Insurance Considerations
The Nova Scotia School Insurance Program (SIP) is a reciprocal insurance exchange, licensed by the Superintendent of Insurance for the Province of Nova Scotia. The official name of SIP is the Nova Scotia School Insurance Exchange. The School Insurance Program is a not-for-profit organization that is owned and operated by the Regional Centres for Education of Nova Scotia, CSAP, and the Nova Scotia Community College and manages all aspects of property and casualty-related insurance.
Maintenance Program
As the property owner, the school and the Regional Centre for Education are responsible for the school and surrounding property. This includes playground equipment and natural playground space. It is very important that schools consult with the Regional Education Centre to ensure all required policies and procedures are followed.
Key Insurance Considerations:
- CSA guidelines must be applied when building play spaces and sourcing equipment;
- Consider accessibility in the initial design;
- Equipment should be installed by a contractor that is certified to install CSA equipment;
- Contractors working on the project, whether paid or not, provide proof of commercial general liability insurance for $2,000,000 by way of a Certificate of Insurance and listing the Centre as the certificate holder;
- The contractors working on this project, whether paid or not, are not considered volunteers of the Centre and they would be responsible for their work on Centre property. In addition, it is recommended that they provide evidence that workers are covered under workers compensation;
- Contractors are required to provide security checks;
- The playground should be built at minimum 30 ft. from the school (due to risk of vandalism); and
- All Centre policies and procedures should be followed.