Author: Melvin

High Investments Require Specialized Coverage

Posted on by Melvin

Piloting virtually type of craft includes inherent risks. Cars get tangled in fender benders. Boats can bang up a dock. Accidents happen  — and mishaps involving aircraft require their own insurance coverage.

Protecting Your Investment in the Aviation Business 

Owning an aircraft is often an expensive venture. The average cost of a light aircraft can range from $8,000 to $15,000. Scaling up to a single or multi-engine aircraft means averages from $15,000 to $300,000. It’s likely the cost of aircraft parts, operating costs, and maintenance (including inspections, gas, and storage) is high. Adding customized features or parts to your aircraft to make it uniquely yours can add more value to your aircraft as well. Therefore, in most cases, only having a standard liability insurance policy will not be sufficient coverage for your high-value aircraft in the event of major damages or loss.

Security Through Aviation Liability Insurance

Whether private or commercial, being an aircraft owner is a huge investment. According to Arroyo Insurance Services, general or commercial liability insurance is limited, however, and does not cover aircraft, bodily injury and property damage to the operator or owner. As a result, there are several liability products in the aviation business to consider:

  • Liability for aircraft cargo
  • Coverage for aircraft spares
  • Aviation workers’ compensation and employer’s liability
  • Hangarkeepers’ liability

Solid, specific coverage for your aircraft is often a smart move. Not only will aviation liability insurance significantly reduce your potential burden, but you will also be protected against risks unique to the industry.

Making Sure Your Practice is Safe

Posted on by Melvin

The aging American population comes with its own set of challenges for medical professionals. One of these issues is the tricky situation of a patient’s lawsuit. Today, any medical provider can run the risks and exposures that will entail a nasty lawsuit. Source:axisins.com. Thankfully, professional liability insurance for healthcare professionals is built to help you when you need it most.

So What is Professional Liability?

Before understanding why this kind of insurance is so crucial to the healthcare industry, it is important to get a basic understanding of professional liability. This insurance type essentially handles the event of a negligence claim. These allegations can include clerical mistakes or errors and omissions. Both entire businesses and individuals can purchase this protection depending on their industry type.

With professional liability, an individual or entity does not have to bear the entire financial burden of a court case or the potential damage payments.

Why Would a Healthcare Provider be Interested?

Professional liability insurance for healthcare professionals is constructed with the types of risks those in the healthcare run on a daily basis. Claims regarding mistakes, incorrect diagnosis, and bodily injury are frequently included within the policy. If you are a healthcare provider, consider the daily risks you run while handling patients in which a situation like a claim may arise. Therefore, this insurance is a must for any healthcare provider or individual.

Employment Practices Liability Insurance: What You Need to Know

Posted on by Melvin

Employment practices liability insurance covers a wide variety of issues that employers can be faced with including things like sexual harassment, wrongful termination, discrimination, breach of employment contract, infliction of emotional stress, failure to employ, mismanagement and more. You can visit www.axisins.com for some examples of epl claims scenarios.

Legal action against companies has become commonplace in today’s world so it makes sense to pay attention to the potential legal issues that you may face. EPL insurance is there is help to cover legal fees that your company could be charged with while defending themselves against a claim. It will pay whether or not you win or lose the case.

A great way to avoid winding up in court is to make sure your company has clear cut checks and balances in place when dealing with employees. Take the time to structure policies and procedures that are in line with state and federal employment guidelines to keep you and your administration safe. Always put things in writing and cover your bases.

If you have employees then you should be in the know when it comes to employment practices liability (EPL) claims. Whether your business is large or small, you may experience epl claims at one time or another, so you need to talk to your insurance provider about your coverage options. Employment practices liability insurance premiums vary based on your company, number of employees and additional risk factors. It can be purchased as stand-alone coverage or added as an endorsement.

Lacking Workers’ Compensation Coverage Can Result in Penalties

Posted on by Melvin

To effectively run a business, no matter the size, you need workers’ compensation coverage. In fact, if you do not have it, there may be a penalty for not having workers’ compensation insurance. Here is what you need to know.

