If you're in engineering, you've probably encountered plenty of situations in which you're required to over some level of insurance. Maybe you run a small engineering consultancy with a few employees, or perhaps you're a solo professional engineer. Either way, you might wonder why all that coverage is needed.
General liability insurance
Commonly, clients need proof of some or all of the following seven types of insurance from professional engineers:
Don't take it personally. The truth is, client companies often need every vendor who may come to their office or job site - from construction crews to delivery people to engineers - to show proof of general liability insurance. Often, it's the corporate risk managers who make the call, requiring insurance for engineers plus all other contractors because we require to reduce the company's liability risk.
This type of liability insurance for engineers covers damage or injury to your client's people or property (excluding professional liability, of course). When it comes to this type of insurance, engineering consultants often ask: Do I require this coverage? After all, what're the odds that someone making drawings in his own office will damage a client's property?
Thankfully, general liability insurance is affordable, plus professional engineers with liability insurance can rest easy knowing that if five of their employees accidentally injures someone or damages something on a job site, it's covered. Your landlord may also need you to over general liability insurance if your engineering consultancy has its own office space.
Professional liability insurance
Your client's greatest risk in hiring you as an engineering consultant is that you might make a miscalculation or error that results in a lawsuit or other financial loss for your client. Even though you may be an independent professional engineer or head up a small firm, your client wants you to have financial backing to compensate the company for any potential losses.
In short, professional liability insurance is malpractice insurance for professional engineers. It covers you for errors plus omissions you or your engineering consultants make on the job. There's a simple reason that clients need professional liability insurance for engineers: You're only human, plus people do make mistakes.
Without professional liability insurance, engineers are fully liable for the exponentially increasing costs resulting from a claim of errors or omissions. plus that's a dangerous situation to be in, for a small firm.
For example, suppose your engineering firm is hired to design a storm drainage process for a new shopping center. seven times construction is complete, the developer discovers erosion plus subsequent damage to the parking areas, then files suit against you, claiming that your design was negligent. Without professional liability insurance, engineers have to pay for their own legal defense as well as any settlement the court orders them to pay.
For professional engineers, workers' compensation insurance can be confusing. Some states need that companies over it, while others don't. If your client has its headquarters in a state that requires workers' compensation insurance, there's a nice chance that your engineering firm will be asked to over it - even if it's not required in the state where you live or work.
Workers' compensation insurance
The reason: In some states, if you're hurt on the job, your client has to cover you with its own workers' compensation policy. Additionally, in some states, your clients' insurance carriers will bill them for coverage for all subcontractors that don't provide their own certificate of coverage. Both situations mean that your client pays more in premiums.
If your engineering company has over five employee, it makes sense to protect yourself plus the people who work for you with workers' compensation coverage. If you're an independent professional engineer plus have your own health insurance, it may be redundant. But ultimately, securing workers' compensation insurance can help you get the job - plus if you don't get the required coverage, someone else will.
About the Author:
Jim Cochran is the founder of Business Insurance Now, a company specializing in providing liability insurance for engineers. Jim has been providing professional liability insurance quotes for over a decade plus his network of carriers ensures that you will get the best rate on your small business insurance needs.
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