In a nutshell, insurance adjusters and examiners decide how much to pay on insurance claims. That is oversimplified, but you get the general idea. An adjuster might make determinations about claims arising from car accidents, burglaries and house fires, to name just a few examples. Adjusters need to be able to investigate, gather evidence, discern costs and bills, generate reports and interview and record information from witnesses, police and claimants. If you are good with people and aren’t hesitant about asking questions this could be the job for you. To get back to the nutshell: after all the work is done, it comes down to how much money will be paid on a claim.

Some basic skills that an adjuster would need are listed below. To be successful, you can begin to prepare now or you might already have attained these skills through school, life or work experience. It is very helpful to have worked in the insurance field as well.

• Word processing
• Business classes or work experience
• Computer applications and programs
• English and language arts
• Technical writing
• Mathematics, including algebra, geometry and business math
• Consumer and business law

Generally, employers are looking for candidates that have a bachelor’s degree, but if you have years of experience in the insurance field and working with claims and can prove you can do the work, you might be able to convince them you are right for the job. Even with body repair and auto mechanics experience you can get an entry-level position in handling auto claims. Some states do require adjusters and examiners to be licensed. Check for adjuster regulations in your state to find out more. An adjuster’s job can be an exciting one, as no two claims are alike and you meet many people in your work. Some expert witnesses you might work with are accountants, contractors, police, lawyers, and doctors.

Easton Ellsworth writes articles about the insurance industry, including insurance brokers, claims, adjusters, and information.

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Too many companies don’t think about their insurance policies and what they cover until after something happens — and unless you have prepared ahead of time, that something might not be covered in your policy. The following are just a few of the things that can occur: lost keys, chemical spills, employee theft, damaged equipment and broken items. The proper insurance coverage can play an important part in keeping your risks to a minimum.

The basic business insurance normally includes general liability insurance, commercial auto coverage, workers’ compensation and equipment breakdown. These may be all combined into a package policy, but you need to check with your agent to make sure you have coverage in these four areas. Besides the coverage listed above, the janitorial service industry has risks unique to it and you should make sure that you are covered for the following:

*Lost key coverage. This should pay to replace lost keys, adjust locks, or purchase and install new locks.

*Coverage for property in your care. This may include rental property, such as carpet cleaning or floor care machines.

*Theft of customer property coverage. This should cover losses incurred for theft and losses that occur from negligence, such as an employee who forgets to lock a building and allows a thief to steal your customer’s valuables.

*Limited pollution coverage. As a cleaning company your employees will most likely be working with an assortment of chemicals. You need to have coverage for accidental job site pollution that may arise from chemical spills.

*Business income coverage. If your biggest customer went out of business and your main source of income dried up, could you stay afloat until you had a chance to sign on new clients?

*Office equipment coverage. Check your policy to make sure you have enough coverage for your computers and office equipment. If you have a home-based business you might be able to get a rider attached to your homeowner’s insurance policy.
How do you choose an insurance carrier? To make sure that you get the proper insurance and the right types of coverage you should look for an agent that has experience working with businesses that provide janitorial services. Remember, the more your insurance agent knows about your business, the more confident you can be that he or she will provide a comprehensive program that meets your needs.

Look for a company that is financially strong and stable. It is also important to know that the company has a solid history of paying claims in a timely manner. Once you have an agent that understands your company’s needs you should consider buying all of your business insurance policies through one company. This saves on paperwork and you are more likely to make sure that all of your various coverages work together.

Once you have your policies in place don’t forgot about your insurance. Keep your agent informed of any changes in your business, i.e., new business location, new vehicles, etc. Also, make an inventory of all of your property; keep one copy at the business and one copy of the inventory off-site. Provide a good safety training program to your employees to reduce the likelihood of accidents and injuries.

Any one incident that happens could cause serious problems for your business and without the proper insurance coverage, could put you out of business. Taking time before something happens is vital to make sure that your business will survive if a catastrophe happens. Getting suitable insurance for your cleaning company can be a complex and confusing task. But having the proper insurance coverage for your company is something you can’t afford to be without.

Steve Hanson is co-founding member of The Janitorial Store (TM), an online community for owners and managers of cleaning companies who want to build a more profitable and successful cleaning business. Sign up for Trash Talk: Tip of the Week at http://www.TheJanitorialStore.com and receive a Free Gift!

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Insurance. What would we do without it? Though it seems impossible, there was a time when insurance on anything didn’t even exist. Unfortunately, the early beginnings of insurance are unclear. Over the centuries there have been key writings uncovered that give us some ideas of it’s beginning s. But as to an actual moment in time when the first item was insured, no one really knows.

There are theories that insurance goes back to the early days of the Babylonian traders at around the 2nd millennium BCE. They created a system which was recorded in the famous Code of Hammurabi around 1750 BC. This system was practiced by early Mediterranean sailing merchants. If a merchant received a loan to fund his shipment he would pay the lender an additional sum in exchange for the lender’s guarantee to cancel the loan should the shipment be stolen.

As a business itself, the first recognizable form of insurance started in Great Britain in 1666. This was in reaction to the “Great Fire Of London.” Because of this incident fire became a growing concern in England. Another major concern in England during the time was marine insurance because of England’s position in the world of sea trade. Some of the early insurance companies of the time were The Sun Fire Office, Royal Exchange Assurance and Hand In Hand.

As was stated above, there were some early writings that point to the first insurance companies and types of insurance. Below are a number of these writings.

From 1680 the following memo was found. “Mr. Newbold, London’s Improvement and the Builders’ Security Asserted, by the apparent advantages that will attend their easie charge, in raising such a joint-stock as may assure a Re-Building of those Houses which shall hereafter be Destroyed by the Casualties of Fire.” This memo appears to point to the beginnings of fire insurance. There were many other memos found during that same time period from 1680 to 1700 all related to fire insurance companies.

In 1697 writings were found to show the beginnings of an insurance company created to insure the welfare of widows and orphans. This appears to be the early beginnings of life insurance. During the period of 1697 to 1762 many other memos were found relating to the establishment of life insurance. Some of the early known companies are The Society For Equitable Insurances, The Perpetual Assurance Office and The Hampshire Society. It wasn’t however until about 1850 that the first evidence of life expectancy actuary tables were found.

The first evidence of insurance for businessmen was memos found going back to the year 1601. Many different kinds of businesses were mentioned in these memos such as small businessmen, mining companies and ship building companies. Evidence also shows that the British took out insurance on their enemies’ ships for the purpose of collecting on them after they were destroyed by the British Navy.

In the next article we’ll go over the various types of insurance that one can purchase today.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Insurance
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