The Importance of Workers’ Compensation Coverage

Most states require that businesses have some type of workers’ compensation coverage. There are exceptions, dependent on how many employees a business has and what state you are in. Workers’ compensation insurance is a protection for workers who suffer injuries on the job and likewise protection to businesses. If you have workers’ compensation coverage, then an employee cannot sue you for injuries or illnesses that he or she received while on the job.

The Fines for Not Carrying Workers’ Compensation

The experts at Caitlin Morgan Insurance Services warm that failure to carry workers’ compensation coverage can result in fines between $1,000 and $10,000. This is significant for any employer to have to pay. The cost of workers’ compensation benefits represents about only 2% of a business’s operating costs.

To avoid fines and lawsuits for illness or injury, it is always better to have workers’ compensation coverage. It will cost your company less in the long run to have coverage that protects your employees and protects your company.

Liabilities With Fiduciary Duties

Posted on by Melvin

Offering employee benefits is a way to secure the best talent in the field, but these aren’t required for some employers. When federal law requires, companies are bound to meet minimum standards found in ERISA, and failure to do so can result in fines. However, employees can still cause problems for employers that do offer benefits and carrying a comprehensive employee benefits liability insurance policy can help reduce the liability concerns of a suit brought against a company.

Employee Requirements

The federal regulations were established to help protect employees and their contribution to pension plans from company mismanagement, but updates to legislation now require extended healthcare to former employees through COBRA, HIPPA security measures to protect healthcare coverage, and accountability for ensuring more eligibility of coverage through the ACA.

Administration Liability

Through the information presented at https://www.wwspi.com, employee benefits liability plans are often endorsements on a general liability policy. It is designed to address the financial concerns that arise from suits claiming errors and omissions concerns with benefits administration. The concerns may include:

  • Failure to enroll an individual in a healthcare plan
  • Failure to designate a plan beneficiary for an employee
  • Misclassifying an employee and denying eligibility
  • Failure to process a payout claims and denying applicability

When an employee sues for damages and the incurred loss, it can devastate a company’s finances. A liability policy provides the resources needed to fight the legal battles and address settlements.

Preventing Accidents in Warehousing Operations

Posted on by Melvin

If your business relies on a warehouse for storage or for your inventory supply, you understand the increased risk of danger and damaged goods from warehouse racking collapse. Although your insurance policy is able to provide you with the financial support to settle injury or damaged goods or property claims, it is much better for your company if you don’t have to address such an unpleasant situation. Here are some easy ways to prevent accidents in the warehouse.

Proactive Measures

According to the experts at hilbgroupfl.com, your best bet against dangerous warehousing accidents is a strong warehouse insurance policy. This takes your coverage beyond general liability concerns and addresses the unique exposures your operations or facility faces.

Safety and Training Courses

Your new hires and seasoned employees need to have strong training programs in place, both before they hit the floor and throughout the year. Reinforce safe stacking and loading procedures, as well as to conduct operations and maneuver assessments with all forklift operators. Establish loading processes and identify space needs for working between aisles and shelving.

Routine Checks

Rather than leave your employees to their tasks and blindly trusting safety compliance, have management checklists and audit processes to make sure everyone is following protocol. This can help reduce the strain on your first line of defense, which is the insurance support that will come into effect if an incident occurs.

The Importance of Landlord Insurance

Posted on by Melvin

Having a strong landlord insurance policy is one way to ensure your real estate venture actually makes you money. There are so many concerns when dealing with tenants and lease obligations, and as mentioned by the team at Rent Rescue, dealing with tenants that don’t pay their bills is the most devastating financial problem. As a way to protect from this risk, it is possible for a landlord or property owner to take out a policy of insurance against non-payment of rent.

