Archive January 2010

Tips for insuring Fine Art & Antiques

13/01/2010 in Fine Art and Antiques

Some useful tips for insuring fine art and antiques, from a specialist:

Wide territorial limits: the cover should include whilst the art is removed from its normal location, including the transit. Examples of this include cover for when the art work is loaned out to a museum or exhibition, and whilst it is displayed at a different home (or office).

Depreciation cover: If the art is damaged and then repaired, the insurance should not only pay for the repair cost but also the decrease in the value of the painting after it has been repaired.

Cover whilst damaged by a professional restorer: If art is restored, and the professional restorer damages it, this should be covered by your insurance policy. This is because some restorers may not have the right insurance to cover this on your behalf, or may lack the financial means to compensate you in the event that they damage the art work.

Automatic cover for new acquisitions: New acquisitions of art should be automatically covered to some extent. This would give you the flexibility to add to your collection and have it covered immediately as it comes into your possession and ownership, without the inconvenience of having to notify insurers before it becomes covered.

If you would like more details of Fine Art & Antiques Insurance, please contact Paul Macbeth ACII (Managing Director) on 0118 9452 944 or paul.macbeth@macbeths.co.uk

Macbeth are Chartered Insurance Brokers based in Reading with a premier client division dedicated to providing advice and insurance solutions to wealthy individuals. Our area’s of expertise include high value homes, fine art and antiques, valuables, second homes and overseas homes and high value cars.

Be prepared for the thaw

13/01/2010 in Property Insurance

The cost and personal inconvenience caused by a burst pipe claim can be considerable with claims often running into many thousands of pounds. Just a small fracture can release hundreds of gallons of water into your property; damaging carpets, walls, ceilings and also personal items.

The chance of suffering these losses can be reduced and we would recommend taking the following steps to do this:

General tips:

Check the location of your stopcock.

Check whether your boiler needs servicing.

Check the insulation on your water pipes and cold water tank, those in the attic or other vulnerable spaces should be lagged or similarly protected.

Modern methods of insulation can be so effective in keeping heat within your property that attics can become very cold, this could cause a pipe to freeze. We therefore recommend you keep your loft hatch open if you have pipes in the attic to keep this area warm.

Keep doors between heated and unheated rooms open to allow warm air to circulate.

Keep cupboard doors open below sinks to allow warm air to circulate around the plumbing.

Seal any holes or gaps that may be letting cold air into your property.

Make sure any valleys and gulley’s on your roof are kept clear and free from debris.

Make sure any external taps are turned off and disconnect any hoses.

If you discover a frozen pipe don’t wait for it to burst. Turn off your water supply and then slowly thaw the affected pipe by introducing gentle heat to the area e.g. hair dryer, space heater, hot water bottle. DO NOT attempt to thaw the pipe with a blow torch or other open flame such as a cigarette lighter or matches.

What if you are going away or the property will be unoccupied?

Keep your property heated to reduce the chance of a pipe freezing.

If you are going away for an extended break drain and shut off your water system.

Ask somebody to check on your property daily. This may not prevent a loss but early identification of an escape can help reduce the ultimate cost.

Ensure you have complied with any unoccupancy conditions or warranties listed in your policy.

What if the worst happens?

Turn off the water supply at the stopcock. This should prevent any more water escaping into your property.

Where practical try and catch any excess water in a bucket or other container.

Do not use any electrics if you believe these may have been affected by the escaping water. You will need to have these checked by a professional electrician.

GUIDANCE TO EMPLOYERS DURING BAD WEATHER

05/01/2010 in Risk Management

With the recent weather conditions we have received several queries regarding providing safe access and egress to workplace premises. Hopefully the following guidance will enable you to identify slip, trip and fall hazards, assess risk and keep your premises safe and hazard free during the coming winter weeks.

The following guidance has been issued by HSE.
As an employer and business you have a duty of care to employees and all those who may be affected by your business or activities, this includes visitors, contractors and members of the public accessing your premises.

Slip and trip accidents increase during the Autumn and Winter season for a number of reasons: there is less daylight, leaves fall onto paths and become wet and slippery and as you state cold weather spells cause ice and snow to build up on paths. There are effective actions that you can take to reduce the risk of a slip or trip.
Ice, frost and snow

To reduce the risk of slips on ice, frost or snow, you need to assess the risk and put in a system to manage it.

Identify the outdoor areas used by pedestrians most likely to be affected by ice, for example: – building entrances, car parks, pedestrian walkways, shortcuts, sloped areas and areas constantly in the shade or wet.

Monitor the temperature, as prevention is key.
You need to take action whenever freezing temperatures are forecast. Keep up to date by visiting a weather service site
Met office website
BBC weather website
Highways agency website
There are also smart signs on the market, available to buy at low cost, which display warning messages at 5 0 and below.

Put a procedure in place to prevent an icy surface forming and/or keep pedestrians off the slippery surface
Use grit (see separate article below for more detail) or similar, on areas prone to be slippery in frosty, icy conditions.
Consider covering walkways e.g. by an arbour high enough for people to walk through, or use an insulating material on smaller areas overnight.
Divert pedestrians to less slippery walkways and barrier off existing ones.

If warning cones are used, remember to remove them once the hazard has passed or they will eventually be ignored.

Gritting – the pros and cons
The most common method used to de-ice floors is gritting as it is relatively cheap, quick to apply and easy to spread. Rock salt (plain and treated) is the most commonly used ‘grit’. It is the substance used on public roads by the highways authority.

Salt can stop ice forming and cause existing ice or snow to melt. It is most effective when it is ground down, but this will take far longer on pedestrian areas than on roads.

No tests have been carried out on how much grit to use. As a guide, on roads a rate of approximately 10-15gms/m 2 for precautionary salting and 20-40gms/m2 during ice and snow conditions is recommended.

Gritting should be carried out when frost, ice or snow is forecast or when walkways are likely to be damp or wet and the floor temperatures are at, or below freezing. The best times are early in evening before the frost settles and/or early in the morning before employees arrive. Salt doesn’t work instantly; it needs sufficient time to dissolve into the moisture on the floor.

If you grit when it is raining heavily the salt will be washed away, causing a problem if the rain then turns to snow. Compacted snow, which turns to ice, is difficult to treat effectively with grit. Be aware that ‘dawn frost’ can occur on dry surfaces, when early morning dew forms and freezes on impact with the cold surface. It can be difficult to predict when or where this condition will occur.

Bags of rock salt can be purchased from most large Builders Merchants.

Other slip hazards can also arise from:
Wet and decaying leaves
Fallen leaves that become wet or have started to decay can create slip risks in two ways, they hide any hazard that may be on the path or they themselves create a slip risk.
Put in place a procedure for removing leaves at regular intervals; you might even consider removing the offending bushes or trees altogether.
Rain water

When fitting external paved areas ensure that the material used will be slip resistant when wet.

Discourage people from taking shortcuts over grass or dirt which are likely to become slippery when wet. Consider converting existing shortcuts into proper paths.
On new sites, before laying paths, think about how pedestrians are likely to move around the site. Putting the path in the right place from the start may save you money in the long term.

Many slip accidents happen at building entrances as people entering the building walk in rainwater. Fitting canopies of a good size over building entrances and in the right position can help to prevent this.

If a canopy is not a possibility, consider installing large, absorbent mats or even changing the entrance flooring to one which is non-slip.

For further health & safety information visit www.macbethrisksolutions.co.uk