Legal Insights
Wildlife, Pests & Lawsuits: Are You Covered?
How roofing contractors can protect themselves contractually from unexpected animals or pests on the roof.
After a yellowjacket sting cut short her planned safety videos atop an automotive manufacturing facility in metropolitan Detroit, RC Publisher Jill Bloom started thinking about all the unseen safety threats roofing contractors face on a daily basis. She asked RC Legal Insights Expert Trent Cotney about it in this exclusive video chat.
Wildlife, Pests & Lawsuits: Are You Covered?
Roofing contractors need to control costs on the rooftop — even the costs that can’t be seen until the job is well underway. That includes any wildlife, pests or other nuisances that can create safety hazards and stall projects.
“Believe it or not, this is a common occurrence,” he said. “In my own cases, I can think of bees, wasps, yellowjackets, bats, raccoons, squirrels, rats. They can all be in a roof, and from a safety standpoint, you want to make sure you have protocols in place.”
When it comes to stings and bites, allergies can be a serious factor, so emergency response protocols, having medication on-site and good jobsite awareness all come into play. Sometimes, these types of issues can be mitigated by contract language from the outset of a job. That could include clauses for wildlife or pest/insect removal, as well as any damages caused by them, Cotney said. Warranties can also be voided by that damage. Watch the full conversation now.
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