Financial Expenses

The cost of landlord insurance is based on several factors. They could include:

  • The size and number of rental units
  • The geographic location for the unit(s)
  • Condition and age of the building
  • Condition of plumbing and electrical
  • The presence of a swimming pool, playground, or other liability items
  • Whether the units allow smoking
  • Risk protections such as smoke alarms or sprinklers, gated entrance, or burglar alarms

Financial Benefits

Carrying landlord insurance is well-worth the expense given what it can be used for. In addition to being able to help with loss of rental income, it protects from the financial loss that could be incurred through natural disasters, injuries, or accidents associated with the rental property. It may even provide enough funds to cover total replacement or complete repair if the entire structure is damaged.

The Basics of Marina Contracts

Posted on by Melvin

Owning or leasing a marine vessel is great, but not everyone can afford a place to park it after a day out in the water. Individuals can lease marina slips at an affordable price to moor a boat and keep it safe. Not all marina slip contracts are the same, however. Boaters can learn the basics of marina contracts to ensure the best deal possible for their vessels.

Understand the Law

A marina contract is a legal document. Like most legal agreements, it aims to shift liability and potential fees onto the signer. Therefore, individuals should read the fine print and understand their contract thoroughly before signing.

A marina contract typically requires boat owners to carry insurance. Insurance plans and advice on parking a boat is available through sites like www.merrimacins.com. Contracts might require a minimum level of coverage, but individuals can go beyond their contract and customize their plan to achieve full protection.

Use a Boat Wisely

Contracts also require boat owners to leave the docking area a certain amount of times each year. Boat owners should plan ahead to ensure they won’t get penalized.

People who are selective over their marina contracts can enjoy their vessel with peace-of-mind. Taking time to understand a contract can help boat owners keep slip and docking costs low.

Making Sure Your Construction Project is Well Insured

Posted on by Melvin

The complexities of liabilities associated with construction projects add confusion to the processes of securing insurance for a job. The advisors at https://www.sboneinsurance.com recommend that you know the difference between builder’s risk vs property insurance in order to give your project the best protection. Having a builder’s risk policy can be the difference between a successful risk management approach or a devastating loss.

Property Insurance

The nature of property insurance is somewhat limited in light of the construction activities that might be occurring. The scope of property damage is limited to incidents of theft, fire, and weather damage to existing structures and items belonging to the property owners. A construction site presents new elements that would need coverage.

Builders Risk

When construction is occurring, there is an assortment of equipment, materials, and vehicles that belong to contractors and subcontractors on the property. A builder’s risk policy covers the loss associated with damage to these items in the event of vandalism, theft, fire, or weather damage. It also covers the unfinished project or structure with the plan being in effect from the date the work begins to the day when work has been completed and the property is available for use.

The details of coverage for each policy are unique to what the property owner, contractor, or bank requires. Additional endorsements and inclusions can be tailored to meet specific risks such as weather vulnerabilities in areas that may be prone to flooding or wind damage.

Protecting the Leadership Team from Lawsuits

Posted on by Melvin

Although many think that being in management comes with perks and privileges, they often forget about the negatives that come with being a position of responsibility and leadership. One area of concern for those who work in management is the liabilities associated with their decision-making. Even though operating under the authority of the company, there a times when a company’s insurance policy has a gap in coverage for areas of professional liability. By having management protection insurance, directors, trustees, and other insured persons have support against personal liability claims of wrongful acts. According to the information at https://www.moodyinsurance.com, such a policy can potentially past, present, and future directors and officers.

Areas of Coverage

The nature of the policy will vary according to the carrier, but the plan will usually establish a definition for the actual or alleged wrongful acts. It will also specify a reporting or claim period that coincides with the life of the policy, and it will identify what type of investigations are covered and the extent of the costs of the legal representation. In addition to these primary areas of coverage, policies have also been known to have the following inclusion:

  • Civil penalties
  • Compensation for court attendance
  • Emergency costs or expenses
  • Spousal coverage
  • Public relations consultation fees
  • Employment practices liability

Having this coverage adds an extra layer of defense against damaging litigation. In some areas of business, it is better to have the coverage and not need it, than to need it and not have it.