Dealing with claims can be stressful and time-consuming, especially when liability is disputed, or you feel as though the claims costs have been inflated. We make sure insurers fight hard to defend liability where it is appropriate, and ensure that evidence is gathered and shared in a timely manner. This enables fast and accurate liability decisions. In cases where liability does have to be admitted we work with clients and insurers to achieve the most economic and stress-free outcome. However, defensibility should start before events occur by helping you strengthen your position against potential claimants.

When someone makes a claim against you or your business, you will have the right people defending your position.

• Dispute of Liability - We work with clients, insurers, risk managers and loss adjustors to ensure the party at fault pays the claim.
• Helping you avoid a lack of evidence - We can assist with Risk Management and Health & Safety, workforce training, improved procedures and technology to ensure you can put up an effective defence before or after events occur.
• Avoiding excessive damages – With proactive handling from the start, together with support on risk management and record keeping, we help you to ensure any claims you do have to accept are accurately awarded.

Employers Liability incidents advice to clients:

• Never admit responsibility, ensure the matter is dealt with professionally and unbiased
• Take photos of an area concerned as soon as the incident has occurred, retain any CCTV
• Ensure an entry has been made in the Accident Book no matter how minor
• Report the incident to your Claims Team and/or Account Executive at the first opportunity
• Follow the Company Staff Handbook regarding covering wages and handling time away from work due to recuperation or ongoing treatment, ensure the employee is dealt with in the same manner as any other employee (no special treatment)
• How severe is the injury? Have the HSE been informed? hse.gov.uk/riddor - In cases of death, major injury, or dangerous occurrences, you must notify the enforcing authority without delay, most easily by calling the Incident Contact Centre.  Cases of over-seven-day injuries must be notified within fifteen days of the incident occurring, employers must continue to record over 3-day absence events.  Cases of disease should be reported as soon as a doctor notifies you that your employee suffers from a reportable work-related disease.
• Has a County Court Claim form been issued or any formal solicitor correspondence is received this is to be forward unanswered and without delay
• Has a post incident Risk Assessment been completed?
• Is this a re-occurring incident?  do you need to review working procedures/practices?
• Ensure all Health and Safety meetings concerning the incident are minuted
• Gather Witness statements as soon as possible before people forget the details
• Gather the Employee’s Training records

Public Liability incidents advice to clients:

• Never admit responsibility, ensure the matter is dealt with professionally and unbiased
• Take photos of an area concerned as soon as the incident has occurred, retain any CCTV
• Ensure an entry has been made in the Accident Book no matter how minor
• Report the incident to your Claims Team and/or Account Executive at the first opportunity
• Is this injury - How severe is the injury? Have the HSE been informed
• hse.gov.uk/riddor - In cases of death, major injury, or dangerous occurrences, you must notify the enforcing authority without delay, most easily by calling the Incident Contact Centre
• Is this damage to Property – How severe, take plenty of photographs
• Has a County Court Claim form been issued or any formal solicitor correspondence is received this is to be forward unanswered and without delay
• Has a post incident Risk Assessment been completed?
• Is this a re-occurring incident?  do you need to review working procedures/practices?
• Ensure all Health and Safety meetings concerning the incident are minuted
• Gather Witness statements as soon as possible before people forget the details
• Gather applicable contracts depending who is involved, i.e. if the incident involves a contract between the policyholder and customer etc to establish who is legally responsible

Property Damage advice to clients:

• Don’t wade through flood water. You could be swept away by rapidly-moving flood waters where currents can be stronger than they look. Also, flood waters can carry debris, chemicals, and sewage which can cause injuries, disease, infection, and that are generally harmful to one's health
• Don't handle electrical wires. Always remember that electrical lines and water do not mix. Standing in water and attempting to remove electrical wires is dangerous. Also remember that even if you do not have power in some locations in your house, not all the lines could be dead
• Don’t light candles in a flooded building. It’s very possible that standing flood water could contain oil, gasoline, or other flammable liquids.
• Take plenty of photos of the damage, retain any CCTV footage
• Does this involve a criminal act? If so, inform the Police and obtain a Crime Reference Number
• Does this involve a Third Party – i.e. contractor? (if so we will need a copy of contracts in place)
• Make the area safe and mitigate any loss as soon as possible by…. turning off supplies if needed, arranging temporary repairs to prevent further damage (if the costs here is not much different to the full repair obtain insurer advice as soon as possible however insurers would expect a policyholder to act prudently uninsured.
• If a repair can be undertaken to prevent further damage, take photos and ensure this is done to mitigate any loss, i.e. repair the burst pipe but await insurers instruction regarding the rectification work
• Obtain Contractors’ advice on the cause and rectification costs, ask them to put this in writing