Worley opened its doors in 1976 to serve the needs of insurance industry clients in the assessment and processing of property and casualty claims. From the very beginning, the success of our business depended upon understanding and satisfying the customer one claim at a time.
With the same energy, integrity and commitment to perfection that Ed Worley instilled in his first New Orleans office in 1976, Worley eagerly anticipates serving the clients of tomorrow.
In 1976, Ed Worley opened a small office outside of New Orleans, Louisiana, to serve the needs of the insurance industry clients in the assessment and processing of property and casualty claims. From the very beginning, the Worley family business was welcomed by clients seeking the personal attention necessary to aid them in reducing their pending caseloads while still maintaining a high standard of quality.
An early morning explosion from the Shell Norco Refinery destroyed homes in the community of Diamond, Louisiana, releasing 159 million pounds of chemical waste into the atmosphere. Worley is called upon to provide claims administration and class action administration. The Norco explosion is Worley’s first catastrophic event assignment.
In August of 1992, Hurricane Andrew made landfall on the Florida coast and subsequently on the Mississippi and Louisiana coastlines. At the time of its initial impact, Andrew was a category 5 hurricane (with sustained winds of 175 mph) and the aftermath was also, at that time, the costliest hurricane in United States history.
The earthquake struck in the San Fernando Valley about 20 miles (31 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Damage occurred up to 85 miles (125 km) away, with the most damage in the west San Fernando Valley, and the cities of Santa Monica, Simi Valley and Santa Clarita. Total earthquake-caused property damage was estimated to be more than $20 billion, making it one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.
In mid-October 1994, major flooding occurred in the San Jacinto River flood plain near Houston, Texas. Four pipelines, each carrying a different substance, were exposed, undercut, and eventually ruptured causing gasoline, fuel oil, crude oil, and natural gas to spill into the floodwaters and subsequently caught fire. Worley handled the reinsurance portion of the claim along with administration of mass tort litigation.
Photo: (Kerwin Plevka.Chronicle)
A 16-inch crude oil transmission pipeline ruptured in Lake Barre, Louisiana, discharging an estimated 6,561 barrels (275,562 gallons) of crude oil. Worley was called upon to handle claims from fisherman, crabbers and charter boat captains as well as subrogation and reinsurance portions of the event totaling $21 million.
Worley celebrates 25 years of service with new branding, a new trade show booth, and the introduction of of Worley's trademarked slogan, "CERTAINTY in a World of Risk."
Despite the loss of the Worley Home Office facilities in the storm, we maintained uninterrupted catastrophe response services to our clients during Hurricane Katrina’s landfall. In the wake of the most costly natural disaster in the history of the United States, Worley provided field adjusters, general adjusters, claims managers, loss adjustment specialists, and IT infrastructure and support services to some of America’s best-known insurance companies, handling in excess of 100,000 claims.
On June 5th of 2008, Worley celebrates the grand opening of its current corporate offices in Hammond, LA. The offices consist of an administration building and training facility. The latter is over 20,000 sq ft and houses state of the art technology to assist with the many classes and seminars that Worley provides.
In 2010, an explosion on an offshore drilling rig resulted in the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. Worley was called upon to begin ramping up its catastrophe response, ultimately opening and staffing a centralized claims center and 35 field office locations within a 30-day period. Operating from the Texas coast to the Florida Keys, Worley provided location selection, lease execution, permitting, and full operational functionality to facilitate community outreach and claims intake.
Superstorm Sandy was named the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. It was also the second most costly hurricane in United States history. Worley property and auto adjusters were making their way to staging areas before Sandy even made landfall and after landfall, some 1100 adjusters, began the arduous task of helping those affected rebuild what was lost.