Insure Your Director

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The difficult economic state the UK and others are currently experiencing has led to the popularity of Directors Insurance. It has become one of the more significant insurance products in 2013 with directors becoming far more aware of an increasingly litigious society around them. Those at the helm of a business are coming under increased scrutiny from shareholders, employees and other stakeholders to act in the best interests of the company and comply with their statutory duties.

This year has seen an increase in this type of claim, yet dangerously many British directors and company officers do not have adequate insurance in place. Do your research, and you shall find this type policy should be a priority for you and your business.

Homeserves up Job losses

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Over one hundred employees will be forced to shop for work after their jobs at a Walsall insurance firm became impossible to maintain.

HomeServe has stated that 162 jobs will go at its base in Walsall with further losses at two sister locations. The company had employed more than 2,000 people across the UK.

Chief executive Richard Harpin said he expected its UK customer base to stabilise at about 1.9m customers by next year, a drop of about 350,000.

He said: "Our UK business is making progress improving the effectiveness of its sales and marketing activity and we have clear plans for increasing both customer acquisition and retention over the next two years. As a result we are announcing the loss of 300 roles in the UK business."

The Walsall firm, a one-stop shop for insurance policies ranging from burst pipe repairs, broken-down boilers and electrical problems, suspended its call-centre sales force following the mis-selling allegations in October 2011. 

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Calamity Vanity

Over two million men have admitted to crashing their vehicles this past year due to their own distracting sense of vanity. A study by Morethan has revealed many ‘motorsexuals’ check out their reflections up to ten times during a single 30 minute car journey.  They also regularly risk accidents by styling their hair and applying cosmetics. The survey of 3000 male drivers also found 11% of those questioned had crashed in the past 12 months whilst using the rear view mirror to check themselves out.

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Business in Birmingham

Doing Business in Birmingham. Doing business in Birmingham is a  short film which positions Birmingham as a global business location. It draws on the experiences of successful individuals and organisations in the city, and provides an over-arching proposition to investors of Birmingham as an international business hub.

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How Does Insurance Work?

A cracking little video explaining just how insurance works

Famous Insurance Constructions - The Royal Liver Building

Did you know, in 1907 the Royal Liver Group had over 6000 employees and required a new, larger premises. The firm had been set up  back in 1850 to provide locals with assistance related to losing a wage-earning relative. The company was very successful and the go-ahead was given for the new construction of a new head office to the designs of Walter Aubrey Thomas. Since its completion in 1911, it has overlooked the River Mersey from its waterfront location on the Pier Head and forms one of the 'Three Graces' along with the Port of Liverpool Building and the Cunard Building. This is reflected in the building's Grade I listed building status. It stands at 90 m (300 ft) tall and has 13 floors.

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Why You Need Employer Liability Insurance

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When an employee has the misfortune to succumb to illness or injury, even the most cautious of employers can be sued for damages under their employer’s liability insurance.

This form of insurance is designed to protect both employees and employers and is a legal requirement under UK law. The cover protects policyholders against meeting the cost of legal fees and compensation following claims made against an organisation.

£5m of employer’s liability cover is the minimum legal requirement for most businesses with employees and claims are made against businesses when accident or illness is deemed to be, fully or partly, the fault of the employer. Your employer’s liability can be triggered by something as simple as a slippery floor without adequate signage.

As such, employer’s liability insurance is a must for any business.

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Drugs and Driving

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The news is full of horrendous stories highlighting the dangers of drink driving, but the rise in people driving under the influence of drugs should not be overlooked. This abhorrent practice often fails to make an impact on the headlines, but driving under the influence of drugs is a highly dangerous risk to take. 

 

The Department of Transport reported at least 640 accidents and 49 deaths were caused as a result of drivers being under the influence of either illegal or medicinal drugs. It will come as no surprise that drugs can cause hallucinations, paranoia, dizziness and a whole host of other side effects, which can severely affect your ability to drive.  People found to be under the influence of drugs when driving face a fine of up to £5000, a jail sentence of up to six months and an automatic driving ban, with a minimum 12 month suspension.

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1966 - A Year of Change

Unipower 1966 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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It wasn’t until 1966 that drivers became subject to the laws of drink driving. With the introduction of the new Road Safety Bill at the start of the year, vehicle owners were capped from driving if there was 80mg of alcohol in 100cc of their blood. This was calculated through a urine test. The enforcement was part of the government's wider campaign to remind people to take more care on the roads and be mindful of the safety of nearby pedestrians. It took another year for the breathalyser test to come into force giving police the means to discern data from a suspect there and then at the roadside. The imitative helped decrease the percentage of road traffic accidents where alcohol had been a factor from 25% to 15% in the first year. There were 1,152 fewer recorded deaths, 11,177 fewer serious injuries and 28,130 fewer slight injuries caused by road traffic accidents.

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Kerry's Bid to Water-Down the Law

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Councillors in Ireland ‘s county Kerry are supporting a plan to relax the laws on drink driving for its isolated residents.

Councillor Danny Healy-Rae, who proposed the motion, said it would only apply to older people who are often home alone and falling into a state of depression. He believes current legislation is trapping the elderly in their own homes unable to go out and socialise due to the remote areas in which they live.

If successful the scheme would allow police to issue permits overriding the legal limit.

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However the move was condemned by the mayor of Kerry, who called it a dangerous proposition. “I don't know how anybody can be allowed to say, you've had two pints, so you're justified to drive.”

Conor Cullen of Alcohol Action Ireland told reporters at the BBC that almost one in three crash deaths in the country is alcohol-related. “Even in small amounts, alcohol impairs driving ability - any amount of alcohol increases the risk of involvement in a fatal crash. Those in rural areas who may be suffering from isolation will not benefit from putting their lives and the lives of the other members of their community at risk by drinking and driving.”

Drivers in Ireland are currently limited to a maximum of 20mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The UK’s however limits its road users to 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

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