05 Dec Snow Removal Liability
Winter weather has returned yet again in Connecticut, and now we’re all scraping and pushing the snow and ice out of our driveways, parking lots, and roads. Whether you’re performing snow removal for your business or as a side job, you’ll want to make sure that you’re insured for it all!
Why do I want coverage?
We all know how many accidents occur in snowy and icy weather when we’re driving our cars or even walking down our driveways. Decreased visibility and slippery conditions are not a friend to anyone, and when you add the usage of heavy machinery, the likelihood of an accident occurring is raised even higher.
A customer walking through a parking lot that you plowed could slip and fall, and you could be held accountable for their injuries. In another example, you could be driving the vehicle you use to plow, and the slippery conditions could cause your vehicle to slide into a parked car or another piece of property. If either of these incidents occurred, would you be insured?
What can be covered?
You could have coverage for slip-and-fall, personal injury, physical injury, and property damage caused by your services. It’s not uncommon for any of these events to occur, and you don’t want to be caught without the coverage you would need if they did.
What policies should I have?
Our clients have different options for the policies that are right for them. If you own your own snow removal business or offer snow removal services we would suggest that you have a Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy. This policy could protect you from slip-and-fall, personal injury, physical injury, and property damage caused by your services. However, CGL policies do not automatically cover the products and completed operations to cover a slip and fall after the plowing has been done. Many CGL policies have an exclusion for snow removal, and you may need a separate policy or an endorsement to add snow removal coverage to your policy. We would make sure that you have the tailored CGL policy that you need.
Additionally, your Commercial Auto Insurance policy could be used to protect the vehicles you’re using for snow removal from both damages caused by vehicle usage or damages to the vehicle. However, the rating on your auto policy must be commercial versus service use in order to be rated corrected in an accident that occurred while snow plowing.
In Conclusion…
While there are many potential liabilities in the snow removal business, we can find the exact coverage you need for your business. Not every Commercial General Liability or Commercial Auto Insurance policy is a good fit for snow removal (in fact, many aren’t) but we know exactly what policy, endorsement or rating you need.
Give our office a call at 860-437-7282 today for an insurance review of your current policy as well as for a quote from us for the coverages you need!
No Comments