Use Aerial Data to Complete Better Commercial Inspections

Use Aerial Data to Complete Better Commercial Inspections
As technology continues to advance, the property and casualty insurance industry is being presented with a wealth of tools and data to enhance the accuracy of a commercial inspection. Now that drones have been cleared by the FAA for commercial use, some insurance carriers are using drones to enhance the commercial inspection process. Drones offer the ability to map inspection sites, offer 3-D modeling, and provide an aerial inspection.
The aerial data that a drone can provide offers the ability to speed up the commercial inspection process, fight fraud, and improve accuracy. Here are four ways that insurance carriers can leverage aerial data for property inspections:

1. Conduct safer commercial inspections.
Climbing ladders and roofs presents life-threatening risks for property inspectors. According to 2012 research from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 544 on-the-job fatalities related to falls from higher levels. This research did not include the number of people that suffered serious injuries from similar falls.

While insurance carriers should not rely solely on aerial data when conducting a property inspection, they can use it to inspect hard-to-reach areas and minimize the amount of time that inspectors spend off the ground.

2. Improve the speed of the commercial inspection process.
Before arriving to the site to inspect the property, insurance carriers can review a digital diagram of the property’s exterior to gain useful information about the building, such as roof dimensions and slopes and roofing material. Having access to these high-resolution aerial images will help property inspectors to be more prepared while on the job and will allow them to speed up the property inspection process.

3. Increase the accuracy of property inspections.
Depending on factors such as the size of the size of the commercial property and the slope of the roof, property inspectors can face some challenges in gathering all of the information they need to put together an accurate commercial inspection report. However, combining a physical property inspection with aerial data will increase the accuracy of the report and help ensure that no area is overlooked.

4. Minimize insurance fraud.
According to research from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, approximately 10 percent of property and casualty insurance claims are fraudulent. Having high-resolution aerial images in the property inspection report from when the property was underwritten can prove to be a useful tool for insurance carriers to fight fraudulent claims down the road.

All in all, leveraging aerial data can help insurance carriers to complete better commercial inspections and more accurately determine which risks are worth taking.

Our team at Insurance Risk Services utilizes the latest tools and data and complete the most thorough in-person property inspections in the industry. We have more than 35 years of experience in partnering with property and casualty insurance carriers to provide them with the underwriting support that they need to make informed decisions.

Please contact us at Insurance Risk Services to learn more about how our commercial inspections can help you to protect your bottom line.

We’re delighted to announce that Insurance Risk Services will rebrand to Davies in the near future.

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