Often overlooked, but your rental contract is your first line of defense!
If your company erects & dismantles scaffolding (whether it be System, Frame, Suspended, Mastclimbers, Construction Hoists or Construction Elevators), you have many trades working on or around your scaffold build at any one time. Painting contractors, industrial employees, window washers, waterproofing / masonry contractors & the list goes on and on. While your company may take the proactive steps to avoid any accidents, we see many times it’s a situation where sometimes it may be tough to prove who is at fault. This is where an industry specific rental contract & hold harmless agreement takes precedence.
When our agency reviews a Scaffolding contractor’s rental contracts, we often see the following within their agreement:• Scope of Work
• Location (s)
• Dates & Time
• Price
• COI request
Which protects the scaffolding contractor when a dispute may arise due to cost, type of scaffolding equipment, or length of the job. All items are important – but sometimes leaving out a key factor “who assumes the liability?”
Where we bolster your rental contract is to ALSO include the following:
• Hold harmless & additional insured wording & contract (indemnifying your company while others are in use of the scaffold equipment)
• There is no Additional insured status without a written contract
• We will repeat the above bullet, there is no additional insured status WITHOUT a written contract
• COI with matching limits & “leased & rented equipment” covered
• A request of forms & endorsements page to make sure there are no exclusion / limitations to scaffolding, multi-units, residential ops or heights
• Adhere to OSHA & state specific guidelines
• Inspection checklist by customer
We work with many Scaffolding contractors throughout the country, many are from Pennsylvania, California, Florida, Texas, Etc. & the rental contract is the first item we look to bolster. Due to Scaffolding being such a specialty trade, we emphasize working with an agency who is familiar with our niche. We are not attorneys, so we always stress the importance of having our contract viewed & signed off by a practicing attorney prior to putting into place.
If you’d like to learn more about our Scaffold Insurance program, feel free to give us a shout or check out our scaffold page! Also, take a look at the SAIA (Scaffold & Access Industry Association) they do a wonderful job getting everyone together & education & safety is at the forefront. We are proud to say we were the recipient of the 2022 William T. Ayres award. Stay safe
