Launching a landscaping business seems simple, but like any other venture, you need to assess the risks. It’s not just a matter of purchasing the right equipment, as the equipment itself poses multiple risks to humans and property.
Here are important things that you need to know about landscaping business risks.
Why Landscapers File Injury Claims?
One of the most common risks involves children tripping over landscaping machinery or tools. A landscaper might not know the family members well and not be prepared for kids playing in the yard. Kids like to play with objects and might not realize the dangers of touching landscaping tools with sharp metal edges.
If someone gets injured on the property due to the landscaper’s gear, it can become an expensive problem for the landscaper without proper insurance in place. Any person of any age can trip over bumps in a walkway under construction, and the landscaper might be held liable.
How to Avoid Bodily Injury Claims?
The best way to avoid bodily injury claims as a landscaper is to ensure you and your team operate under safe conditions. In other words, take proactive steps to prevent potential accidents. Don’t leave a lawnmower, rakes, and grass shears lying around for someone to trip over. Instead of scattering your tools around the worksite, keep them all in a secure place.
It’s helpful to post signs while you’re working in the client’s yard, which reinforces the concept of safety. Ideally, your employees should have undergone a safety training program designed to help prevent accidents. It’s standard to inspect a job site before beginning work to ensure the safety of your workers and others. To protect your business against claims of unsafe conditions, take pictures of the site before working on it.
Protect Your Business with Landscapers Insurance
Any type of business that involves working on someone else’s property can benefit from general liability insurance. This insurance protects your business financially if injuries occur at the job site. It will cover the victim’s medical bills and lost wages due to missing work. Furthermore, it will cover legal costs if a lawsuit arises as a result of the injury.
You may want to consider a Business Owners Policy (BOP), which merges commercial property insurance with general liability insurance. Your liability coverage includes paying off the legal costs for intellectual property infringement in advertising or publishing blogs that defame non-public figures.
Since you’ll be using a vehicle to transport landscaping equipment and tools to the job site, you’ll also need commercial auto insurance. Don’t assume that your personal auto insurance will cover accidents that occur en route to a job because it won’t. Personal and commercial auto insurance are separate plans.
Additionally, you should purchase tools and equipment insurance to protect your investment in your company’s means of production. Make sure your most essential equipment is covered, such as lawnmowers and hand tools. Two other forms of insurance may be necessary if you operate out of an office with a computer system. Look into commercial property insurance if you own or lease office space and cyber insurance if you store confidential customer information in a database.
Understanding landscaping business risks is at the heart of determining the type of landscaper coverage you need. Each landscaper must customize their own policy based on how they run their business. At Artisan Insurance Solutions, we help you navigate the maze of insurance options. Contact us today for more information about securing the right insurance policy for your landscaping business.
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