When it comes to an artisan contractor business owner’s insurance policy, or often shortened to BOP, it is important to think through the specificities involved with this type of insurance and the different liabilities and damages that might be involved.
BOP is a great way for business owners to protect themselves from the burden of covering the medical expenses of non-employees who may become injured while on your property. It will also help protect your equipment and tools, which are the backbone of your livelihood. Replacing these tools or pieces of equipment can not only be a hassle on short notice, but the cost can really hurt your business, especially if you have to replace several large pieces of equipment at once.
ARTISAN CONTRACTOR BUSINESS OWNERS INSURANCE
When running any type of business, the first thing any business owner should do, is a risk assessment. It does not have to require the aid of a professional, although hiring a professional can give you a more accurate picture. Determine what factors would literally destroy your company, such as fires, natural disasters, theft, slander, lawsuits, and so on. Once you take all of these things into consideration, you can get a better idea of what type of insurance protection you need. Most artisan contractor business owner’s insurance policies provide some type of coverage for just about any point that may have been brought up during your risk assessment.
Business Liability
Business Liability insurance coverage will help protect your business from losses due to injuries sustained by clients or customers, on site. This also protects the business financially in the event that someone else’s property is damaged by the company and may also include:
- Physical injury
- Damage to Property
- Completed projects/jobs and products
- Medical Bills
Business Personal Property Coverage
This type of insurance protection is commonly called ‘contents coverage’. It usually applies to what is inside the business structure. This can include computer equipment, furniture, and anything else that is written into the business owner’s insurance policy.
There are times where a business policy can also cover some personal assets, such as items the business owner owns and uses to perform his or her job more efficiently. It could also include some items that are used for business purposes, such as a cell phone, tablet or laptop.
Building and Structure Coverage
Business owners insurance should provide coverage in the event of property damage with most pertinent buildings, or at least ones that are listed in the insurance policy. This coverage includes additions and improvements that may be made to the building (as long as the additions are permanent additions). Secondary buildings or properties may also be a factor.
Business Income and Expense Coverage
This part of business owners insurance covers loss of income and/or other expenses that are a result of loss of business items. If you lose the primary business structure, this could be critical coverage to have. This can also ease the financial burden of lost business due to slander or some cases of unintentional copyright infringement.
Valuable Papers, Documents and Receivables Coverage
This is basic coverage for important documents, paperwork, tax information, permits and licenses or any other type of documentation that is essential for the success of your business. This can be crucial if you have an office or storage location that is used solely to store these types of documents.
Employee Dishonesty Coverage
Employee theft is something that can quickly spiral out of control, costing a business hundreds or thousands of dollars a year. Protecting yourself from shoulder the financial burden of stolen goods could be the difference between a year in the red and a year in the black.
