Not to hijack the thread too far, but most of planes flown are high powered gasoline or electric planes that travel over 100 miles per hour with large spinning guillotines in the nose and guided by a tenuous control link made with discount radio components assembled by children in developing countries…
Even non-powered flight, such as gliders, are reaching astonishing speeds (over 300 mph). There are some video links here: SlopeRacing.com is for sale | HugeDomains
These gliders fly very close to the ground and are made of carbon fiber and Kevlar and can go THROUGH plywood barriers when a piloting error occurs.
It’s extremely fun and addicting to perform, but terrifying to watch.
From 2nd Anon…For AIA members, there’s a 2005 prof liab insurance survey on AIA website that contains a lot of information, including some very generalized premium info.
Maybe because I have no “track record” of gross revenues (although in the appl I guesstimated $100K annual for lack of any other round #)…nor claims, that I was able to obtain coverage ($1mil per/$2mil aggr/no deduct) for $2,000/yr. (it is one company that is listed in AIA survey); I’m unsure if it’s proper to mention specific company names (Colin?), but I did get a quote from two other companies, one of which is NOT listed in AIA survey. Each companies quote varied in deductible & other coverages features/limitations in addition to starting dollar limits, but surprisingly were very close in premium for similar dollar limits. Interestingly, my homeowner’s insurance company (a well-known one) refused to quote a premium…some vague excuse/reason of not covering what I do…or something to that effect.
Yes, my 12 pg contract (letters of agreement are greatly discouraged by insurance companies; although, I’m not sure what a letter of agreement is) also limits my liability (even it’s my fault) to my fee.
Again not to wander, but my father-in-law started into model aircraft, building a few, until he discovered the liability involved (if he wanted to fly them) and insurance needed. Does not take much for some one/thing to interfere with one’s radio signal and the aircraft goes off and hits someone.
Anyhow, if Colin permits naming names, I will follow-up with the companies that I rec’d quotes from (and the one I didn’t too).
Specification writing, when practiced by an independent person/unity, is a technical service not a profession requiring a state issued license. So why should we be required to provide a professional liability insurance, especially when the professional of record has already bought and paid for it? The issue of insurance for independent specifiers has been bantered about for years, both inside and outside of SCIP.
Secondly, every spec consultant should have a clasue in their contract agreement that their work is subject to the review and acceptance of their client, the architect-engineer. I do not contract with non-licensed clients, ie, builders, developers, etc. The exception is manufacturers.
If you are looking for peace-of-mind, I advise two things: (1) write concise, well coordinated spex (this of course will not protect you from a hell-bent attorney but it helps); and (2) place all you assets in trusts (this will protect you) (Also, there are a whole host of other valid reasons to do so anyway.)
It costs money to process legal actions. No accessable money, no lawsuit. End of situation.
Works for me.
Ron
(I just completed my 30th year as an independent specifier in May)
We have liability insurance. Clients rarely asked for it when we did not have it, but then we incorporated the business and our attorney talked me into getting it. Now that we have it, seems like more clients are requiring it.
It was difficult to find, and an uphill battle to educate the insurance brokers as to what it is we specifiers do.
It is a very reasonable cost - and a business expense. Also easier to sleep at night.
The alternative (if no insurance) is to write an agreement that makes your architectural client totally responsible for your work. But you might have to hire an attorney just to defend that clause.