Tree Care

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Trim the Risk: Professional Liability for Tree Care Companies

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Author, Rory Anderson, Partner, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Whether you have a consulting arborist on staff or not, every tree care company has a professional liability exposure. Your general liability policy will likely exclude professional liability claims. A misdiagnosis of tree disease, damage to property, or an injury resulting from an error or miscalculation can be extremely costly. So, it is important to understand the risk, then make a decision on whether or not you would like to transfer that risk by purchasing a professional liability policy.

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Understanding Insurance Options for Tree Care Vehicles with Permanently Mounted Equipment

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Author, Rory Anderson, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

The vehicles that tree care companies are using today have become more specialized and more mechanized than ever. These specialized vehicles contribute to the overall productivity, profitability, and safety of the tree care industry.

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Avoid Audit Nightmares with Properly Classified Tree Care Industry Equipment and Vehicle Maintenance Operations

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Author, Rory Anderson, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Tree care companies use specialized vehicles and equipment to perform their work. These assets are vital to the success of the company. To maintain their effectiveness, the machines need routine maintenance and upkeep. Issues arise when they break down, so it’s important to repair them immediately to limit business interruptions such as decreased productivity and profitability. The maintenance of the machinery can be a full time job, and some tree care businesses are lucky enough to have an employee, or a team of employees, dedicated to shop maintenance.

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Don’t Get Skunked: Properly Insuring Large Tree Care Equipment

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Author, Rory Anderson, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

These days, everything is more expensive. Between inflation and supply chain issues, the cost of equipment is steadily increasing. As the tree care industry becomes more mechanized, we see new technological advancements in machinery and equipment that are greatly improving the productivity, profitability, and safety of the industry. These big ticket equipment purchases are a major investment for a tree care business. It is important to make sure that your assets are insured correctly so you can rest easy knowing that if something were to happen to them, you are properly covered. This can provide financial protection and affirm business continuity.

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Surviving the Blaze: Developing Asset Relocation Plans in Wildfire-Prone Regions

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Author, Rory Anderson, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

As a tree care company operating in wildfire-prone areas, the safety of your crew, equipment, and vehicles is paramount. Wildfires can be unpredictable and devastating, posing a significant threat to your valuable assets. To mitigate risk of potential losses, it is important to have an effective asset relocation plan in place. This plan ensures that in the event of a wildfire, your vehicles and equipment have a safe place, reducing the risk of damage or total loss. This safe relocation address should be in an urban area, surrounded by buildings – not rural vegetation. It can be a mall parking lot or any urban lot. Let’s explore the reasons why having an asset relocation plan is crucial for tree care companies.

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Improving Safety with Mechanization in the Tree Care Industry

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Author, Rory Anderson, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Mechanization refers to the process of introducing machinery, equipment, or automated systems to replace human labor. Today, the tree care industry is becoming more mechanized with many technological advancements that are greatly improving the productivity, profitability, and safety of the industry. Let’s focus on safety.

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Pollution Liability for Tree Care Companies

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Author, Rory Anderson, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Most tree care companies use pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other chemicals as a part of their operations. Even if the company does not offer plant health care, many tree care professionals still use hydraulic fluids, gasoline, and other fluids to operate or maintain equipment and vehicles. The use of heavy equipment and chemicals, while operating exclusively outdoors, opens the company up to environmental exposure.

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All Licensed California Tree Care Companies Now Required to Carry Workers’ Comp. Insurance

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Author, Rory Anderson, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Within the last few weeks, all licensed tree care companies received a notice in the mail from the California State License Board (CSLB) stating that effective January 1, 2023, the CSLB is requiring that all companies with a D-49 Tree Service Contractor license must have workers’ compensation insurance, regardless of whether they have employees.

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Rise in Pure Premium Rates Impacts Tree Care Industry

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Author, Rory Anderson, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Pure premium rates are determined by the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB). The rates reflect the amount of losses that an insurance carrier can expect to pay out in claims for that particular class of business. Every year, the WCIRB submits pure premium rates to the California Department of Insurance for approval. These pure premium rates are comprised of loss and payroll data submitted to the WCIRB by all the insurance companies in California.

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Hydraulics Safety in the Tree Care Industry

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Author, Rory Anderson, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Tree care professionals regularly work with equipment that utilizes hydraulics: aerial lifts, stump grinders, and chippers, just to name a few. Injuries from hydraulic fluid leaks are very serious and can result in amputation.

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Top Three Professional Liability Exposures for Tree Care Companies

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Author, Rory Anderson, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Professional tree care companies must have a general liability policy that will cover incidents that cause bodily injury or property damage resulting from their operations. However, there are situations that will not be covered under a typical general liability policy and would require professional liability coverage, or, in the tree care industry it would specifically be Arborist Errors and Omissions coverage. Here are three exposures that tree care companies face that a professional liability policy would address.

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