General Liability

General Liability coverage protects University employees for certain liability claims which arise out of University operations. Protection ranges from coverage for accidents like slips and falls, destruction of property to other accidents causing injury or damage to others or property of others. Read here to learn about the scope of the University's coverage and how it might apply to you.

Support contact - Cheryl Lloyd 510-987-9289

Description: The University's General Liability Program is self-insured and its claims are managed by a third-party administrator, Sedgwick Claims Management Services.

Each campus and medical center has a designated Risk Manager and supporting staff responsible for overseeing their internal processes including:

• Reporting accidents causing injury or damage to others
• Claims management coordination with Sedgwick
• Training and education related to minimizing accidents

COVERAGE:
Coverage applies to all University departments and auxiliary enterprises, officers, agents and employees (including bona fide volunteers). Protection is further extended to students enrolled in a formal training program which is limited to the School of Medicine and School of Veterinary Medicine while performing in the course and scope of their studies.

The intent of this program is to provide protection for mistakes made by campus employees resulting in personal or bodily injury, or property damage to third parties. Those "mistakes" are referred to as "negligence" in the law.

Anytime a charge of negligence is made against the University, this program will respond by investigating the charges, and defend the department or individual alleged to have committed the negligent act. Costs of the claim or lawsuit are funded by the program. All claims are investigated thoroughly by a third-party administrator, hired by the University, to provide an objective review of the circumstances leading up to the claim.

MAJOR EXCLUSIONS:

• Claims which arise from the ownership or use of an aircraft. The University maintains a separate aircraft liability insurance policy which provides this protection.
• Claims arising from any water craft which:
• Exceeds 30 feet in length and
• if the claim is for something which took place away from University owned or controlled premises.
• Under bodily injury, any obligations the University would be responsible for under its Workers' Compensation program. For instance, if a University employee were to slip and fall while on the job, the individual's injuries would be covered under the University's Workers' Compensation Program.

CLAIMS:

• Report occurrences to the appropriate campus authorities (police, fire department, etc.) and to the local Risk Management office.
• Instruct the accident victim(s) to contact Risk Management Services and/or provide them with a claim form.

Local Risk Management Services has several claims handling functions to perform. The office prepares claim reports based on information obtained from accident victims. These reports are forwarded to a third party "claims administrator"(TPA). Their representatives then investigate the claim, with the assistance of Risk Management Services, in order to determine whether or not the University was at fault and to determine the value of the claim. The University's TPA is Sedgwick. Representatives of that company may contact University department representatives as part of their claims investigation process. Please cooperate with the Sedgwick representatives when they call to request accident information.
If you have any questions or concerns, if they ask any awkward or difficult questions, or if you receive calls from someone other than the University's representative (e.g. injured party, attorneys, etc.) please contact Local Risk Management offices for clarification.

LOSS CONTROL:
Each location is required by law to provide a safe environment for students, visitors, etc. Our general liability claims experience in large measure is based on the ability of department and auxiliary enterprise personnel to preserve a high level of safety at the campus. The following list represents several steps the campus can take to limit its general liability claims:

• Unsafe conditions should be reported immediately. For example, severe cracks in walkways can be repaired to help avoid trip and fall injuries, and should be reported to Facilities.
• Campus programs from lab instruction to athletics can be evaluated from a safety standpoint. That assessment might include questions about the levels of instruction and supervision provided, the quality of equipment used, and the issue of whether there are safer versions of the same activity.
• Immediate medical attention administered by the appropriate campus personnel to injured parties may help to minimize the impact of medical claims

Frequently Asked Questions