John's Excavating commercial liability policy shows the description of operation as construction. John advises his Broker that he will be doing some snow removal for a period of 60 days. What should John's Broker do?
A.
Advise the client that no action is required as the snow removal is being done for a short period of time.
B.
Advise the client there is automatic coverage under the Commercial General Liability policy for additional operations.
C.
Advise the client that the change in operations will be reported to the insurance company.
D.
Advise the client to delay the snow-removal work until the policy renews to avoid complications.
The Risk Identification and Classification competency is essential when managing commercial accounts. A Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy is underwritten based on a specific "Description of Operations." This description defines the scope of the risk the insurer is willing to cover. Snow removal is a distinct and significantly higher-risk operation than general excavation or construction due to the high frequency of third-party "slip and fall" liability claims.
Under the Insurance Act and the general principles of the insurance contract, an insured has a duty to report any material change in risk that is within their knowledge and control. Even if the activity is temporary (60 days), it represents a departure from the operations originally disclosed to the insurer. If the broker does not report this change, and a claim arises from the snow removal activity, the insurer may deny coverage or void the policy based on the failure to disclose a material change. By selecting C, the broker ensures they are acting in the best interest of the client by maintaining the integrity of the insurance contract. The underwriter may require an additional premium or a specific endorsement to cover the new exposure. The RIBO Blueprint requires Level 1 brokers to be able to identify shifts in a client’s business model and understand that "silence" regarding a material change is a breach of the Statutory Conditions, potentially leaving the client uninsured for their most hazardous activities.
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