 |
|
Disaster Advice Glossary
|
|
|
Disaster recovery and restoration can be veiled in mystery to the many who have not undertaken specific training. This glossary explains technical terms to assist both report writing and the understanding of those technical terms so often misunderstood.
Definition
| Activity and Building Occupancy Use and Limitations: |
A term describing the type of building activity and the particular occupancy use in a building. Education Note: Activity may indicate that the business enterprise in the building contains a laboratory, compared to regular office usage. Or, the activity is a preschool, compared to a plating shop. Building occupancy must be considered, as for example, a 2,000 square foot home may have 4 persons residing in it during an 8 hour period, whereas a 2,000 square foot office suite has 50 people working in it during an 8 hour period. Adjustor Note: The activity of a building and its occupants may limit the remedial actions of a loss. Certain activity may result in the physical limitation of building occupants, and restrict other persons from entering loss site. Knowing the activity and building occupancy usage is important, and it must be described in detail in the historical information about a claim. |
| Business: |
Any full or part-time trade, profession or occupation. |
| Business Loss Interuption Insurance: |
A rider or special insurance coverage in an insurance policy, which covers and protects a business during its downtime caused by a disaster or other event, as outlined in the policy. Business interruption coverage provides protection for loss income and extra expenses that may arise due to a covered property loss. For example, if a business is destroyed by fire, business interruption coverage will allow the insured to continue business operations while restoration is in progress. Adjuster Note: The business owner as policy holder is responsible for implementing what ever procedures are deemed necessary to reduce or mitigate the disaster. Quite often, the business owner must hire and retain the services of contractors and disaster recovery services to reduce or stop the continued occurrence. Business loss interruption insurance usually allows for the temporary relocation of part or all of the business, if the business cannot function or operate due to the disaster. See Disaster Management, Disaster Recovery, General Liability Insurance Coverage, Total Loss, Pack-Out |
| Business Property: |
The property pertaining to or intended for use in a business. |
| Contents Manipulation: |
It is the handling, moving and repositioning furniture and other items in a business or a home, during the course of providing emergency or restorative services. |
| Coverage-B Separate Structures Exclusions: |
In insurance terms, separate structures exclusion typically includes the land and the value of the land, including land on which the separate structure is located, or the costs to restore, replace, repair or rebuild land. If a covered loss causes damage to a separate structure and to the land on the residential premises, the policy disallows coverage for any increased cost to repair or rebuild the separate structure because of damage to the land. In addition, the policy does not cover separate structures which are intended for use in business or which are actually used in whole or in part for business purposes. |
| Disaster Recovery: |
Trained companies whose job includes the recovery of building and content damaged due to fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes. Disaster recovery is meant as an emergency primary loss recovery method for the containment, mitigation and damage control and relocation, before secondary damage occurs. Prompt and immediate disaster recovery and relocation services are designed to save tens of thousands and sometimes millions of dollars in unnecessary property and content damage. See Business Loss Interruption. |
| Disaster Relocation:> |
The temporary relocation of homes and businesses by insurance companies and FEMA after an emergency. Included in disaster relocation, is the need to inventory, salvage, recover, restoration and relocation of undamaged and damaged contents, computers, software, microfiche, machinery, office furniture and records. See Disaster Recovery. |
| EH & S (Environmental Health and Safety): |
A person or department who administers the environmental health and safety policy of the agency, municipality, city or business. Education Note: EH&S managers are environmental health and safety persons who have college and/or certification training in environmental and industrial health and safety. Don't confuse risk management with EH&S. The EH&S person has been given the specific role to increase the awareness of day-to-day business operations, and effect the bottom line in controlling costs related to health and safety issues. EH&S came out of the total quality management (TQM) and ISO standards, to which many U.S. and worldwide companies subscribe to today. In the very near future, it will not be unusual for insurance adjusters and emergency contractors to start interfacing with EH&S managers when a disaster claim affects a business having EH&S departments. |
| Generator(s): |
1) A company or person who inherits regulated and non-regulated chemical or biological waste through the act of owning, renting or managing a building, such as asbestos and lead-base paint. 2) A home or business where regulated and non-regulated waste is stored. 3) A contractor who contains hazardous waste, and now has custody, care and control of the waste. 4) A gas powered generator that produces AC/DC electricity. It powers lights and equipment for mitigation and remediation of building related problems. See Custody, Care and Control. |
Inflatable Blatters:
|
A term used in the ventilation cleaning business for thick balloon-like air blatters. The inflatable blatters once filled, block off up stream air and particulates, making the cleaning of ducts easier. The thick blatters are usually covered with two-layers of puncture-resistant outer cloth layers. They are reusable and come with an air valve and quick deflate cap. Contact Indoor Environmental Solutions for more information. 800/288-382 |
| Insured Location: |
The residence(s) or business(s) address as so named on an insurance policy. |
| Lead-Base Paint: |
