Taking your Business Insurance UP!

Workers compensation insurance is designed to cover medical expenses and part of lost wages for employees who are hurt or become ill on the job. This coverage is mandated by state law once a business surpasses a certain threshold of employees and, depending on which state you’re in, owners and officers may elect to be covered or not.

A few things to note:

• If an employee’s work agreement lists them as an independent contractor, you can face penalties for not providing coverage if you control the manner and location of their work.

• Contractors may be charged at audit time if a subcontractor was used without securing their workers compensation comp certfiication of insurance. Injured 1099 subcontractors without workers compensation may try to file a claim under a contractors insurance policy.

• Carriers are not required to offer workers compensation to sole proprietors, partners and members of LLC’s, however you may still wish to provide coverage for these workers. If you are a sole proprietor or other non-eligible worker seeking insurance for yourself, contact us.

• An employer must arrange for coverage in all states in which they have exposure, no matter how small. If any of your employees live, temporarily travel through other states or work in other states even some of the time, you may need coverage in those states, too.

Just about every company uses computers and technology as part of their everyday work, and while technology can make work simplier, it also opens companies up to a range of liability claims. Gunn-Mowery can help you find robust cyber liability insurance solutions, such as:

Media Liability

• Infringement of copyright, title, slogan, trade name
• Plagiarism
• Wrongful representation of character, reputation or products

Security Liability

• Transmision of computer virus
• Unauthorized access
• Denial-of-service to a customers system
• Disclosure of confidential information
• Identity theft

Business Interruption & Extra Expense

• Loss of income resulting from a computer attack
• Additional expenses incurred to restore the business as quickly as possible

Cyber Extortion 

• Coverage for the investigation and settlement of a cyber extortion

Property Insurance covers the loss of business property due to theft, fire or other covered reasons. This coverage can protect you from the loss of the property and may allow you to replace or repair the property which has been stolen or lost. This can also help with additional expenses related, such as the cost of renting a new property to replace the damaged assets.

Commercial Casulty Insurance is commonly purchased with property insurance. This type of coverage protects a company in the event of a lawsuit alleging Bodily Injury, Property Damage or Personal Injury. It can also include other coverage for third-party losses, as well as commercial car insurance, aviation insurance and other products.

Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) protects you if you or your business are ever named in a claim alleging wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, failure to promote and other employment related claims. The number of employment-related lawsuits is at a all time high and steadily increasing. Every decision, policy and procedure risks scrutiny. It’s not just large companies that need this coverage, in fact, small and medium-sized businesses can be especially vulnerable to these claims because they usually do not have legal departments, HR departments or in some cases, even an employee handbook.

Directors and Officers (D&O Insurance) is designed for instances when any party sues the officers or directors of any non-profit, public or private organization alleging mismanagement. Directors and officers can be named in lawsuits filed by vendors, investors, employees, customers, competitors or others when they are executives. While businesses have insurance to protect their assets against legal claim, D&O Insurance protects the company’s leaders. This coverage also helps by covering legal costs, settlement awards and other expenses related to the claim.

Examples of potential lawsuits include:

• Misuse of funds
• Misrepresentation
• Breach of fiduciary duty
• Violation of workplace regulations
• Fraud
• Intellectual property violations

As a professional, you work hard to provide your customers and clients with the best services and advice possible. However, if a client experiences negative outcomes after using your service or advice, this could present a legal risk for you. Professional Liability insurance covers you and your business if you’re found to be or accused of being negligent in the professional services that you provided to a client or customer or if your company failed to perform a service.

Professional Liability commonly covers:

• Errors or omissions
• Failure to provide services

Professional Liability generally does not cover:

• Illegal, fraudulent or dishonest acts
• Intentionally wrongful acts

Commercial Auto Insurance provides both liability and physical damage coverage for the vehicles and trailers your business uses every day at the higher limits demanded by today’s market. This includes liability, comprehensive & collision, hired & non-owned and uninsured & underinsured motorists.

We can help you correctly insure your:

• Commercial Fleet-including trucks, vans, box trucks and flatbeds
• Private passenger fleet-including everyday cars & SUVs used by salespeople & owners
• Trailers-including utility trailers, covered trailers & mobile workstations

Inland marine insurance provides coverage for property in transit, at a temporary location or temporarily being stored by a third party. If you are transporting or shipping goods, or own property that is mobile or may be transported at some point, you may need the protection provided by inland marine insurance. Any time you transport property, it is subject to theft, destruction from accidents or other forms of loss.

Inland marine insurance can cover a wide range of property such as:

• Equipment
• Supplies
• Tools
• Computers
• Structures/Materials
• Someone else’s property that is in your possession

Does your business carry enough coverage to protect against lawsuits? A Commercial Umbrella is a cost-effective way to increase coverage for General Liability, Auto Liability, and Employers Liability. As an extra layer of protection, an umbrella policy is a crucial form of insurance for entrepreneurs.

Pollution Insurance provides coverage for claims associated with clean-up costs, as well as covering injury to third parties, such as neighbors harmed by a release of toxic substances. The costs of a chemical spill or any leak of hazardous materials can be enormous for an organization, making pollution insurance mission-critical for most businesses. A pollution claim can result in expensive clean-up costs, as well as property or bodily damage. 

Also, a pollution liability claim can easily result in litigation and investigation to determine who is responsible. The costs of legal teams and investigations can be significant, especially since these claims tend to involve multiple parties. The producer of the harmful pollutant, the owner, and tenant of the business property where the spill or exposure took place and other parties may all be considered when evaluating a claim.