General Liability

10 years ago · by Shawna Kreis · 0 comments

General Liability Insurance for Companies and Businesses

Society is different than it was just a few decades ago. It has become contentious. Even a small accident that occurs, with seemingly no one at fault, can result in a large legal endeavor. When that happens, insurance companies enter the fray.

General Liability Insurance Defined

In short: General Liability Insurance is for most types of businesses where there may be instances of bodily harm, injury, and damages inside the business property that were caused due to owner or employee negligence. General liability insurance is dynamic coverage that includes anything from personal injury on the job to product misuse or malfunction.

This type of insurance is vital. Most savvy business owners and new business consultants will tell you that you don’t start a business without some form of general liability insurance. This type of coverage protects your from legal actions, such as suing, for occurrences that may or may not have been caused by you or an employee of your business.

Mitigating Liability Risks at Work

There are ways to mitigate these kinds of circumstances, however:

Always ensure that quality and product control are handled to the highest standard by employees who are well trained and take their task seriously.
Keep accurate data of all company records.
Ensure that your employees are well trained and informed on all safety procedures and protocols that are necessary within the business.
Never “sit on” an accident report that may result in a liability claim. Always ensure that you make all parties aware as soon as it happens.

However, those are only mitigating factors. You can never ensure or guarantee that something will not happen in the workplace which you and your business may be found liable. That’s why general liability insurance is so important. It is the “front line” of liability defense. While other types of coverages, such as cyber-security insurance and commercial property insurance, cover very specific terms, the general liability insurance has a wider umbrella of protection.

Source: http://sba.gov/blogs

11 years ago · by Shawna Kreis · 0 comments

Concealed Weapons Complications

The nationwide debate over gun control in the aftermath of the Newtown massacre has raised a number of issues — including potential insurance liability for businesses in states that permit citizens to carry concealed weapons. Here’s why:

A company that allows customers or visitors on its premises has a legal obligation to exercise “reasonable care” in keeping them safe, a responsibility that includes warning them about any hidden dangerous conditions. For example, in states with “concealed carry” laws, a store owner might need to post warnings that sales clerks are armed.

Let’s say that an employee carrying a concealed weapon negligently or deliberately shoots a customer who is legitimately on the premises of the business — and the customer then sues the employer for bodily injury. On the other hand, suppose that an employer forbids workers from carrying weapons on the job. If an employee is attacked and beaten at work, he or she might sue for damages from bodily injury, claiming that the employer’s ban on firearms in the workplace impaired the employee’s ability for self-defense.

Although your Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy should provide coverage against such claims, it makes sense to minimize this risk by taking pre-emptive action. One effective approach: To seek an exemption from the scope of the concealed-weapon law (if one doesn’t already exist), giving you the authority to forbid weapons in the workplace. Make it clear to all employees and potential employees that company policy forbids bringing weapons onto the premises. You might also conduct comprehensive pre-employment screening to help hire stable, sensible people who are unlikely to settle disagreements with lethal force.

To learn more about protecting your business against the potential problems created by concealed carry laws, feel free to get in touch with us at Scurich nsurance Agency!