Finding the right construction business insurance can be a confusing chore that can take up a lot of your valuable time. Just the insurance jargon alone can be maddening, and then the process to get the insurance policy you need takes time. This is why many people often forget about it, hoping that the high risk industry they work in will never have to deal with a serious accident.
Construction companies want to have the right coverage to protect them if something bad happens, but may go without it or have the wrong coverage in place. If you want to make certain you have the right coverage for any disaster, it’s time to do some research and get something in place.
The following are the key basics you need to know before getting your business insured.
Why Insurance is Important
Construction companies are required by law to have insurance, and it’s for your benefit. Insurance for tradesmen, businesses and professionals can help cover a variety of things that can go wrong. If you have employees, you must carry insurance coverage for them in case your business is found liable for any accidents or injuries that involve employees.
Carrying the right insurance policy can give you a sense of security, and it’s like credentialing for what you do. It demonstrates that your construction business is a responsible and respectable business. It also shows that you take safety seriously. The policy can also cover your business. While it may seem like a longshot that your business is going to get flooded or destroyed by a fire, if it were to happen, you would feel relief knowing you’re covered.
Insurance Options
Depending on your specific insurance needs, you can get a wide variety of insurance policies that cover just about everything that could easily go wrong on site. You can work closely with a tradesman insurance company to help you determine the best insurance options for your construction business.
Here are some examples of policy options on offer:
- Public Liability Insurance – can help cover you if your business were to cause damage to public or personal property.
- Legal Expense Insurance – helps provide funds to cover legal costs and expenditures your company may need. It also comes with a 24 hour hotline for legal issues and tax questions that can save you money.
- Contractors All Risk Insurance – a specifically designed policy to cover contract work for builders and other tradesmen that work on contracted sites. This insurance will cover your materials and the property where the job is located.
- Employers Liability Insurance – is legally required if you employ anyone and will help protect your business from claims an employee may file for an injury of illness on the job that you might be responsible for.
- Tool Insurance – provides coverage for the tools and equipment your business uses to carry out work. The policy helps to cover these items from accidental loss, theft, or damages.
- Professional Indemnity Insurance – can protect you against a claim a customer makes against your company if they report a financial loss as a result of your services.
- Personal Accident and Sickness Coverage – may be something you want to consider if you are self-employed. The policy can provide you with a lump sum of cash or benefits paid weekly in case you are unable to work. It can be a financial lifesaver if something were to happen to you.
Construction sites it not limited to large industrial sites, so there’s no excuse as to why you’ve not got your business covered. It’s available to: shops, commercial properties, flats, hotels and driveways. It will ultimately cover your employees, the property your working on and the equipment your using to complete the job. If you want added protection, you could get indemnity insurance which will cover your business if your giving out advice.
If you want to prove you’re a professional and show your clients that you care about what you do, getting the right tradesman insurance is a must. Failure to get insured will only result in headaches for your business, as on top of dealing with the accident that’s occurred, you’ll have financial and legal woes too.