General Liability

Insurance

Protect your people and minimize business interruptions.

Guarding your resources and equipment is second nature. Guarding against the possibility of an accident is more like wearing a helmet. It’s protecting what’s critical in the event things go wrong. General Liability coverage is for the costs of an unexpected lawsuit. Vulnerability to lawsuits is a fact of doing business today. They can be as damaging to your business as a storm or a fire.

As a small business owner or independent contractor, you may risk losing everything in the event of a lawsuit without the protection of a General Liability Insurance policy. This type of insurance is essential for businesses of all sizes and industries as it is a protective helmet for your business. Don’t leave your livelihood vulnerable to legal disputes – invest in General Liability Insurance today.

General Liability Exclusions

Just like with any insurance plan, there will always be certain exclusions that are included. These exclusions can come in the form of standard policy forms published by ISO (Insurance Service Office) or they can be specific to each individual insurance company. It’s important to remember that every insurance plan is unique, so it’s best not to assume that they are all the same since they can vary greatly.

Some common exclusions apply to a large majority of general liability policies. Let’s review a few examples of policy exclusions below.

Intentional acts

Deliberate acts meant to cause damages are not covered by insurance policies.

Employee Injuries

Most general liability insurance policies exclude employee injuries, but workers’ compensation plans can provide coverage.

Professional Errors and Omissions

The general liability plan is never issued with the intent to cover any professional exposures. Professional liability insurance can be purchased on a stand-alone plan, or there could be a sub limit of coverage included in some additional endorsement rider.

Pollution

It’s worth noting that most general liability policies don’t provide coverage for pollution liability claims or events. In the event of a situation like pollutants seeping into the subsoil or water table, it’s important to have a stand-alone pollution liability plan in place. Fortunately, such plans are available for purchase.

Faulty work

In the construction industry, we frequently examine a significant aspect – the exclusion of faulty workmanship, defective products, or inadequate services. Essentially, this exclusion pertains to substandard workmanship, which could occur due to various reasons such as the use of wrong products, unfavourable weather conditions, or the construction company’s lack of appropriate expertise or experience in executing the task.

This is a short list of examples. You will want to fully discuss your policies or work with a licensed professional to fully uncover your exposures and get them covered properly.

Speak with your Hitchings Insurance specialist about your business use scenario. Each situation is unique, and our team is dedicated to assembling your specific protection package.

Hitchings Insurance agents are highly knowledgeable about industry-specific liability issues. We enjoy sharing our knowledge and helping our business partners make informed decisions.

General Liability Insurance Basics

Commercial General Liability Insurance, also known as General Liability Insurance or CGL, provides protection for you and your business against expensive lawsuits and damages resulting from injuries or property damage caused by your business operations or products. This coverage can be obtained as a standalone policy or as part of a Business Owners Policy (BOP) or other industry-specific insurance packages.

CGL Insurance protects you from damages for a variety of events:

  • Physical injuries or property damage suffered by a non-employee related to your business operations or a product or service that you sell
  • Damage from libel, slander, false advertising, or copyright infringement
  • Attorney fees and other costs you incur in defending against lawsuits

CGL insurance would cover incidents such as:

  • A slip-and-fall injury occurs to a delivery person while on your premises.
  • One of your service people damages a customer’s property while providing service in their home or business.
  • Someone sues you, claiming libel, slander, or damage related to your advertising.
  • A competitor charges you with copyright infringement.

Boosting Your Coverage with Umbrella Insurance

Many of our commercial clients also choose to boost their coverage with an Umbrella Insurance policy (which costs very little). This type of insurance extends protection to various parts of your business operations, providing added protection.

To learn more about our ‘people before policies’ commercial insurance mindset – complete and submit a free quote request – or call us at 419-423-9145.

General Liability Coverage Form Types

Business liability is typically offered in two different form options.

The first is the Claims Made form. This means that for a claim to have coverage, it needs to have occurred on or after the retroactive coverage date.

The second is an Occurrence based form. This is the most used form in the industry. A coverage claim payment occurs if the loss occurs during an effective policy period.

Ohio Commercial Insurance

You deserve the security of knowing that if the worst happens, your people will be taken care of while the business gets back on its feet. Our team at Hitchings Insurance take the time to create a strategy to manage your comprehensive commercial insurance needs. All the advantages of a national firm with the personal attention of a ‘people-first’ approach to business.

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Give us a call and speak with one of our ‘people first’ agents.