Spill Center Expands Client Base in Insurance Industry, Offering Value-Added Services, Resources to Insureds
(PRWEB) November 15, 2016 -- Spill Center™, a North American leader in environmental claims management and spill support, is expanding its client base in the insurance industry. The company has moved its headquarters to a modern facility in Hudson, Mass., to provide an advanced cybersecurity environment and the high-speed Internet connectivity needed to ensure clients’ privacy and information protection, according to Thomas Moses, president of the company he founded in 1990.
New insurance companies joining the program include Liberty International Underwriters, a division of Liberty Mutual Group, as well as Chubb Global and Berkley Custom Insurance. Zurich North America has been leveraging the resources and expertise of Spill Center to help its customers reduce costs and mitigate potential liability following environmental releases of dangerous materials since 2009, Moses reports.
“Insurers register with Spill Center to offer added value to their customers in the areas of spill response and regulatory reporting. Our program enables them to avoid any delays in getting assistance after environmental releases,” related Moses, a former U.S. EPA toxicologist who holds a law degree and a certificate in hazardous materials control and emergency response. All activities completed on behalf of clients are documented and can be used to defend against third-party liability claims, he notes.
“Insureds are able to enroll in the Spill Center program at no cost, paying only for services they request, he explained. Once registered with Spill Center, they can quickly get help with emergency response, including cleanup contractor listings throughout North America and assistance with required local, state, provincial and federal incident reports,” he continued.
“Spill Center’s resources help insurance companies provide improved communications and faster involvement with insureds. That results in fewer issues with invoice negotiation on the backend,” said Moses. “Insurance company customers enrolled in the program are better prepared to handle environmental spills and pollution events, which can result in lower spill-related costs, directly benefitting the insurance company,” he maintains.
According to Moses, companies enrolled in the program rely on Spill Center to provide expertise in incident management and regulatory matters to avoid fines and penalties for non-compliance with spill reporting regulations. Spill Center’s team includes legal, technical and environmental specialists who are experienced in regulatory reporting, spill cleanup coordination, documentation of compliance activities, database maintenance and auditing of contractor and emergency responder invoices.
Spill Center provides 24/7 support after environmental spills requiring cleanup and reporting, including the following:
• Assess the spill and determine an appropriate response
• Provide assistance finding qualified cleanup contractors
• Coordinate with contractors and authorities at the scene
• Complete all required spill reports by phone and in writing
• Manage legal disposal of contaminated materials
• Audit invoices for accuracy and accepted practices
• Document all activities completed on behalf of clients
“Spill Center handles environmental releases and other pollution events on a daily basis on behalf of clients, who invariably file claims with their insurers to recover spill-related costs. Insurance companies have welcomed the opportunity to enroll their insureds in our program to contain costs and limit potential third-party liability claims,” said Moses.
The program has been developed to expedite spill response, documentation and reporting. North America-wide cleanup contractor listings and disposal resources are maintained in a database, along with contact and reporting information for nearly 30,000 environmental agency jurisdictions, Moses related. Before launching Spill Center 26 years ago, he worked in the insurance industry, providing environmental claims and spill management expertise. Also, as a legal specialist for Standard Oil, he interpreted safety and environmental regulations.
“Regulatory reporting is a critical aspect of Spill Center’s services because up to a dozen different reports might be required after an environmental release, depending on the jurisdiction and type of spill. The authorities take their regulations very seriously, and failure to comply with reporting regulations can result in significant fines and penalties,” he observed.
Spill Center’s spill reporting mobile app has been a useful tool for insurance adjusters because it lets them get involved within minutes of an incident and become proactive in helping the claimant mitigate the situation quickly, control spill-related costs and limit potential liability, he noted.
An insurance company client of Spill Center, ACE Environmental Risk, won the prestigious 2015 Business Insurance Innovation Award for a successful program based on Spill Center’s technology and support network. ACE Alert lets the insurance company get involved within minutes of an incident to become proactive in helping the claimant mitigate the situation quickly, control spill-related costs and limit any potential liability.
Another insurer, The Guarantee, based in Toronto, Canada, was named a finalist in the 2015 Insurance-Canada Technology Awards competition. The company was nominated for its Go-To Solution microsite and mobile app, based on technology from Spill Center. The online incident-reporting tool gives transportation customers easy access to insurers.
Spill Center is developing global standards to offer the spill support program in foreign countries, enabling clients to contact Spill Center in their own language, by phone, using the integrated mobile app or via the Spill Center website, http://www.spillcenter.com. They will be able to complete spill reporting forms at the website in their own language, and we will provide the support they need through a global network, explains Moses. To date, testing has been conducted in 19 different countries. Spill Center services have been available in English-speaking East Africa for the past five years.
“We founded Spill Center on the belief that no company will ever have enough spills to justify creating and maintaining all the resources needed for adequate protection from environmental exposure. Spills are all we do. We know to assess and manage them cost-effectively and in a professional manner.”
“Our operations are all data-speed and security driven,” relates Moses. “As we develop more and more sophisticated technology in conjunction with our environmental claims management services, additional technical capabilities will be required. Cybersecurity is of utmost importance,” he said.
As of Nov. 1, 2016, Spill Center’s base of operations is at One Cabot Road, Ste. 200, Hudson, MA 01749. For more information about Spill Center’s spill support program, call 978-568-1922.
Tom Moses, Spill Center, Inc., http://www.spillcenter.com, +1 978-568-1922, [email protected]
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