In Dubai on 15 November, CEERISK hosted a workshop entitled “After the Loss: Damage assessment and reinstatement options of contaminated hi-tech equipment.” The workshop was led by CEERISK’s Managing Director, Mamoon Alyah, and Yazeed Jarrar, CEERISK’s Technical Manager in the United Arab Emirates.
The workshop discussed the whether damage to equipment can be caused by contamination following a fire loss, flooding or nearby chemical spill when equipment is not directly exposed to heat damage or other types of physical damage during a loss.
Before claims for damage can be assessed, the nature and extent of damage to the equipment must be thoroughly investigated and determined. The workshop examined the different situations following three types of losses: fire, flood and chemical exposure. For each of these losses, the presenters and delegates discussed challenges facing insurers and loss adjusters in determining the extent of damage to equipment and the best ways to overcome them. Discussions identified coordination with OEMs as the most challenging, yet critical part of the claim handling process.
Using previous case studies where CEERISK experts provided services to insurers following contamination losses, Mamoon and Yazeed presented ways where they were successful at implementing steps that helped determine the extent of damage based on scientific evidence and recognised industry standards.
The workshop discussion continued through protocols that can be used to develop reinstatement options that are both timely, efficient and cost effective. Among the different reinstatement options that were discussed, were replacement of damaged parts, repairs and technical restoration of hi-tech equipment. When considering restoration as a reinstatement option, delegates shared their experience citing the insured’s reluctance to accept restoration as a viable option. Concerns over reliability of the equipment following technical restoration were the main issues raised during the discussion. By anchoring issues to scientific evidence, CEERISK experts explained that insured’s and OEMs alike can be persuaded to accept repairs and restoration as reinstatement options.
CEERISK experts outlined the scientific techniques they apply following contamination losses and how they managed to facilitate the reinstatement of contaminated equipment. This covered different types of equipment including IT data centres, medical imaging equipment and computerised numerical manufacturing machines. They also shared best practices in managing these claims citing early response and direct communications with the insured and OEMs as the two most critical steps to take by insurers and loss adjusters.
Due to scheduling difficulties, another workshop scheduled for Abu Dhabi on 21 November was postponed until 31 January, 2019. Please follow this link if you are interested in attending.
For more information about CEERISK’s workshops, please visit our workshop page.
