Business Solutions for the Real World
Give us a call to get started! 304.935.2002
Business Solutions for the Real World
Give us a call to get started! 304.935.2002
General Liability in Charleston, WV
Most liability claims start with something small. Maybe a customer trips on the mat in your lobby, or a ladder slips on a job and cracks a client's window. On the day it happens, it hardly seems worth mentioning.
Then a letter shows up from that person's attorney with your company's name at the top. General liability is the coverage that answers that letter. We'll build yours around how your business really runs, then check it against the contracts you've signed.
Schedule a Call With Our TeamRather talk it through now? Call 304.935.2002.
What General Liability Covers
General liability covers claims from people outside your company who say your place of business, your work, or your products hurt them or damaged something of theirs. It's often the coverage a landlord or a customer's contract asks you to prove you carry. Most claims it answers fall into one of three groups.
Bodily injury
A customer, visitor, or vendor gets hurt at your location or because of your work.
Property damage
Your work damages a building, a piece of equipment, or other property that belongs to someone else.
Personal injury
Claims your policy lists as personal injury, plus other liability risks that come with running your business.
If one of your own employees gets hurt, that's a workers' compensation insurance claim instead. Accidents in company vehicles go to commercial auto insurance.
Three Places a Liability Claim Usually Starts
Knowing where claims tend to come from makes it easier to check what your policy really has to answer. Here's where most of them begin.
Anyone who walks into your building could get hurt there. It might be a wet entryway, a crowded aisle, or a loose handrail, and if someone does get hurt, the claim comes to you.
If your crew works in buildings you don't own, every job puts someone else's property at some risk. One dropped tool or cracked pipe can turn into a property damage claim with your name on it.
A claim can show up long after you've been paid. If something you made or built causes damage later, your coverage still needs to answer for it.
Not sure which of these your policy covers? Let's go through it together.
Schedule a Call With Our Team
Your Contracts Set the Real Requirements
A lot of liability trouble comes from a contract you signed months ago. A master service agreement can ask you to indemnify the customer, name them as an additional insured, and carry certain limits. If your policy doesn't back up those promises, the gap can land on you.
We'll read your MSAs and contracts and check that your coverage really supports what you agreed to. For energy and industrial clients, we also take care of ISNetworld insurance matters, including uploading your Certificates of Insurance.
- You're listed as an additional insured on each coverage line
- You're named as the certificate holder
- It gives at least 30 days' notice of cancellation
- It's signed, never stamped, by an authorized representative
- The form reads "ACORD 25" in the bottom left corner
These checks come from our guide on how to read a certificate of insurance. Rob Brooks, our in-house risk management specialist, can also train your team to read certificates, remotely or on site.
When One Liability Policy Isn't Enough
Energy, manufacturing, and construction work can bring risks a standard policy was never written for. When that's your line of work, we build your coverage in layers. They stack like this, with general liability as the base at the bottom.
An umbrella policy, or full umbrella coverage and extensions, adds protection on top of your other policies once their limits are used up.
Energy and manufacturing insurance can include construction liability, public and products liability for onshore and offshore work, and customized general liability with pollution and watercraft coverage.
The base layer, for injury and property damage claims from people outside your company, written around where you work and what you do.
Between us, our team has nearly 400 years of experience, and some of us have handled casualty and property losses in the eight figures. That experience counts most when a claim is big or complicated.
Taking on a bigger contract or a riskier site? Let's make sure your limits keep up.
Schedule a Call With Our TeamRead the Exclusions Before a Claim Does
A policy can look complete and still leave out the claim you're most likely to face. Our healthcare team sees this with senior care real estate. A building owner's own policy often excludes injuries to residents, so the real protection has to come from the operator's insurance program and the lease. It's one reason we look closely at assisted living facility insurance programs.
When another company's coverage is supposed to respond before yours, such as a tenant's or a subcontractor's, ask these three questions.
- Do you have the additional insured endorsement itself, and not only a certificate?
- Is their coverage primary and non-contributory, meaning it pays before yours does?
- Does the lease or contract require them to indemnify and defend you?
Getting to Our Charleston Office
Our office is downtown, in Suite 100 of the Gazette-Mail building. Most conversations start with a phone call, and you're welcome to bring your contracts in so we can go through them together.
Coming in from South Charleston
- Take E Street to MacCorkle Avenue (US-60 East) and turn left.
- After about 0.7 miles, get on I-64 East.
- Follow I-64 East about 2.2 miles and take exit 58B toward Virginia Street and the Virginia Street Bridge.
- Continue about 0.8 miles along Virginia Street East to number 1001.
General Liability, in Plain Answers
What does general liability insurance cover?
It covers claims from people outside your company for bodily injury, property damage, and personal injury, plus other liability risks that come with running your business.
Does general liability cover my own employees?
Usually not. Injuries to your own employees are handled by workers' compensation, while general liability is for claims from people outside your company.
Why does a contract ask me to add an additional insured?
Adding them extends your policy's protection to the other party for claims tied to your work. We'll review your MSAs and contracts to make sure your coverage supports what you agreed to.
Can you help with ISNetworld?
Yes. We help with ISNetworld insurance matters, including uploading your Certificates of Insurance.
What if I need higher limits?
An umbrella policy sits on top of your general liability and other qualifying policies, adding more coverage for a large claim.
Bring Us the Contract You're Unsure About
If you're signing a new MSA, opening another location, or heading into a renewal with questions, one call is a good place to start. We'll show you where your general liability stands and what your property and casualty insurance program might be missing.
Schedule a Call With Our TeamRather talk it through now? Call 304.935.2002.
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Phone: 304.935.2002
Address: 1001 Virginia St. East, Suite 100, Charleston, WV 25301