Construction all risks (CAR) insurance for concrete construction
Between the pour and the point at which sufficient compressive strength is reached, your work is a liquid held in place by a temporary structure; almost all concrete damage arises in that window.
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In brief
Concrete under construction falls under section 1: formwork that gives way, wash-out from driving rain, a pour that freezes before it has gained strength. The assessment then rarely turns on whether something went wrong, but on whether it was sudden and unforeseen or the predictable consequence of a choice made in carrying out the work.
The second point is the formwork itself. Formwork panels, props, tables and climbing systems are ancillary plant and are not automatically included in the sum insured for the works. If you hire system formwork, you also have someone else's property in your charge, with all the restrictions that entails.
And then there are the parties around you. The ready-mixed concrete comes from a supplier, the reinforcement from a steel-fixing firm, the pump from a hire company. If the producer supplies a defective product, Article 6:185 of the Dutch Civil Code comes into play and the loss does not lie with you. If you are working on the foundation below, also read the page about foundation work.
What does CAR insurance for concrete construction cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Section 1
The works
Damage to the works themselves during construction or installation.
Fire, storm and water
Theft of materials
Inherent defect and design fault
Vandalism on the building site
Section 2
Liability
Damage to property and persons of third parties on and around the works.
Adjoining premises
Injury to bystanders
Cables and pipes
Optional
Extensions
What comes into play alongside the works themselves.
Client's existing property
Ancillary plant and site huts
Maintenance period
What is covered
Situation
Works section
Liability section
Storm or water damage to the works in progress
Yes
No
Theft of materials from the building site
Sometimes
No
Damage to an adjoining building
No
Yes
Injury to a bystander
No
Yes
The client's existing property
Sometimes
Sometimes
Repair of your own defective work
No
No
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Formwork failure is a documentation question
After a collapse the expert looks at three documents: the formwork and propping calculation, the pouring plan with the pouring rate used, and the striking time. If you stayed within the assumptions, it is an insured event. If the concrete was poured faster or higher than calculated, the picture shifts to a workmanship error and you pay for the re-pour yourself. Keep those documents per pour, not per project.
Frost and rain on fresh concrete
Concrete that freezes or washes out before it has sufficient strength is damaged concrete. Insurers check whether you followed the forecast and took measures: covering, heating, a different mix or simply postponing. If you pour during a forecast frost period without any provision, the damage is foreseeable and not a sudden event. Record the weather conditions for each pour and what you did about them.
Formwork and props belong to someone
Ancillary plant only falls under the policy if it has been insured separately, and hired system formwork is also property in your care, custody and control. Theft of formwork panels, props and climbing anchors from an unattended site is moreover usually only paid for after forced entry through a proper barrier. Record what you hire, from whom, and what value the hire company charges on loss.
The pump and the mixer are motor vehicles
Liability covers exclude damage caused by a motor vehicle, and a concrete pump or truck mixer is one. For taking part in traffic the obligation in Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM)applies; for damage the boom causes to a facade or a window frame, working risk cover on the pump owner's policy is needed. Ask about that in advance for hired plant.
Existing property is the most commonly missed section
If you work in or on an existing building, that building is not your works but the property of the client. Damage to it does not fall under section 1 and, on your AVB, falls under the care, custody and control exclusion. The section existing property fills that gap, and with conversions, renovations and installation work that is not an edge case but the core of the risk.
The maintenance period continues after handover
After handover there is often a maintenance period during which you remain liable for defects that arose during construction. Agree that period explicitly and have it stated on the policy. Under the Wet kwaliteitsborging (the Dutch Building Quality Assurance Act) this carries more weight: Article 7:758(4) of the Dutch Civil Code places the burden of proof for hidden defects on the contractor.
What does your premium depend on?
Value of the concrete work. The contract sum for the concrete and reinforcement element forms the basis for section 1.
Poured in situ or precast. Pouring on site brings formwork and curing risk that is absent when precast elements are erected.
Propping height and number of floors. The higher the temporary support, the greater the consequences of failure for the work below.
Own or hired system formwork. Hired plant is property in your care, custody and control and calls for a separate agreement on value and liability.
Season in which the work is carried out. Pouring during a frost period calls for additional measures and counts in the assessment of the risk.
Excess per event. A higher excess lowers the premium, but you then bear more of the smaller pouring claims yourself.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Is damage caused by striking the formwork too early covered?
Usually not as far as the concrete itself is concerned. Striking before the prescribed strength has been reached is a workmanship choice, and redoing your own defective work falls outside the cover. The consequential damage is another matter: if the collapse damages the work below, plant or an adjoining building, that is usually insured.
The ready-mixed concrete supplied did not comply. Who bears that?
In principle the producer. Article 6:185 of the Dutch Civil Code applies to a defective product, and you also have a supply contract with liability of its own. Your own costs of breaking out the bad concrete and re-pouring it are not a CAR claim. So always keep the delivery notes and the cube tests. Without those documents there is no way of proving what was supplied.
Is my formwork included in the sum insured?
Only if ancillary plant has been insured separately. The sum insured in section 1 relates to the works you hand over, and formwork is not part of that. It comes off again. So declare the replacement value of your formwork material, props and tables separately, including whatever you have in your charge from a hire company.
A fresh pour has frozen. Is that covered?
That depends on what you did beforehand. If the frost came unexpectedly and you had taken the usual measures, it is a sudden event and you report it as a claim. If frost was forecast and you poured anyway without covering or heating, the insurer will argue that the consequence was foreseeable. So record your measures for each pour.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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