Latest Contractors Headlines
All the headlines from our Contractors Topic Page, ordered by recency.
How Ruling That Drivers Are Employees Upends Uber Business Model
Jun 19 2015 // If you’re a freelance writer who occasionally sells articles to a website, are you actually an employee? If you live in California, I think the answer might be — yes? The California Labor commissioner has ruled...
Will Uber Employee Status Ruling in California Impact Its Business Model?
Jun 17 2015 // An Uber driver is an employee not a contractor, according to a California Labor Commission ruling on Wednesday that opens the door to more scrutiny over the rideshare giant’s business model. Earlier in the day some...
Commission Rules Uber Drivers Employees, Not Contractors
Jun 17 2015 // A San Francisco-based driver for smartphone-based ride-hailing service Uber is an employee, not a contractor, according to a ruling by the California Labor Commission. The ruling, filed on Tuesday in state court in San...
Additional Insured Endorsements in Construction
Jun 15 2015 // To get on a job, contractors often have to show proof of insurance and name the individuals hiring them as additional insureds on the contractors’ commercial general liability (CGL) policies. By doing this, the...
Agents Need to Know: Texas Workers’ Comp E-Mods Changing
Jun 11 2015 // The number 1.00 means different things to different people. In baseball, 1.00 represents a perfect batting average. But in college, a 1.00 grade point average is about as bad as it gets. In workers’ compensation, a...
Indiana High Court Sides with Contractors on Fire Costs
May 26 2015 // The Indiana Supreme Court says contractors who worked on a 19th century courthouse before a 2009 fire don’t have to pay some of costs of repairing the fire damage. The decision upholds lower court rulings favoring...
Hard Rock Lake Tahoe Sued by Reno Contractor For $6M
May 21 2015 // SMC Construction of Reno, Nev. is suing the owners of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe for failing to pay more than $6 million for work to finish the property before its Jan. 28 grand opening. The Reno...
Courts and Carriers Can Misapply the Absolute Pollution Exclusion
May 19 2015 // Never let it be said that an exclusion would or could be misapplied; but the absolute pollution exclusion likely qualifies as the most misapplied exclusion within the commercial general liability (CGL) policy. Reasons for...
Conn. Bill Requires Home Improvement Contractors to Have Insurance
May 15 2015 // Certain home improvement contractors in Connecticut could soon be obligated to hold liability insurance. The Connecticut House of Representatives on Thursday voted 140-2 in favor of legislation that would require...
Indiana Governor Signs Bill Repealing Construction Minimum Wage Law
May 8 2015 // Local boards will no longer set minimum wages for public construction projects in Indiana under a law signed by Republican Gov. Mike Pence. The bill will eliminate the boards that set what is known as the common...
OSHA Rule Protects Construction Workers in Confined Spaces
May 5 2015 // The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a final rule to increase protections for construction workers in confined spaces. The rule will provide construction workers with protections...
Cracking Under Pressure: Answers to the Workers’ Compensation Quiz
Apr 20 2015 // We gave you the questions on Friday; you have had all weekend to ponder your responses. Here are the answers for which you have been waiting. Good luck, we hope you do well. 1. What country was the first to implement a...
Texas, Louisiana Improve Building Code Rankings but More Work Needed
Apr 20 2015 // Texas doesn’t have the worst score in a recent ranking of state building code systems but it’s pretty close to the bottom, according to a national organization committed to improving the ability of properties...
California Agent Nabbed on Bogus Bond, $100K Premium Theft Charges
Apr 20 2015 // Licensed insurance agent Lars Hedegaard, 63, of Danville, Calif. was arrested on two felony counts of grand theft in April. Hedegaard was doing business as Westport & Associates Insurance Services Inc. when he...
Washington Contractor Hit for $1M in Workers’ Comp Premiums and Penalties
Apr 15 2015 // A former drywall contractor in Walla Walla, Wash. must pay more than $1 million in delinquent workers’ compensation premiums and penalties. The Washington State Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals recently held...
Audit Problems Leading to Additional Premiums
Apr 15 2015 // Let’s dispense with the niceties and all attempts to eloquently ease into a discussion on the troubles surrounding workers’ compensation audits. Rather let’s jump right into the problem — assignment of...
Texas, Louisiana Improve Building Code Rankings; More Work Needed
Apr 14 2015 // Source: Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA Texas doesn’t have the worst score in a recent ranking of state building code systems but it’s pretty close to the bottom, according to a national organization committed to...
North Carolina Contractor Jailed for Taking Insurance Money for Fraudulent Jobs
Apr 10 2015 // Authorities are accusing a contractor of taking more than $9,000 from insurance companies for roofing jobs in Richmond County, N.C., that he didn’t do. The Richmond County Daily Journal reports 42-year-old David...
California Agent Nabbed on Bogus Bond, $100K Premium Theft Charges
Apr 8 2015 // Licensed insurance agent Lars Hedegaard, 63, of Danville, Calif. was arrested on two felony counts of grand theft. Hedegaard was doing business as Westport &Associates Insurance Services Inc. when he allegedly issued...
BTIS announces expansion of Contractors’ General Liability, now in 43 states
Apr 2 2015 // Rocklin, CA, April 2, 2015: Builders & Tradesmen’s Insurance Services, Inc. (BTIS) is pleased to announce the expansion of their Victory® General Liability program into New Jersey, it’s 43rd...
