General liability insurance, also called Commercial Liability Insurance, protects your business from another person or business’s claims of bodily injury, associated medical costs and damage to property. Whether you are a sole proprietorship or corporation, you can be protected from possible mishaps.

“Your business needs to be covered with the right coverages for the right risk.”

EXAMPLES OF THINGS COVERED:

• Someone can slip and injures themselves in you store, office, or job site because your tools or office equipment was on the floor for a few minutes and you were going to pick it up.
• The customer’s property is damaged while you were working on it and it creates a costly repair to replace.
• We live in a society where anything is possible.

Your business needs to be covered with the right coverages for the right risk. There are different levels of coverages depending what industry and how the business operates. If you’re running a welding shop is a higher risk than someone who sells clothes.

WHO MIGHT ASK FOR GENERAL LIABILITY?

• Clients, whether you’re working on the lawn or building another room for their home. They can ask for proof of insurance before accepting your services.
• Building landlords can have requirements on minimums for a General Liability policy. In order to let your business operate in their premises and take a lease it is a requirement.
• Shopping Centers would want coverages if you’re working as their security company or maintaining their parking lot landscape. They want to protect their shopping centers.

General Liability does not cover everything. Business Owners Policy (BOP) can help out more since it includes General Liability and other coverages.

If you have a personal umbrella liability policy, there's generally an exclusion for business-related liability. Make sure you have sufficient auto liability coverage.

Unfortunately for every business owner, the chances of getting sued have dramatically increased in the last decade. General Liability insurance can prevent a legal suit from turning into a financial disaster by providing financial protection in case your business is ever sued or held legally responsible for some injury or damage.

General Liability pays losses arising from real or alleged bodily injury, property damage, or personal injury on your business premises or arising from your operations. The Hartford's liability programs extend far beyond the provisions of typical policies, with broadened coverage and increased limits in over 30 areas.

Broad Range of General Liability Protection

• Bodily Injury, including the cost of care, the loss of services, and the restitution for any death that results from injury
• Property Damage coverage for the physical damage to property of others or the loss of use of that property
• Products-Completed Operations provides liability protection (damages and legal expenses up to your policy's limit) if an injury ever resulted from something your company made or service your company provided
• Products Liability is a more specialized product liability insurance that protects your company against lawsuits from product-related injury or accidents
• Contractual Liability extends to any liability you may assume by entering into a variety of contracts
• Other coverage includes: Reasonable Use of Force; Borrowed Equipment; Liquor Liability; Non-Owned Vehicles (such as aircraft and watercraft); Fire, Lightning or Explosion Damage; Water Damage Liability Protection; Legal Defense Costs; Medical Payments; Personal Injury; Advertising Injury; and specialized liability protection for specific business types