Author: David

TL Dallas at Wembley (Dublin) Again!

Following the success of Bradford City in making the Capital One Cup Final in February they turned their attention back to promotion. It looked short lived; the cup run had left them mid table and a disastrous 4-1 defeat away at Exeter in mid March meant it looked like League 2 once again – no more promotion dreams – but this is the Bradford City that never gives up.

So in a season where the players had already shown incredible team spirit and determination to defy the odds they went on a run of games with the kind of form that would have seen them top the table. Barely a month later, they defeated Burton Albion at home grabbing the 7th and final play off place with a game to spare.

A two leg semi final against the very same, 4th place, Burton stood in the way of another Wembley Final, it was made all the more difficult by losing the home tie 3-2 but that “never say die” spirit won over again with a 3-1 victory away from home and Wembley once again beckoned.

The scramble for Wembley tickets began again around the office but for two of TL Dallas Group’s Directors, John Butterworth & I, it was going to be a very different day. Many months ago, before the Sky schedules and the Champion’s League Final conspired to move some of the play off finals from their traditional Bank Holiday Weekend we had agreed to accept an invitation to the Amlin & Heineken Rugby Finals in Dublin, it now clashed.

Could we fly back in time and get back to Dublin? – No, but we had a good look to see if it was possible!

As the day approached, our families and colleagues were very excited getting ready for their second Wembley trip of the season, our task was to find a TV in Dublin and get them to swap channels to show Bradford City v Northampton – not an attractive fixture to most people.

The day arrived and the messages and photos were sent to us from Wembley, still no TV sorted for the match. Eventually we settled on the large hotel we were staying in and our powers of persuasion. England Test cricket was on in the bar, lots of Home Counties rugby types watching it. The head barman needed to buy into our play off final dream, he did and despite a few moans and groans the game was on.

We were rewarded, 3 first half goals in quick succession. Other football fans gathered and started to cheer Bradford on (even Arsenal & Aston Villa fans were cheering us on); we were on our way to League One. As half time approached we realised that our hosts were expecting us and had to leave the game, live commentary was streamed to our phones – isn’t technology wonderful – the second half wasn’t as eventful but the prospect of victory was huge.

We did it, no more goals but just as our defeat to Swansea in the Capital One Cup this was a one sided affair, this time Bradford City had dominated from start to finish – We were going up!! The disappointment of the Swansea game was put aside, it had been a history making season and the management and players had once again shown that they wore the City shirt with pride.

Our families and colleagues joined the party at Wembley; we raised a glass, probably more than one, in Dublin…

INSERT PICTURE HERE

L–R: John Butterworth – Group MD, Famous Egg Chaser, Mike Martin – Group Director

At the Aviva Stadium in Dublin it was the pre match meal; a very puzzled, very large and famous egg chaser (Lorenzo Bruno Nero “Lawrence” Dallaglio for those who don’t recognise him) came to see what all the excitement was about, he joined in the celebrations and here is the photo to prove it (City scarf & all).

Mike Martin – Group Director

Personal injury claims reforms – April 2013 (delayed until July 2013)

Back in January 2012, the Government announced that the current Road Traffic Accident (RTA) portal scheme for low value claims up to £10,000 would be extended to Employers’ Liability (EL), Public Liability (PL) and motor claims with a value up to £25,000.

This briefing highlights the key provisions of the amended RTA Protocol and the new EL/PL Protocol. Further details will follow once the protocol is finalised.

RTA Protocol changes

The value of claims which will be dealt with under the scheme will increase from £10,000 to £25,000 with effect from the end of July 2013.

The level of fixed costs payable under the scheme is currently being consulted on, however are proposed to be reduced to: –

£500 for claims between £1,000 and £10,000 that settle without a hearing
£800 for claims between £10,000 and £25,000 that settle without a hearing
The timescales for admitting liability will remain at 15 working days

EL/PL Protocol

This will apply to an EL or PL accident or an EL disease claim where there is only a single defendant and where the value of the claim is up to £25,000. This comes into effect from the end of July 2013.

The Claimant will have to try to identify the Insurer and a Claims Notification Form (CNF) will be sent to that Insurer. If the Insurer cannot be identified then the CNF will be sent to the Defendant.

