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    • Contact Us!
    • About Us
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    • Environmental
    • Agriculture Others
    • Site Pollution
    • BLOG
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  • Home
  • Contact Us!
  • About Us
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Agriculture Others
  • Site Pollution
  • BLOG
  • Claims Reporting Info

J. Loos & Associates, Inc.

J. Loos & Associates, Inc.J. Loos & Associates, Inc.J. Loos & Associates, Inc.

Commercial & Environmental Insurance Solutions

Commercial & Environmental Insurance Solutions Commercial & Environmental Insurance Solutions

Environmental Risk Overview for the Construction Industry

As a contractor, you can be responsible for pollution caused in connection with your work.  Your general liability policy almost certainly contains a total pollution exclusion.  But you deal with potential pollutants on a daily basis:

Paint

Fuel or Hydraulic fluids

Mold from water intrusions caused by your work

Dust from Concrete or Drywall

Concrete washout water

Sealants/Adhesives/Coatings

Assorted jobsite debris

Unknown pollutants on a jobsite, such as underground storage tanks


US law imposes strict liability on anyone involved in the release of a pollutant, and imposes legal liability on them to contribute to the cleanup.  Even if you did not directly cause the pollution event, you can still get sued.


Here are a few examples of pollution claims involving the construction industry:

  • A contractor used muriatic acid while doing a concrete etching job.  The fumes were not properly contained, and damaged fixtures in the building and caused occupants to feel ill.   The contractor was held liable for the damage and illness.
  • A roofing contractor took on a job that was found to involve asbestos roofing tiles.  They hired an abatement firm, who successfully removed the tiles and disposed of them at a licensed landfill.  A fire ignited at the landfill, causing the release of some asbestos, among other pollutants.   Everyone involved with the asbestos waste, including the roofing contractor, were sued by the EPA.
  • A weatherization contractor was hauling 100 gallons of liquid waterproofing to a jobsite when the vehicle was involved in an accident and the waterproofing spilled onto the road.  The contractor was required to pay for the cleanup, which was not covered by general liability or auto liability.
  • A window contractor failed to adequately seal the window penetration in the wall, and water was able to enter the walls, leading to the formation of mold, which caused the inhabitants to get sick.
  • A flooring contractor noticed that there was old tile underneath a plywood subfloor, and some of the tile had been disturbed and damaged during work.  Testing was done and the tile was found to contain asbestos, and that dust from the tiles had contaminated the building.  The contractor was responsible for the abatement and cleanup costs.


Review the pollution and professional liability risks facing your industry by downloading the Environmental & Professional Risk Overviews below.

Concrete & Masonry (pdf)Download
Electrical Contractors (pdf)Download
Flooring Contractors (pdf)Download
General Contractors (pdf)Download
HVAC and Mechanical Contractors (pdf)Download
Industrial Cleaning Contractors (pdf)Download
Insulation Contractors (pdf)Download
Landscaping Contractors (pdf)Download
Nonstructural Demolition Contractors (pdf)Download
Painting Contractors (pdf)Download
Plastering & Stucco Contractors (pdf)Download
Residential Contractors & Custom Home Builders (pdf)Download
Restoration Contractors (pdf)Download
Window Contractors (pdf)Download

Construction waste and Land Management

Contractors working on buildings are not the only companies who can have a pollution exposure.  


  • Do you collect and dispose of construction waste?   Spills or leaks during collection or transport can lead to environmental cleanup costs that you are liable for.  There could be hazardous materials in that waste that you are unaware of, or that could combine and create a fire, explosion, or toxic fumes hazard.
  • Do you dredge waterways, perform grading or excavation work, or otherwise alter the physical landscape?  That soil, sediment, and debris may be contaminated with known or unknown pollutants, and you could be held responsible for mishandling those materials, even if you were unaware of their presence.  You could hit an underground utility line, causing a gas leak or rupturing a water line.
  • Perhaps you're a recycler and accept construction waste to recycle scrap metal and building materials.   Those materials, the processes used to recycle them, and waste generated from the recycling could all be pollutants, not to mention any potential contaminants that are present on the materials when you receive them.




Dredging (pdf)Download
Drilling & Blasting (pdf)Download
Construction Waste Landfill (pdf)Download
Landscaping Contractors (pdf)Download
Property Developers (pdf)Download
Quarries (pdf)Download
Scrap Metal Recycler (pdf)Download
Solid Waste Management (pdf)Download

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