injury liability when acting as general contractors

[Kim]

Hi Everyone:

We are going to be general contractors for building our log home. We are hiring acouple of local guys who know how to put up a log home. Don't worry, we have checked them out thoroughly, and everyone we have talked to said they are excellent. They will dry in the logs, and then we will take it from there. The question is: how do we protect ourselves from anyone getting injured on the job while putting up the logs, and also when we hire subcontractors to finish the work? Thank you for imput!!!
Kim :?:

[WillandHelen]

If they are liscensed and insured then I think they assume thier own liability. Is that right everyone?

[Kim]

Hey thanks for the reply: No, they are not licensed or insured, they are just a couple of local boys who can build . I guess I should have made that clear! Sorry :? That is what I am trying to find out, now to protect ourselves.

[rreidnauer]

That's an issue I've been concerned about just having other LHBA students coming to work on my place.

[Kim]

HI Rod: Yeah, the guys said they would sign a piece of paper saying we would not be responsible for any injuries with their crew. If we got it signed and witnessed and notorized, would that protect us?

[Basil]

nope, probably not.

[WillandHelen]

Perhaps you could buy your own insurance for them to work for you.

[nobleknight]

01-16-05

See if your homeowners policy covers people/family helping you with home repair, or ask them if they have their own health care policy.

Tom
nobleknight
class 01-15-05

[kyle]

You might also have to check with your state labor department to see if they would require workmen's comp insurance even though you are subcontracting the work.

[gregorama]

I plan on getting general liability insurance for the project AND a hold-harmless agreement through an attorney. I'm no lawyer, but if I understand correctly, no hold-harmless will withstand negligence (intentional or otherwise) on your part. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong! Your Labor and Industries (or whatever it is in your state) department can help you; they have strict guidelines on who must be covered and for how much. I called in Alaska, and they had it all down to a T. A very important T. :wink:

Greg

[Kim]

Hey thanks everyone for your input, .....I see we are going to have to make sure we are covered. All it takes in one back injury or something of that nature, and we could be paying for years!

It is a pain in the neck now, but better than a pain in our wallet.

:wink:

[wood bug]

Hi Kim, I just posed this question to my Ins. agent. basicly if you have a home on the prop. already, you may be covered depending on your policy. If there is no home w/ ins, than they should have a ins. bond or policy to protect them and possible damage to your property and surrounding properties, (like if they accidently started a fire) in any case I would supply them osha type safty gear i.e. hat, goggles and back brace and have a written aggreement /requirenment that they use them in writting to show later that you did try to address safty factors if it does come up

[Kim]

Hi Wood Bug: (love your user name)

Thanks for the info. I found out in the state of Tn, you have to have workman's comp, period. So, now the question is, if we provide it, or the guys who put up the logs get their own. So, that is what I am looking at now. Again, thanks for tips.

Kim :D

[lisaandmark]

Hey guys,
This is a subject I know a little about. My brother is a worker's comp attorney. He advised us to absolutely have a policy in place before anyone ever set foot on our property to help during construction. This included friends who came out to help for free. He has had cases where a friend working for free was injured and unable to work at his real job and the house owners had to pay compensation --ie: his lost wages -- because of the injury.

Keep in mind this is different than a general liability policy. You WON'T be covered for worker's comp claims under a general liability policy.

We ended up getting a policy that would cover us. It was about $2000 for a year of coverage. Not cheap, but I would much rather pay for the policy than pay someone for a worker's comp claim.

Absolutely have a policy in place before you have anyone come in and help!
Lisa & Mark

[Kim]

Lisa and Mark:

This really good info. thank you.! Do you know the name of this policy? Or what company issues it? We would pay the 2000.00 in a hearbeat, or maybe get the builder to split the cost.

Kim :D

[Kim]

Lisa and Mark:

Thanks for the tips. That is the direction we will have to go. We have no choice. I am not about to let a worker step on one inch of our land without the coverage. He might get poked by a thistle or something and sue us for pain and suffering! hehe.
:wink:

[Ellsworth]

Bump: seeking recent member experiences with this topic.