A painted material surface that contains lead-base paint. Homes and business buildings pre-1978 are all suspect of having and containing lead-base paint. Mitigation and Safety Note: Under new EPA regulations (TSCA 406B), no home or business can be sold or rented without disclosure of lead-base paint. No renovations in dwellings and businesses older than 1978 can be completed without testing the painted surfaces for lead. If lead-base paint is detected, the paint and paint dust can be a health concern. If you or your client has questions call 800/424-LEAD. |
| Mud and Muck-Out Professionals: |
Water damage mitigation contractors who travel across the United States and Canada with trained managers and technicians who provide catastrophic mud and muck-out services for insurance companies, business and communities. Contractor Note: Typically, trained managers and technicians of the contractor will hire, teach and manage local high school and college age men to provide mud and muck-out services. (Local housing is limited and it usually is not available for large out of state or town service crews). |
| Pack-Out: |
An insurance term typically meaning the methods requiring inventory, boxing, removal and temporary storage of contents from a damaged property. Education Note: Some pack-outs are provided by office relocation companies whose job requires the removal and relocation of contents and equipment to temporary facilities until the damaged property can be restored back to pre-loss conditions. The pack-out in part is necessary to reduce business interruption. Other pack-outs are provided by a specialty contractor who is involved in fire damage restoration. In this situation the pack-out requires the contents to be removed, cleaned and restored back to pre-loss conditions before they are returned to a restored property. See Business Interruption Coverage |
| PrismProbabilistic Evaluation: |
The name for an insurance loss managed repair program between participating contractors and Crawford & Company. Prism is a recent acquisition and subsidiary of Crawford & Company. The Prism program is said to provide to contractors a competitive edge by training contractors in business and loss management, and the daily routine of running an emergency service and restoration business. In addition, Crawford & Company recent involvement and purchase of Prism, is meant to incorporate for the contractor, Crawfords 400,000 estimated annual non-catastrophe claims where a program called Contractor Connection TM comes into play. For more information contact Prism at 800/525-7671 or www.prism-net.com. See Qirra |
| Quick Building Drying: |
Restorative Drying Note: a) In water damage remediation, it refers to the fastest and safest methods possible to accelerated building material drying. b) Quick building drying may include wet carpet and pad removal, so the air movers and dehumidification equipment can work more efficiently. c) Quick building drying usually requires larger, more commercial size dehumidifiers, to accelerate building drying. d) Quick building drying is necessary on commercial and industrial buildings to reduce business loss. |
| RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act): |
RCRA provides only a corrective action that must clean up a contamination to a level that will protect human health and the environment. 42 U.S.C. 6924 (v). This clean up standard provides the reassurance characteristic of any statement devoid of meaning. In other words, Congress statement policy in this regard is everyone wants to protect human health and the environment. RCRA by memorandum is one of EPAs primary methods of implementing important programs including RCRA. RCRA authorizes the EPA to require companies that transport, store, or dispose of hazardous waste to clean up previous contamination at their facility as a condition of staying in business. 42 U.S.C. 9004(u), (v). RCRA is referred to as a corrective action plan which must be developed on a case-by-case basis. General Liability Note: Contractors providing fire damage clean up of commercial and industrial buildings may experience RCRA compliance problems. See CERCLA. |
| Reserve: |
An insurance term, which calls for the insurance company to place funds into a separate account to cover the claim as estimated. Contractor Note: In business, reserve is more commonly referred to as working capitol, which is required to complete a project or phase, before the contractor is paid and reimbursed for their work product. |
| Tort Law: |
Tort: As per Webster's Desk Dictionary, a wrongful act, damage, or injury done willfully, negligently, or in circumstances involving strict liability for which a civil suit can be brought. a) Tort claims cases are not new, they go back to the common law of England before the 1700's. Legal and Liability Note: Common law today has greatly changed and covers many areas of public law. Tort laws protecting the public are growing daily as new court decisions are being made across our country. Most tort suits are brought by plaintiffs who are seeking damage from personal injury, negligence, strict liability, product liability and misrepresentation. Persons not suffering tangible injuries at this time, are now suing for fear of future damages for increased risk of personal injury or property damage. b) The term, environmental laws are being entered as a new language in our vocabulary, especially now that we are trying to cure some of the 200 years of wrongs of Western industry. Asbestos, lead, Legionaries Disease, pesticides, toxic chemicals and hazardous waste are a few mentioned in being this new vocabulary of items which we are to stay away from. Now being added to your vocabulary is tort claims, which are part of every business persons responsibility to understand. Contractor Note: Water damage, odor control and restoration contractors are now being sued for neglect, wrongful damage and misrepresentation. |
| UST: |
An industry-wide abbreviation for under-ground storage tanks. In the U.S., all USTs must comply with federal, state and local regulations. While most of us think USTs are at gas stations, many farms, businesses and some rural homeowners have UST?s. To avoid problems with UST regulations, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated all USTs are to be periodically checked for leaks and corrosion, to name a few. Part of the federal requirements can be found in 40 CFR, parts 280 and 281. In community-wide flooding for example, USTs may become a problem, in that they can leak, and in some situations, empty USTs may detach them self from connections and float to the surface or down stream. |
The Disaster Advice Glossary and its contents are the protected copyright of Disaster Advice
The Disaster Advice Glossary operates on TechMerit Technoloy.
|
|
 |
|