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< PreviousAlways By Your Side. We prevent, control and mitigate the eff ects of water, fi re and climate. www.polygongroup.co.uk Do you want to reach the top of your game? Challenge Accepted ü We have opportunities to join our award-winning team: Claims Handlers – Huntingdon • Managing a caseload whilst providing accurate and eff ective assistance • Having excellent communication skills and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction with a fl exible, can-do attitude. Property Damage Restoration Technicians – Nationwide • Delivering reliable and eff ective assistance to the highest possible standard of service • Making the right decision for the homeowner and the insurer, at the right time • Your role will off er variety and diff erent challenges on a daily basis. Apply for a role at Polygon now - send a CV and covering letter detailing your skills and experience to: Helen Coles, HR Administrator - helen.coles@polygongroup.com People are our key asset - having the right people in the right roles is vital, as is our philosophy and commitment to continuous improvement through training and development.11 guest feature guest feature Why maximising the benefits of resilience during floods requires education and co-operation By Ian Gibbs, National Technical Manager, Sedgwick One of the greatest challenges facing all parties involved in flood insurance claims today, particularly in regards to domestic cases, is how to get policyholders back home as quickly as possible, whilst taking the opportunity of making the buildings more resilient to future floods. If as an industry we can effectively dry and repair properties, whilst at the same time making them more resilient, there is the opportunity to reduce the number and cost of claims in the future. The ABI estimated that its members will have paid out about £1.3 billion for claims following the last significant flood event. It has become such a major issue that it has led the government to initiate studies and research looking into all aspects of flooding and resilience, in order to change how the UK might better cope with the impacts of flooding. Government also initiated the DEFRA Resilience Round Table, a group set up to drive the uptake of resilience, made up of charities, government agencies, insurers, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and other stakeholders in flooding. According to the end-of-year report 2017 of the round table, there is an opportunity to increase the widespread uptake of resilience and building surveyors, who really understand resilience, have the opportunity to adapt homes to be more resilient and undertake resilient repairs after a flood. However, surveyors can only deliver effective resilience in a flood situation, if each member of the ’flood claim supply chain’ understands what we are trying to achieve. This means that all elements of the claims process apply a holistic approach to the building, understanding its current resilience and how to improve resilience to achieve an optimal result. To help achieve this, the RICS Flooding and Insurance working group is closely involved in creating standards. This includes being part of the team delivering the Resilience code of practice (which is due to be published early in Spring 2019). One of the RICS’ principal aims is to address the lack of suitably trained surveyors to meet the challenge of providing effective advice within a flood scenario and to ensure there is a wider pool of surveyors with the adequate skills. This shortage is acute in a flood event, where a lack of trained surveyors slows the claims process and reduces the uptake of resilient adaptation. However, through a better understanding of the resilient options, trained surveyors will be able to educate insurers and others in the claims cycle, building a greater acceptance of the long-term benefits of ‘resilience’ as an integral part of the process of reinstating flooded properties. Here at Sedgwick, our BRE (Building Research Establishment) qualified resilience surveyors utilise their extensive experience of flood claims and understanding of the effect of water on building materials to minimise strip-out and build in resilience. It is really important to use this knowledge to better understand customers and their needs, whether those be practical, aesthetic, or financial, to deliver the right outcome. It is also important for surveyors to form close working relationships with the insurers to ensure that everyone in the process has the same aim and understanding of resilience and can provide the right advice at the right time to benefit customers. This ‘resilient mindset’ throughout the supply chain is essential to delivering effective resilience in a claim situation. Given the positive impact of resilience in reducing the cost of future claims, there is real need across the flood sector for better training and education on the importance and benefit of resilience. By linking reliable, consistent standards to education it will also become much easier for all parties to understand why they need to adopt and trust resilience as an important tool in the armoury of those involved in the claims process. Future research into how materials behave in flood situations, and our understanding of the impact of such will have significant implications for the approach and cost of future flooding. 