The Insurer or Defendant must send an electronic acknowledgement of the CNF the day after receipt.

There is then a period of only 30 working days for EL and 40 working days for PL, from the date of service of the CNF, for liability to be investigated.

For an admission of liability to be valid under the scheme it has to be a full admission i.e., without allegations of contributory negligence. If a full admission is not made then the claim falls outside the scheme

In EL claims details of the Claimant’s earnings must be provided 20 days after the admission of liability.

Damages will be increased by 10% to reflect the fact that success fees will no longer be recoverable

The level of fixed costs payable under the scheme is currently being consulted on, however are proposed to be reduced to: –

  • £900 for claims between £1,000 and £10,000 that settle without a hearing.
  • £1,600 for claims between £10,000 and £25,000 that settle without a hearing.

It is obviously going to be economically beneficial for claims to be handled within the scheme wherever possible, however if the claim does fall out of the scheme a separate matrix of costs is being consulted upon which includes a contingency element based upon a percentage of the Claimant’s Damages.

An unsuccessful Claimant will no longer have to pay the successful Defendant’s costs (known as Qualified One-way Costs Shifting or QOCS) unless the claim is proved to be fraudulent.

For further information and details please refer to your usual contact at TL Dallas or call us on 01274 465500.

Working in Hot Weather

During the summer months we can look forward to some hot weather, however, it is not what most people consider to be ideal working conditions and it carries risks whether you work inside or out.

What constitutes acceptable working temperatures?

Under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, the temperature inside workplace buildings, during working hours, must be ‘reasonable’. But what is meant by ‘reasonable’?

Health and Safety legislation does not refer to maximum temperatures, but it states, “the employer must provide a working environment which as far as is reasonably practicable, is safe and without risks to health.” Therefore whatever the temperature and measures taken to control it, the result must be a workplace that is safe and without risk to health.

What does it mean in practice to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of employees at work? We want employees to remain safe and healthy even when they are not at work, so what advice should we give them?

Indoor Workers

People working indoors have a broad mix of conditions to cope with, ranging from those who work in air conditioned offices to others who are in accommodation that offers little or no defence against outside temperatures.

People who particularly need our sympathy are those who work in premises that are hot and humid at the best of times, such as kitchens. High outside temperatures usually make things so much worse and there may appear to be little that can be done to improve the conditions because of the nature of the work being carried out.

Adequate ventilation must be ensured. Additional fans may be needed and efficient means for extracting stale air. In the worst cases, it may be necessary to call on the services of a ventilation engineer to solve the problem.

It is in everyone’s interest to address these issues because, apart from the risk to health, people who are working in premises that are too hot and humid will be uncomfortable and less efficient. That in turn is likely to lead to lower productivity and increased risk of accidents.

Outdoor Workers

Outdoor workers run major risks from sunburn, sunstroke and heat exhaustion and the risks typically increase for those involved in heavy physical work.

If adequate precautions are not taken, there are further risks with the possibility of rashes, burns or even skin cancer. The people most at risk are those who have fair skins and who don’t tan quickly. Whatever your susceptibility, good sun protection creams may help.

Recommended precautions, however, include frequent and plentiful drinks (clean water being preferable to other types of drink), with regular rest breaks in a cool place. Clothing should be worn to protect from the effects of direct radiation but, for obvious reasons, it should be light and loose fitting to allow body heat to escape easily.

Vulnerable Workers

Some people are more vulnerable to the effects of heat than others. A good example is pregnant workers.

Apart from personal consequences for the mother, breastfeeding may also be impaired by heat dehydration.

Regardless of temperature, employers are required to undertake specific risk assessments for pregnant workers. Typical temperatures in the workplace and the effects of particularly warm spells of weather should be included as part of such assessments.

Simple arrangements need to be made to combat the effects of excessive heat, such as ensuring adequate rest provision, along with suitable refreshment facilities.

Precautions

So in general, what should employers do?

The first task is to assess the problem. People’s comfort depends on a number of factors including humidity, air movement and change, heat sources associated with the work and any protective clothing that has to be worn. It is fair to say that if most people are complaining about the heat, then action needs to be taken regardless of thermometer readings.

