Masonry Magazine February 1969 Page. 14
1969
COMING
EVENTS
February
16-22.. Construction Equipment Exposition & Road Show, Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois.
23-24.. The Concrete Masonry Association of Illinois 5th Annual Convention, The Abbey, Lake Geneva, Wis.
April
18.. Spring Kickoff Party sponsored by the Concrete & Masonry Contractors Association of Minneapolis, Radison Hotel, Minneapolis, Minn. Contact: Allen B. Benzick, Executive Secretary, Area Code 612 646-2893.
May
19-23.. International Congress on "Has Downtown A Future?", Stockholm, Sweden.
June
21-25..MCAA Summer Executive Board Meeting, Broadwater Beach Hotel, Bilaki, Mississippi.
Most of us would like to be rich, but some of us would settle for just being able to afford the way we live now.
Communications Aid
New Jersey builder, Jules Feld, takes a telephone call delivered out on the construction site via "Pocket Fone," a cordless telephone system which is steadily gaining acceptance in the construction industry as a communications aid. The portable receiver plucks telephone calls out of the air and has a range of one-half mile from its base unit, which fits under a standard telephone back in the site office.
CMCA Officers Named
The Colorado Mason Contractors Association has announced that officers for 1969 are: Walt Rothermel, President; Gage Behunin, Vice President; and Jack Oberg, Secretary-Treasurer. The Chapter currently has planning underway for the 2nd Annual Mason Contractors Conference with Sandy Sandoval the meeting chairman.
Wall Bearing Masonry Studied
Mason Contractors from the St. Louis, Mo., area recently journeyed to Pittsburgh, Pa., to study Wall Bearing Masonry projects in that city. Pictured above are: (1. to r.) Don Humphrey, Jim Fell, Richard DeWalle, Roy Elam, Fred Daues, Jr., Bob Sloss and Bob Cradock, Jr. in front of a 22-story housing project on East Liberty Street, The Pittsburgh Mason Contractors Association in cooperation with Structural Clay Products Institute arranged tours to seven projects in various stages of construction. Don Harris, Bill McGee, Mike Pietropola and Don Woodland gave the visitors a comprehensive insight on the structural and cost capabilities of Wall Bearing Masonry Construction.
In Other Words...
By Walter T. Derk
MCAA Insurance Consultant
Much has been written about insurance but many times the specific question which you would like answered is not covered. Readers are invited to submit questions on any insurance matter. While all may not be answered via this column, every question submitted will be studied and answered by Mr. Derk personally.
Question:
In your opinion, is it really necessary for a mason contractor to carry completed operations insurance?
Answer:
Any doubts I have had on the subject and they were certainly obscure if they were ever present, has long since been dispelled by an ever increasing number of claims affecting that line of insurance once the mason contractor has left the job site. Many involve seepage thru the masonry walls and dispute whether the specifications were properly complied with. The amounts of damage claimed tend to be very high and we find ourselves dealing with some mighty disgruntled owners, lessees, condominium purchasers, etc. who want everything replaced and re-done right now.
By all means, I urge you not to go without this most completed operations coverage even if it means dropping something else of lesser maximum exposure.
Question:
I self insure Completed Operations Liability any harm in that if I can afford it?
Answer:
I wouldn't dream of it.
Whether or not you have been stuck as yet for a completed operations claim, this is one area where I decidedly would be protected. Aside from the obvious collapse hazards, there are any number of ways wherein seepage of water and other claimed faults result in damage of considerable consequence. The cost of this coverage is not inordinately high, but if you can afford to, and feel compelled to, go uninsured to some degree, consider a high property damage deductible to help lower the cost.
Remember too, that most umbrella (Continued on page 27)