1 www.insurancetimes.co.uk/abi-uk-floods-to-cost-insurers- 13bn/1416942.article 2 www.cila.co.uk/cila/download-link/sig-downloads/ property/331-2017-pfr-end-of-year-report/file Image courtesy of BRE Image courtesy of BRE12 the standard insight the standard insight The movement towards a further sustainable industry Talks of pressures to improve sustainability across the world is being increasingly highlighted in the news in 2018. With the caution that governments and world leaders need to act faster to deter further climate change, every industry is experiencing challenges. Whilst legislation is playing the part of urging compulsory actions, we explore the ways in which those in the wider insurance industry can support environmental change for the better. Carbon emissions Carbon emissions are a key area which we can reduce as an industry. Newer, energy efficient equipment is regularly being introduced to the market. What is particularly encouraging is the current increased application of energy efficient equipment and remote monitoring systems which have the ability to improve drying times, the efficiency of drying regimes and more importantly in terms of the environment, are enabling significant reductions in carbon emissions. With low carbon technology we are able to make a big difference. Whilst not all businesses have access to such equipment, we should at least be thinking more consciously about the technology we are using, and how we could perhaps reduce the reliance or consider different restoration processes for projects. A big carbon footprint problem is vehicle transportation. Whilst attending sites is an essential role for the supply chain involved in a claim or project, is there a way your company can reduce the need to clock up high miles? Live video technology is becoming increasingly popular for technicians and project managers to share on-site footage and liaise with colleagues and others in the wider supply chain who are not present on site. Meanwhile, drones are further being utilised to assess property damage from a physical point of view, without site visitation. Although you cannot contend with the importance of on-site professionals, particularly for the comfort of policyholders and expertise, we need to think about the efficiency of those who do attend the site. Could lift-sharing perhaps become a critical part of your business efficiency? Are your technicians effectively utilised for projects nearest to their bases so there are shorter commutes? Reducing wastage The damage management industry’s ambitions of restoration over replacement are clear. Whilst anything other than a hard strip-out may not be possible in all property damage claims, any kind of demolition debris is waste that we need to contemplate carefully. Could we do more to recycle elements of the debris? Considering recycling initiatives within your business operation can make everyone more conscious of their actions towards waste reduction. This matter should be at the forefront of all day-to-day activity. Damage management professionals have the ability to significantly reduce waste, and therefore carbon footprint, by adopting a soft strip-out approach and the introduction of innovative drying. The environmental benefit of such an approach should never be discounted and the wider impact on the consumer, business and the insurer is of substantial worth. Pollution As an industry we should be working effectively to reduce the pollution caused when carrying out the cleaning, decontamination and restoration processes. With restoration more environmentally friendly than importing raw building materials, air and water pollution are still both rife and our actions can change the ways in which we contribute to this. During decontamination processes how is your company working to control wastewater? How are you keeping air pollution to a minimal with equipment and machinery? Are there any initiatives that your business has adopted which you could share amongst the supply chain and your partners to ensure project teams work more efficiently together to mitigate pollution? These factors are all food for thought. Adapting with the construction industry In one of the construction industry’s bids to improve sustainability there has been a focus in recent years to use more energy efficient building materials. Consequently, the ways in which the damage management industry develops to meet the standards and requirements of the wider supply chain needs continuous improvement. Knowledge and skill building of construction techniques will enhance technicians’ abilities to understand and deliver the appropriate damage management solutions required. The wider insurance industry must develop alongside the construction industry in order to effectively restore properties which have been built with these materials. Collaboration between the insurance, construction and damage management industries can ensure understanding is aligned when it comes to energy efficient building materials and the restoration processes. We can then work in partnership to fuel a more sustainable future for property restoration.13 the standard insight14 guest feature guest feature With the cost of insurance premiums continually rising and the cost of escape of water (EOW) and fire damage claims spiralling, the impact on the environment is huge and cannot be underestimated. There is however, a possible solution which leading repair company to the insurance industry, Plastic Surgeon, believes can have a huge impact. However, first we need to educate the industry and its supply chain. Here, Head of Insurance at Plastic Surgeon, Chris Edwards explains. Escape of water 2017 was a year the insurance industry will not forget in a hurry.Floods like the one caused by Hurricane Harvey are supposed to