Alongside assessing the problem, it is also worth assessing the effectiveness of control measures that are already in place. Is the air conditioning in need of maintenance or repair? Are window blinds broken? Are there sufficient fans and are they strategically placed? Is there an adequate supply of clean drinking water?

Other, less routine, possibilities includes examining job design or organisation of the works to move people away from direct heat sources (including windows, for example). Heat gain from windows can also be controlled at little additional cost by applying reflective film.

The next task is to ensure employees know how best to cope with the hot temperatures and, perhaps, relax such things as dress code. Employees should be actively encouraged to take plenty of drinks. Water coolers might encourage people to drink more water rather than other drinks, particularly anything containing caffeine. Outside workers in particular need to be able to recognise the symptoms of heat stress and how to deal with them.

If the problem is persistent, it may be appropriate to look at longer term solutions such as installing air conditioning or upgrading an aging system. Even small portable air conditioning units can make a useful contribution.

Although the law is vague when it comes to precise numbers, that doesn’t mean we are without authoritative guidance.

In terms of maximum temperature, the World Health Organisation recommends 24ºC(that is 75ºC). The Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers recommends an acceptable temperature range for most types of work as 16ºCto 23ºC(that is 61ºFto 72ºF). However there are different ideal temperatures suggested for different workplaces such as 20ºCfor offices, 19ºC for hospital wards, 18ºCfor shops and 16ºCfor warehouses.

Given the cold and wet that we have to cope with for most of the year, we should be able to enjoy the occasional heat wave. We are all responsible for each other’s welfare, including employers and employees. So let’s do all we can to keep our cool as well as our safety and health during the hot weather.

For Further Information contact: mike.martin@tldallas.com or david.cartwright@tldallas.com

A New Threat & Maybe A Nasty Phone Bill

 

One of our Unitas Partner Insurers, QBE, has recently reported on a new threat to hit business. Phone Phreaking is a fraud where commercial phone systems are hacked in order to place outbound calls to premium-rate numbers. These numbers are controlled by the fraudsters themselves and can be charged at extortionate rates.

It is an attractive scam to the criminals; it’s carried out remotely, difficult to prevent and unlikely to be detected until a large phone bill arrives.

Although still a relatively new crime, Phone Phreaking is already estimated to cost UK businesses over £1bn per year, with the average cost of a UK attack thought to be around £10,000. Currently there is no silver bullet for preventing this fraud, save investing in an expensive software solution.

QBE provides up to £50,000 cover for Phone Phreaking under their Cyber & Data Security policy.

If you have any concerns please don’t hesitate to contact us so we can look at the options available to insure your business against these types of losses.

Mike Martin

Group Director

 

mike.martin@tldallas.com

Warning over new ‘flash for cash’ insurance scam

Criminals gangs tricking motorists before intentionally crashing into them

Investigators are warning about a new tactic by criminal gangs, dubbed ‘flash for cash’, where a driver flashes their lights to let another driver out of a junction, and then crashes into them deliberately.

The criminals then make money by putting in false personal injury claims for whiplash and loss of earnings, as well as submitting fake bills for vehicle recovery, repair and replacement car hire.

The Asset Protection Unit, which investigates fraud in collaboration with police and the insurance sector, has warned that the fraudsters often target elderly motorists or women with young children – drivers they believe will not challenge them on the scene.

And the new scam is harder to prove in court, because it comes down to the innocent driver’s word against the criminal’s that they flashed their lights to let them out.

 The number of flash for crash scams are not known, but the IFB estimates that 380 fraudulent personal injury claims from deliberate crashes are made every day and cost the motor insurance industry £392m every year.

 Detective inspector Dave Hindmarsh from the Metropolitan Police told the BBC: “[There are] emotional costs if you’re involved in a crash: you could well lose your confidence, and if your passengers are children they may well become wary of being passengers in cars, and of course you may get injured or killed.

 “It’s an extra £50 to £100 on every person’s premium, so that’s a financial cost.”

