as a model for cities interested in developing light rail transit systems.

Construction job totals fell in Arizona and New Mexico but continued to be the fastest growing sector in Nevada over the past year, according to data recently released by the three states.

In Arizona and New Mexico, unemployment rates increased by tenths of a percent with New Mexico falling to 6.7 percent, up two tenths from July and Arizona increased two tenths from 6.1 percent in July to 6.3 percent in August.

Nevada continued it’s job growth for the 54th consecutive month. Nevada’s unemployment rate sits at a seasonally adjusted 6.8 percent in August, which is down relative to a year ago, and is at the lowest rate it has been since July 2008.

Business auto insurance for handyman workers. As a handyman, your business involves lots of driving from one jobsite to another. If you are in an auto accident while driving for business purposes, a commercial auto insurance policy can help cover the costs of damages.

Earthquakes can affect practically any place, at any time, in fact, the USGS lists 42 U.S. states are listed as “at risk.”  Like flood, earthquake damages are not covered by the standard homeowners insurance policy, but additional coverage can be purchased in most states.

For the first time in more than twenty years, a new subway station has opened in New York City.   The $2.42 billion, 1.5-mile extension of the 7 line, financed by the city, broke ground in 2007 under Mayor Bloomberg. The 34th St-Hudson Yards station, located at 34th street and 11th avenue, was originally expected to open in 2013 but faced several delays during construction. Train service at the new station began on Sunday, Sept. 13.

Did you know that if you have life insurance, you are among the 57% of Americans who do. Yet even if you have Life insurance, do you have enough coverage to meet your financial goals? The survey done by Bankrate Money Pulse, it found that of those who do have life insurance coverage, most people have under $100,000, which would not be sufficient to sustain a young family or a surviving spouse.  Talk to your insurance agent to make sure you have enough coverages to meet your family needs.

The North Carolina Dept. of Labor is proposing a fine of more than $150,000 for one of the contractors involved in a March 23 scaffolding collapse on the 11-story Charter Square building project in Raleigh that killed three workers. The agency is also proposing fines for two other firms—Jannawall Inc. and Juba Aluminum Products Co.—for a total proposed fine of over $160,000.

As a independent handyman having to miss out on work due to a toothache is not something you want to have happen.  Yet all to often people miss out on work due to dental related issues.  Most delaying preventive and basic dental care do to cost.  Yet with most dental insurance plans preventive care is free and basic care cost are reduce in most cases up to 80 percent.

If you do not have dental insurance now is a good time to start thinking about buying some. Dental4Less.com is a good website to visit and compare several dental insurance plans at once.

Contractors will soon break ground on another building at The Water Campus in Baton Rouge, La. The 35-acre property along the Mississippi River is being developed to house 1.8 million sq ft of labs, research, facilities and commercial space for coastal science and engineering.

Did you know that dog bite victims account for up to five percent of emergency room visits.  The good news is that the number of dog bite claims are going down, they dropped by 4.7% in 2014. But the bad news is that the average cost per dog bite claim is climbing. In 2014, it was up 15 percent to $32,072, compared with $27,862 in 2013.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, dog bites accounted for more than one-third of all homeowners liability pay outs last year.

If you have a dog, it is your responsibility to train, control and socialize your pet to minimize the potential for dog bites. It is also just plain smart from an economic point of view, as you can see by claim costs. And whether you have a dog or not, it is important to lean about how to prevent bites, how to train kids to be safe around dogs, and what to do if you are bitten.

If you have a client that has dogs, talk to them about having secured fencing, and front door screens. To help prevent their dog and or dogs from getting out and increasing their risk of dog bits happening.

As the Colorado chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council prepares for the 9th annual Green Schools Summit on November 6, the organization is recognizing the top green school districts in the state for their efforts in sustainability initiatives and green-building facilities.

Ongoing home maintenance is important in preventing any losses that may trigger insurance claims. Many insurance companies will offer a discount for new roof, so it is something to check out.

Roofing options:

Roofing. Slate, copper and clay/concrete roofs have a 50-year life expectancy; asphalt-shingle roofs, 20 years; fiber cement shingles, 25 years; and wood shakes, 30 years. However, the life of a roof also depends on local weather conditions, proper building and design, material quality and adequate maintenance.

Colorado State University-Pueblo recently celebrated the opening of its new General Classroom Building, the first new classroom building on campus in decades. The ribbon-cutting ceremony attracted state, local and university officials, as well as students who will take advantage of the forward-thinking technology available in the new building.

Question: Does Home-owners insurance cover flooding?

Answer: Your typical home-owners insurance policy does not cover flood damage. This is one of the biggest consumer misconceptions with regards to home-owners insurance, and a painful, costly lesson to learn by experience.

In order to be covered for flood, you need to purchase a separate flood insurance policy to be covered. Also your policy must be in place for at least 30 days to be in effect, so a last-minute purchase of flood insurance when you hear about flooding potential would be too late.

Salt Lake City, UT – October 1, 2015 – MOCA recently received a contract award as the Project Manager to oversee the $300 million restoration of the Wyoming Capitol Square Project. MOCA’s Salt Lake City office is providing project management and assisting in early project definition and alignment services, which include, design guidelines and imperatives, budget and schedule oversight.

According to research by State Farm, your normal odds of a ruminant-related collision claim is about 1 in 169, but the likelihood more than doubles during October, November and December

Here are some other grim facts:

* 191 deaths were the result of collisions with animals, with deer being the animal most often struck in 2013

* The national cost per claim average is $4,135, up 6% from 2014 ($3,888)

When faced with this situation, according to Mike Winterle of Culture of Safety he says you should not swerve. “The leading cause of accidents, injuries, and deaths from deer-related accidents is when vehicles swerve in an attempt to avoid hitting a deer. Swerving can result in vehicles moving into oncoming traffic, crashing into trees and other objects, or evening rolling over. While it may be against a driver’s first instinct, the safest thing to do is slow down as much as possible and let your vehicle strike the deer. Instincts tell us to avoid an obstruction in the road, but if you can train yourself to not swerve to avoid deer in the road you will keep yourself, your passengers, and other drivers much safer.”

NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering in Brooklyn is getting a $100 million contribution and will change its name Monday in recognition of the large gift.

Chandrika Tandon, a musician and New York University trustee, and her husband, Ranjan Tandon, have agreed to make the donation. The school will be renamed the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, NYU is planning to announce Monday.

Do you have an emergency plan in place? Waiting until a disaster happens is too late. Could your household pass the 10 Minute Challenge? And in a disaster, you might not even have 10 minutes to plan!

Here are just a few of the things you should do in advance:

1) Find out about community resources and emergency services and keep on your smart phone

2) Have a plan with your family for what to do and where to meet if disaster strikes

3) Build an emergency kit and a car kit

4) Store copies of all emergency documents in a safe alternate location in case you can’t access them in your home or office

5) Have contingency plans for your pets.