Business Liability Insurance

McBride Insurance Serves Your Business Liability Insurance Needs With A Personal Touch

Middlesex county is quickly becoming a hot bed for companies of all sizes. If you’ve been doing business in the area for a long time, like McBride Insurance, then you know the reason why. The towns that McBride Insurance serves, like Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Tewksbury, Westford and Lowell, are thriving places to work, live and own a business due to our classic small-town appeal and ideal location within 30 miles of Boston MA and Nashua NH. Tens of thousands of people have chosen to make this area their workplace and their hometown, and business owners, like you and us, were smart to take advantage of all the great things these communities offer.

However, a great location, doesn’t guarantee that your business will have uninterrupted success for decades to come. Having been in this area for over 50 years ourselves, McBride Insurance is very familiar with the ups-and-downs of being a business owner, many that are in your control but some that are beyond it. This is exactly why you will want to consider a variety of business liability insurance solutions.

What if a customer trips and falls while visiting your place of business? Or, perhaps an employee accidentally causes damage to your customer’s home or property. And what if a product you sell causes someone bodily harm? As a business owner, you know that there are a lot of variables involved in starting and operating a company and that one thing, or several, can go wrong at any given time. That’s why, whether you are an established business or just about to open your doors in our community, you will want to partner with a highly insightful insurance agent, like John McBride, Jr. and his team. We have a wealth of local experience and share your same goals – to help you protect and grow your business.

From commercial landscapers and plumbers to restaurants and retail shops to manufacturers and auto repair shops, the professionals at McBride Insurance can provide knowledgeable advice about how best to protect the successful business you are building with the proper business liability insurance policies, including:

Commercial General Liability (CGL)
Professional (or Errors & Omissions) Liability
Employment Practices Liability (EPL)
Cyber Liability
Commercial Umbrella (or Excess) Liability
Pollution Liability

Directors and Officers Liability
Employee Benefits Liability
Event Liability
Fiduciary Liability
Liquor Liability

Now before you say, “We’re just a small family owned business in Billerica, so why do I need all these coverages?” please give us a moment to share some important information about four of the most commonly required policies: CGL, Professional Liability, EPL and Cyber Liability. These coverages are essential for almost every business, regardless of size or industry.

Commercial General Liability (CGL)

Whether you employ hundreds of people, work with only family members, or are a sole proprietor, you are always exposed to risk should your services, products, or even your employees negligently harm your customers or their property. Particularly when injuries occur, you could find yourself caught up in a lawsuit and found liable for damages. Depending on the degree of harm and the number of people injured and/or value of property damaged, a lawsuit could seriously hurt your business financially. Even if you are ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing, the legal proceedings can keep you financially strapped for a long time, requiring significant expense to defend yourself. In this scenario, having a CGL in place would mean:

Your attorney fees could be paid for
Your assets could be protected
Other associated costs, such as medical, compensatory and punitive damages, may be covered
You would have protection against slander and libel

There are three main exposures that are covered under a CGL: Premises Liability, Products Liability, and Completed Operations Liability. Your McBride Insurance agent will carefully review the nature of your business to determine whether you need all three options in your policy.

Professional (or Errors & Omissions) Liability

A CGL policy provides excellent coverage and protects against medical expenses, slander, libel, the legal costs of defending lawsuits, and more. But, even with this broad of coverage, a CGL has its limitations. For your business to be fully protected and for you to feel a true sense of security, you should also invest in a professional liability insurance policy that covers:

Claims of negligence and misrepresentation
Violation of good faith and fair dealing
Inaccurate advice

In general, a professional liability policy covers financial losses rather than bodily injury or property damage. For many professional advice- and service-producing companies, this errors and omissions liability insurance is critical to have to cover the full cost of defending against claims and to pay for damages awarded in a civil suit. Whether you are a real estate agent in Lowell MA or an accountant in Chelmsford MA or a beauty salon in Dracut MA, there is always a chance that you, your employee or your product could fail to perform for a customer, and thus McBride strongly recommends you consider a professional liability insurance policy to safeguard your livelihood.

Employment Practices Liability (EPL)

If you have employees, whether it’s one or one thousand, then McBride Insurance strongly encourages you to invest in this powerful coverage. Why? EPL will cover your business against claims by workers that their legal rights have been violated as employees of the company. With these types of lawsuits being filed by employees at an alarming rate, McBride Insurance believes you would be very wise to have an EPL in place to:

safeguard you and your company against employee lawsuits claiming wrongful termination, sexual harassment or discrimination, breach of employment contract, negligent evaluation, failure to employ or promote, wrongful discipline, deprivation of career opportunity, wrongful infliction of emotional distress, and mismanagement of employee benefit plans
help cover the cost of your defense whether a claim goes to court or is settled out of court
provide for any agreed upon settlement

As a business owner, you have probably taken a number of steps to prevent employee lawsuits before they happen. However, even with highly effective hiring and screening programs, clear corporate policies, thorough documentation, and extensive employee resources and training, you are never operating 100% risk-free. The McBride Insurance team will help you understand your level of exposure based on your company size and number of employees and then advise you on the appropriate amount of EPL coverage.

Cyber Liability

Coverage for a data breach may seem like the trendy insurance option of the moment, but as a business owner, you should seriously consider getting this liability protection. Cyber-attacks are more widespread and more sophisticated than ever before, and affect businesses of all sizes and organizations in both the private and public sector. No business can escape using information technology (IT) in some way, shape or form. If you and your employees communicate via email, provide information or services through a website, or store customer data on computers, then you are exposing your business to hackers and could be held liable if certain data is compromised. Take the time to speak with your McBride agent today about planning for the unexpected with a cyber liability insurance policy that could:

save you time on professional services to help you quickly restore your business’ reputation, guide you in handling a breach, and assist with regulatory compliance
cover response expenses, including mailing notification letters, credit monitoring services and public relations
provide coverage for defense and liability expenses in the event you’re sued because of breach

The peace of mind that having all the right business liability insurance coverages will offer you as a business owner is truly invaluable. At McBride, we work with top national insurance carriers to provide you with the best possible insurance solutions at the most competitive rates. So, whether you are a small mom-and-pop shop or a large-scale landscaping business, we will find you the liability coverage required by your specific situation at the most affordable rates.

Contact us today for a complimentary review of your current business liability insurance policy or to get a free quote for your new business. Before you decide, please call McBride, 978-663-3301.