 

This article has been taken from The Insurance Times dated 16th August 2013 

http://www.insurancetimes.co.uk/warning-over-new-flash-for-cash-insurance-scam/1404027.article

TL Dallas gears up for growth with hat-trick of office moves

TL Dallas, is expanding after relocating three of its offices to new premises, which follows the successful launch of two new businesses within the group last year. 

TL Dallas, which has 11 UK offices, expanded into Lincolnshire at the end of 2021, launching Dallas Scott Davey with experienced insurance professionals, Ed Davey, and Darren Scott, who have 45 years combined industry experience.

Dallas Scott Davey offers specialist agricultural and business insurance and has now relocated to Plowright House, which is the University of Lincoln’s former agricultural campus within its Riseholme Estate. Today Plowright House is a Barclays Eagle Labs office hub with a focus on cutting-edge AgriTech research and related businesses.

The company now has a team of three in Lincoln and plans to triple in size over the next 18 months, recruiting six new account handlers and brokers.

In April 2021, TL Dallas also opened an office in the Craven district of North Yorkshire. Known as Dallas Wilding Drew, the office is headed up by Simon Drew and Mark Wilding and offers general commercial insurance to privately owned businesses across all sectors. Simon and Mark have a combined total of more than 50 years of corporate insurance, personal insurance, and risk management experience between them.

Originally located in Settle, Dallas Wilding Drew has already grown to a team of four people, following the recent appointment of Shirley Walters from Marsh Commercial, and has now expanded into larger offices at Asquith Business Park in Gargrave near Skipton.

In addition, the London office of TL Dallas has relocated to 14 Devonshire Square, in the City of London, close to Liverpool Street Station. The office has recently recruited three new people and now has a 16-strong team supplying commercial insurance products to businesses across all industries, SMEs and hotels. In addition, the London office offers a variety of specialist products, including books, collectables and demolition insurance.

Polly Staveley, managing director at TL Dallas, said: “Simon, Mark, Ed, and Darren are all very experienced and genuinely strive to offer their clients the best products and advice possible and will negotiate hard on their behalf, so we knew they’d be a great fit for TL Dallas.

“Putting their names over the door and launching these businesses is a great way for us to bolster our business and service offerings in new areas, whilst giving experienced industry stalwarts the opportunity to be shareholders in the business.

“Our London office is also going from strength to strength and relocating to prestigious new premises in the heart of the City is an exciting prospect as we continue to grow our client base in the South of England.”

Ed Davey, director at Dallas Scott Davey, said: “In a short space of time we’ve quickly established a strong client base across a wide area, with our core business being in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. Farming is experiencing significant challenges across all sectors, not least due to agri-inflation. Steering a course for the business and building the right strategy needs more careful attention than ever before. Ultimately farms and associated businesses are having to balance cost versus risk and our specialist industry knowledge and ability to provide a bespoke service is proving very popular.

“Expanding into new premises within the University of Lincoln’s former agricultural campus, which is now home to a wide range of businesses at the forefront of the farming industry, is the perfect address for a specialist agricultural insurance broker.”

Simon Drew, from Dallas Wilding Drew, said: “We set out with the aim of being trusted advisers and delivering the best value for money for our clients across general commercial and corporate insurance. In just over 12 months, we’ve doubled the size of our team and plan to create more jobs this year, as the number of clients we work with continually increases. This new office gives us the ideal platform to continue growing.”

Left to right is Darren Scott and Ed Davey

CoronavirusUpdate from TL Dallas

As of this week we are following Government advice and all TL Dallas staff are now working remotely and are available on their usual numbers / email addresses. Many of our staff are juggling childcare as well as work so may send communications outside of normal business hours, in order to continue our high levels of service. Please don’t feel you need to respond to emails outside of normal working hours.

Many of our customers will have queries around their insurance cover, in particular Business Interruption & Travel and you should contact your usual TL Dallas team member for further advice. However some general information on all classes of cover can be found here: link to Association of British Insurers Q&A

Furthermore information on assistance being offered by the Government for businesses can be found here: link to Government website

We wish you all the best and please keep healthy.

 

Travel Insurance 

Our advice on Travel Insurance is based on the latest update issued by our Trade Body – The British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) on the 28th February 2020. There are however many different policy conditions and wordings so each case will need to be looked at on its own merits

There is understandably a lot of speculation as to what effect travel bans may have and also the line insurance companies will take on claims. We cannot predict where it may strike next.

