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A safety net for your many liability risks

by John E. Adams, Chair, Board of Trustees, Group Insurance Plans for ACS Members
June 30, 2018 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 96, Issue 27

 

If you were approached right now and asked to explain your legal liability coverage, would you be able to? It’s a topic that can be confusing at best and is complicated. Your thoughts probably would turn first to whether your current automobile insurance coverage is adequate or whether you would be covered if that old tree in your yard were to fall on your house.

Photo of John Adams.
Credit: Peter Cutts Photography

If those are the questions that keep you awake at night, then your colleagues at the American Chemical Society may be able to allay your worries. We are pleased to announce a new partnership with Metropolitan Life Insurance for auto, home, and other property insurance. MetLife is rated A+ by ratings agency A.M. Best for financial strength and claims-paying ability, and it has 145 years of experience in the insurance industry. To learn more, please visit www.acs.org/insurance, or call MetLife directly at (877) 491-5089. Mention that you are a member of ACS or the American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT) and receive a quote with a discount of up to 15%.

Beyond that, have you thought about the risks associated with your career that you face? If you are primarily an academic researcher, administrator, department chair, or teaching professional, you face unique liability challenges that should lead you to consider the need for a robust risk-management insurance liability policy.

Recognizing the litigious culture in which we live and looking out for the welfare of our members, the society has expanded its insurance offerings for ACS and AACT members to include protection from risks associated with laboratory accidents in the academic workplace. The Chemical Educators Legal Liability insurance plan is a reasonably priced niche liability plan developed specifically for academic chemists.

Accidents can happen at any time, both in the laboratory and in the classroom, even in an environment with a strong safety culture. Chemists who have oversight for research or teaching laboratories may be held personally responsible, whether or not they are present during the accident. Faculty members often assume that they are covered under their employers’ policies, but that may not always be the case.

Although standard educators’ liability insurance is readily available to anyone who teaches for a living, those plans typically contain exclusions that render them virtually useless in addressing the unique risks faced by chemical educators. A university or school’s insurance policy may not provide coverage for bodily injuries or pollution, for example. Further, the employer may disclaim coverage if it finds an educator to be in conflict with its laboratory safety policies. If the accident occurs under the supervision of a graduate student, a professor could be sued for negligence for failing to train the graduate student appropriately.

The ACS plan was designed to address the unique risks faced by chemical educators and researchers, but it also addresses broader risks faced by educators. For instance, the plan includes coverage for legal fees you would incur in defending yourself from unfounded accusations of professional misconduct or wrongful employment practices. Chemistry department chairs especially can benefit from the comprehensive coverage that the ACS plan offers. Academically employed members covered by the Chemical Educators Legal Liability insurance plan can rest assured that they will be defended and financially protected from lawsuits.

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The board of trustees seeks to help academically employed chemists identify their risks and learn to prepare, should legal action be taken against the covered educator. The ACS Member Insurance Program has resources such as white papers and webinars, which are posted online at www.acs.org/insurance, that help explain how to avoid being the subject of a lawsuit and how to respond if and when it happens. In the webinar “Chemical Educators and Researchers: Understanding Your Legal Liability and How to Protect Yourself,” listen as the attorney for our Lloyd’s of London underwriter helps you identify possible gaps in the liability coverage you already have, gives real-life examples of lawsuits, and advises about what you can do to protect yourself. In addition, the website of our insurance administrator, Hays Cos., at acs.haysprograms.com hosts a wealth of educational materials to help you navigate your risks.

The board of trustees is committed to offering outstanding insurance coverage to members. The life insurance offered through the ACS Member Insurance Program is one of the most affordable found in the group “affinity” marketplace and is backed by one of the highest-rated insurance companies, New York Life. To learn more about these new offerings or any other aspect of the ACS Member Insurance Program, please contact Jean Parr, secretary to the board of trustees, at ACS headquarters at (800) 227-5558 ext. 8911, or email j_parr@acs.org. You can also visit our website at www.acs.org/insurance.

Views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of C&EN or ACS.

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