Mitsui to cut pipe and cable claims

Mitsui Sumitomo at Lloyd’s has partnered with LTU to help its UK construction and utility clients avoid claims for severed and damaged cables and pipes.

LTU is launching a buried services drawing database - World Surveyed - in early 2012.

It aims to reduce the risk of construction crews accidently damaging unseen underground electricity cables, data infrastructure and energy pipelines during excavation work. 

Mitsui will give access to historical drawings provided by the survey industry, giving users an accurate starting point for the planning of their work.

World Surveyed has already signed up companies including Willmott Dixon, ASDA, Tesco, Balfour Beatty, Bardon Construction, Jackson Civil Engineering, Turner & Townsend, Pell Frischmann and Mott McDonald. 

It has also been endorsed by the Institute of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ICES), The Survey Association (TSA) and Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA).

Dave Dexter of the risk engineering team at Mitsui Sumitomo at Lloyd’s said: “As well as costing the UK insurance industry millions of pounds each year, with 95% of damaged buried services claims falling under the deductible at an average cost of £900 per claim, these damages are costing the construction and utility sectors much, much more. 

“By partnering with LTU to promote World Surveyed with our clients, we hope both to reduce our claims costs and prevent our clients from losing productive days while expensive and often difficult to fix damage is repaired.”