The outbreak of Coronavirus is a rapidly developing situation and we would strongly advise anyone travelling to look at the guidance issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) which is updated on a regular basis.

The FCO are now advising against all but essential international travel, and as such any trips booked at this time will not be covered by travel insurance. If you are having to cancel trips that were booked before the current advice was issued, then in the first instance insurers would expect every effort to be made to obtain a refund / credit or re arrange your trip for another time. If you are unable to do this and have to submit a claim, please get in touch your usual TL Dallas contact.

 

People currently in an affected area

From a travel insurance perspective, we expect that consumers who had purchased travel insurance and travelled before the FCO issued its advice on the respective areas listed above will be covered under the terms of their policy while in any of those areas including in Hubei province if they travelled there before the original advice was issued. If the travel insurance includes medical expenses, treatment costs for travelers who become unwell while overseas should be covered up to the limit in the policy subject to the terms and conditions stated in the policy. Please note that cover should operate even if the length of the trip is extended because of quarantine issues.

Most travel insurers offer a 24-hour emergency medical advice hotline and travelers who feel they might have been affected by these outbreaks are encouraged to call their insurers for help.

Cruises

The outbreak of Covid19 on the Diamond Princess cruise ship was extensively covered in the media.

People who have booked a cruise are advised to keep up to date with their cruise operator. If a cruise goes ahead as scheduled and you have travel insurance in place medical costs will be insured if you become ill on board.  Cover should operate even if the cruise length is extended because of quarantine issues.  You cannot claim on your travel insurance if you change your mind about going on a booked cruise.

 

Concerns about travel

Concerned consumers who had booked their trip via a tour operator or travel agent or using a credit card should contact them to see if they can get a refund or have their trip re-arranged.

All travel policies are different so we would advise people to read their policies carefully or call us to see exactly what their policy covers and what they can claim for. Some policies may actually exclude any cover for pandemic situations if this is officially declared. There are some specialist High Risk Travel Insurance Schemes that we may be able to access through BIBA but how long they will be willing to provide cover is unknown, as is the cost and scope of cover available.

 

General Business Insurance

There isn’t an easy answer other than to say that most policies are not designed to protect against such outbreaks and indeed following the SARS and Avian Flu events many Insurance Companies added these causes of loss as a specific exclusion in business interruption policies.

There are some business interruption extensions of cover primarily designed for catering and hospitality businesses that are usually specifically linked to the supply of food and drink from the policyholder’s premises and that cover notifiable diseases specific to those premises. This cover isn’t designed or intended to provide cover if there is a local or national shutdown or quarantine ordered by the Government.

We feel it is important to provide a general explanation as to why this is the case. Whilst all insurers differ in the detail of their approach, they are all required by their shareholders and regulatory bodies to operate in a commercially sustainable way. This is to ensure they are able to meet the cost of insured claims in the long-term and thereby provide continued protection for their policyholders.

Insurers use historic data to guide them in terms of the cover they are able to offer and the pricing of it. Where new diseases (or new strains of known diseases) emerge there is, by definition, no historic data available for insurers to be able to predict the potential cost of claims from a UK or worldwide pandemic. The potential therefore exists that if the insurance industry did provide unrestricted cover for a pandemic disease event it would result in their mass failure, leaving policyholders unprotected against other events. It is therefore the case that remedies for issues of this magnitude and extent fall towards the Government to be able to respond on a societal basis.

 

Beware of Scammers

Very sadly there are those who exploit a crisis and we have already seen fake stories and emails with links to antibacterial hand gel, a list of businesses that are closed asking you to click and see if your employer is one of them and there will be many more. 

Please exercise caution when opening emails and clicking on links before doing so.

 

Contact details: 

Your usual TL Dallas contact will try to help or contact our Head Office

T: 01274 465500

E:  info@tldallas.com

 

We will endeavor to keep you up to date but the situation is changing quickly so ensure you have the latest information issued by the Government, Emergency Services, Foreign Office and Local Authorities before taking any action.