happen once every 500 years. Houston saw three in three years, and Irma – which wrought devastation – is one of the strongest storms ever recorded. Then, in early 2018 ‘The Beast from the East’ wreaked havoc across the UK, creating some of the most testing weather experienced in the UK for years. Insurers reported an increase in claims of 290%, and the aftermath cost the industry a whopping £600 million, with claim costs quadrupling. Fast forward to the summer heatwave, you’d be forgiven for forgetting the impact that weather can have on insurance claims, and our poor cousins in America are reaping the after effects of the devastation that Florence caused in September. The government’s official advisers, the Committee on Climate Change,warned in 2016 that the UK is poorly preparedfor the inevitable impacts of global warming, including floods, deadly annual heatwaves and water shortages. Flooding is the most high-profile impact of climate change on the UK. Many are calling on the insurance industry to play an active role in reducing the impacts, not only to save itself from future losses, but to enable them to reduce risk rather than merely responding to natural disasters. Repair-first approach At Plastic Surgeon, we work with many of the UK’s leading insurers and have noted that, the industry is still adopting a replacement- first approach to EOW claims, resulting in millions of tonnes of needless landfill every year. We strongly believe that changing the approach to a ‘repair-first approach’ would have a huge influence on lessening our impact on the environment, helping to reduce landfill waste and carbon emissions, thus reducing our effect on climate change. But a repair approach also has other benefits to insurers including huge reductions in claim life cycle costs and an increase in customer satisfaction ratings. In 2015, following the devastating floods in Carlisle, the streets were full of skips filled with items which possibly could have been restored. We, and many in the industry were shocked at the number of repairable items that were and are consistently thrown away following major incidents, resulting in millions of tonnes of unnecessary landfill, increasing our impact on the environment, and escalating costs. In a recent report for a leading insurer we reported that only 16% of items that we see damaged by water are beyond restoration. A report via the ABI (5 th June 2018) stated that during the first quarter of 2018, insurance claims were up by 290%. However, what is interesting to note is that at this unprecedented busy time for the insurance industry, claim numbers at Plastic Surgeon did not follow that trend. The industry still adopts old-fashioned, expensive and somewhat unreliable processes when it comes to handling claims during large scale weather and flooding events. Clauses within policy documents state that insurers have the option to repair, replace, or cash settle.Many insurers do not understand just how many items are completely repairable, and during incredibly busy times they, and their supply chain revert straight to a replacement-first approach. To become more sustainable, the industry needs better knowledge By Chris Edwards, Head of Insurance, Plastic Surgeon Chris Edwards15 Fire damage We cannot discount the increase in fire claims which remain a significant concern. In 2016, insurers paid out £1.25 billion in fire claims. The industry has also reported that the average cost of a claim involving a fire or explosion has increased by a third in two years. There is a great deal of press coverage surrounding insurers and how they assess damage and what is a suitable payout. Similar to EOW claims the option to repair rather than replace is rarely considered. Working with loss adjusters We estimate that over 75% of fire damaged elements in the home are repairable. In a recent trial – working alongside an insurer and loss adjuster – we attended an initial visit alongside the loss adjuster to provide specialist advice, before the scope of reinstatement work was put together or any destructive strip-out took place. By working with the loss adjuster, we are able to provide advice there and then, in terms of what can be repaired before any strip-out works take place. This not only ensures we save any items that are repairable but, in turn we are educating the loss adjuster on our processes and what we are able to achieve. Our insurance team recently assessed a property, damaged by a house fire in a neighbouring home. Every room had some kind of damage, whether it be soot or more heavily damaged burns. Other areas of the house were damaged by water used to put out the blaze by the fire service. We reported that 100% of the damage could be completely repaired in a matter of days. In many cases, a repair option is overlooked due to a lack of knowledge. By attending sites with a loss adjuster, specialist restoration companies can educate and explain directly what can and can’t be replaced. Many claims handlers will automatically suggest a new kitchen be installed as it may be deemed unrepairable – this may be mainly down to the fact that the kitchen is particularly dated, and new parts may be unavailable. However, with today’s technology and market- leading products, repairs can be made which completely take items back to their former glory, quicker and more cost-effectively with a hugely lessened impact on the environment. This approach is so much less disruptive to the customer. Take brick and stone work for instance. In a fire damaged home, to replace brick or stone can result in a customer being out of their home for a great deal of time, whilst the builder sources the correct stone which may come from a particular region or have a historic purpose. However, most brick and stone damaged in a fire can be repaired, which is a more customer-friendly approach. Time for the industry to work together It’s clear to see that many of the issues in the industry are as result of a lack of knowledge, resulting in numerous repairable items in the home being sent to landfill. In 2017, Plastic Surgeon saved 3,474 tonnes of landfill over the course of the year. This was up 9% on 2016 figures, and early indications show that 2018 numbers will have increased again. In addition to the overall reductions in terms of landfill, carbon emissions are greatly reduced through the lessened need of manufacturing, transport, and the energy required. With the industry under more and more pressure to reduce its carbon footprint and visibly show its commitment to the environment, a ‘replacement-first approach’ is a quick win. It’s interesting to note that the construction industry – of which a large proportion of our work takes place – has grasped restoration fully and wholeheartedly. They understand the cost benefits and environmental benefits that the approach brings. We are working closely with the BDMA and its members to educate and inform the damage management industry on the repair options available to raise this awareness further. A collaborative approach to repair is essential. We all have to be on the same page to be completely effective and to change the industry approach. In addition to the huge environmental savings a repair approach has, the costs saved and the reduction in the claim life cycles are one of the biggest plus points to this approach. We recently reported that a repair approach saves over £850 per claim – a quarter of the cost of replacement – and it reduces the claim life cycle by a tenth, thus increasing customer satisfaction ratings. It was particularly interesting to read Lee Sadowski’s piece in the August edition regarding Crawford’s Contractor Connection repair network. It’s essential to ensure that the insurer, policyholder, and supply chain work together. There is a big education piece here to get everyone following suit, but we’re definitely getting there. guest feature guest feature16 learning & development learning & development Working in property damage management you are faced with many different building materials and construction types daily. These of course are ever evolving with technology continuously developing. In turn, the construction techniques used to build a property can have a later impact on the restoration process adopted following a property damage claim. There is a lot to consider when approaching a claim on-site, and damage management professionals are aware they can do more harm than good if they go straight into the restoration process without clarifying the construction type, the building materials and the age of the building. Without identifying this key information, the practitioner risks further damage, higher claim costs and a longer claim life cycle, or even a more complicated process than necessary. So, how does the BDMA’s Construction Techniques course available through the BDMA e-Academy further support professionals’ understanding? The Construction Techniques course provides delegates with a basic knowledge of building construction in the United Kingdom. Delegates will gain fundamental insight into construction techniques including: •Differentiations between building materials and their varying properties •Essential building regulations in the UK, for example, regarding listed buildings •How different building materials react with elements and affect restoration processes The course aims to reinforce delegates' existing skills and enhance their abilities to deliver superior professional damage management solutions. Gain more expertise and sign up for the online Construction Techniques course through the BDMA e-Academy. Work in your own time and at your own pace. Find out more via: www.bdma.org.uk/ bdma-lmp Inside the BDMA e-Academy: Construction Techniques 17 bdma membership The BDMA e-Academy allows individuals to access carefully selected course content from market leading training providers, that has been specially developed by the BDMA. The online courses accompany the BDMA’s existing instructor-led training to provide a full blended learning experience. Learn in your own time, at your own pace with 24/7 access. Find out more here: www.bdma.org.uk/bdma-lmp The BDMA e-Academy bdma membership Continuous improvement with abdma Membership Upcoming BDMA examinations in 2018/19 30 th November2018 Market Harborough 30 th November 2018 Bolton 22 nd February2019 Market Harborough 17 th May 2019 Market Harborough 26 th July 2019 Market Harborough Note: Dates may be added to accommodate the increasing demand for accreditation. All dates, venues and booking information are posted on the BDMA website. Details may be subject to change. Candidates are advised to book as early as possible using the BDMA website. Except from mitigating circumstances, a cancellation fee of £15.00 plus VAT is payable if less than 10 days’ notice is given. Full details of all Categories & Criteria and the Route to Accreditation can be found in the Membership and Accreditation section on the website. All individual BDMA members and associates are required to own a copy of the BDMA Standards, which are provided free of charge. A career in the wider insurance industry requires continuous growth and education. In the ever-competitive market of today, it is vital that practitioners keep up-to-date with new trends and progression within the industry. A BDMA membership offers you educational materials in the form of technical and research papers, self-help sheets and publications, with information segmented for specific roles and interests. This flexible and targeted style of learning allows you to develop both knowledge and technical skill that is required within the damage management and wider industry, at your own pace. This helps you to continuously improve throughout every step of your career. Once you receive a BDMA accreditation, it is widely recognised and respected across the industry. The accreditation builds further trust and confidence across the entire supply chain, including both policyholders and service users. You can find out more about our BDMA memberships by going to www.bdma.org.uk/ membership-and-accreditation18 DARTFORD - UK Specialist Removals and Storage Experts for the Insurance Industry Doree Bonner has been providing removal and storage services since 1929 and more specifi cally to the insurance industry since 2006. Our 12 years’ experience enables not only our Management Team and Administration Staff, but also our Operatives to work with the empathy required to reassure the mover during their time of adversity. Helping your customers move on... We are already working with many of the UK’s leading disaster recovery companies, loss adjusters, accommodation agents and insurance related builders. 01322 552069 For more details please contact: corporate@dbonner.co.uk | www.doreebonner.co.uk HRH The Princess Royal visits BDMA Member Jonathan Davison - Sophie Bennett - BDMA The Forshaw Group, who is a BDMA Corporate Associate member, and has a number of accredited BDMA members, was privileged to have Royalty visit and acknowledge their 70 th Anniversary on Tuesday 16 th October. We congratulate them. The day was without question unique, professionally applied and the BDMA was honoured to be invited and subsequently involved. It was a marvellous moment to highlight our worth (and that of our members) and we very much appreciated the opportunity afforded by Liam Hanlon and his colleagues. Excellent Support There were many exhibitors, attendees and supporters. These ranged from insurers, adjusters, an eclectic mix of contractors, others such as the BDMA, charitable organisations, local officials and politicians, the military and more. In conclusion, the BDMA, and far more so its members, offer substantial value to individuals, families, communities, business, local economies, UKPLC and our country as a whole.19 Driving a change for sustainable claim footprints By Des O'Connor, Revival Des O'Connor guest feature guest feature As many in our industry know, the most effective and efficient way to dry a property is to increase the temperature, which in turn will increase the efficiency of conventional drying equipment. However, the skill and knowledge of a trained technician also impacts the claim’s proficiency. Significant amounts of machinery are used, and power is expended to raise the temperature of the wetted materials’ target surfaces (for example, with concrete and brick). Technicians know that refrigerant dehumidifiers work best at optimal temperatures, but this is a huge strain on the power supply and is not considerate to our environment. The use of heat to supplement a conventional drying system enables the equipment to work at maximum efficiency, thus reducing the power usage on the claim. In some cases, an open (natural) drying system should be considered within a drying regime as this can be monitored the same way as a conventional drying programme. Yet, it is inherently difficult to determine the finish time of the drying programme. Obvious concerns around the great British weather and the lack of security by leaving windows and doors open, need to be considered. Target and injection systems are extremely efficient drying programmes that are becoming increasingly prevalent in use. This approach can massively reduce the environmental impact of the drying process and is very effective. Competently trained technicians, correctly specifying a drying solution including strip-out works and equipment installation, will maximise the efficiency of the drying process and minimise the quantity of materials being sent to landfill. Reducing the number of monitoring visits by 1 can save 20-50 litres of fuel. This delivers a cost and environmental saving, as well as convenience for the customer. If the restoration industry’s main goal within the next year was to install remote monitoring on 50% of water damage claims, this would immediately impact the carbon footprint. Yet, there must be an appetite to focus on this across the industry. The newest equipment on the market has remote capability which can be used to control, monitor and measure the drying process from your computer, phone, or tablet. This means that many more tasks can be handled simultaneously without the need to spend a lot of time on the site or in the car. Additionally, the drying process is terminated at exactly the right time rather than at a time determined by the customer, contractor or when the technician is free, and the equipment can be turned off at that point. The disaster restoration industry can drive real change and improve awareness of our ecological footprint during a claim. Restoration and building companies need to work collaboratively to create a cultural change when it comes to our environment. Investment in technology, training and awareness is needed to truly make a difference.Next >