As a landscaper, you’re dealing with more than just inclement weather and slow seasons. From accidents with lawn care tools and machinery to unhappy customers, you need an insurance policy that has you covered.
Environmental Coverage
Environmental impairment exposure is significant. The application of chemicals can result in damage to air, soil, or groundwater. The landscaper must comply with all federal, state, and municipal regulations regarding the use and disposal of chemicals and waste products.
This can cover you in case you are liable to pay fines & legal expenses for polluting the environment.
General liability Coverage
Third-party injury and property damage are the greatest risk exposures in the lawn care business with claims and lawsuits that can exceed hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It covers bodily injury or property damage to third parties like the people or entities other than your employees or your business. Without general liability insurance, a lawsuit could bankrupt your business.
Commercial auto Coverage
Your commercial vehicle can be liable for other party’s injuries or property damage if you or your employee cause an accident while driving for work.
It includes liability coverage. Landscaping business owners can opt for coverage that pays for damage to their vehicles, roadside assistance, and medical bills for them and their passengers.
Commercial property Coverage
Your property is always exposed to certain risks like fire, theft and other natural calamities. If you don’t have a cover, you suffer a great loss.
It covers assets like your building, equipment, tools, or nursery inventory of plants, trees, and shrubbery. The specific coverage depends on the policy, but most pays for losses from events like fire, theft, vandalism and other natural calamities.
Inland marine Coverage
Because transporting equipment is common in the industry, most insurers should include at least some inland marine coverage on their property policies to be on a safer side.
It covers your equipment, tools, and supplies as you move them from one job to another or while delivering your landscaping products, such as plants and trees, to a client. Policies can also cover any equipment that you store away from your primary location like a client’s shed or a garage.
Workers’ Compensation Coverage
Your workers may face several work hazards, such as sharp tools, heavy equipment, operating machinery and vehicles, and even animal bites, which make workers’ comp coverage critical for your small business.
It covers medical bills and wage replacement for employees who suffer work-related injuries or illnesses. This coverage is necessary for many landscaping businesses because of the risks involved, plus most states require workers’ comp coverage if you have any employees.
There may be different policies for your landscaping business, depending on your specific needs. Below are the main policies you may want to consider for landscaping insurance coverage:
General liability insurance — otherwise known as commercial general liability (CGL) insurance — is a type of policy that covers your landscaping business from costs as a result of third-party accidents, property damage, bodily injury, lawsuits alleging damage, and more.
If you don’t have general liability insurance, you run the risk of being responsible for any costs that come with running a landscaping business. With the average costs of reputational damage being upwards of $50,000, small businesses can’t afford not to be insured.
To put this in perspective, let’s say a customer trips over a leaf blower left out in their yard while you’re wrapping up a landscaping project. The customer is injured and irate, and they sue you for their injuries. As a result, the medical bills and court fees result in thousands of dollars. What do you do in this situation?
So what could your general liability insurance policy cover? Here’s a quick summary:
But what about the things general liability insurance doesn’t cover?
Also, it’s important to make sure your equipment is covered if something is stolen or damaged. Some general liability insurance policies include some type of contents coverage, which is the insurance that protects you in case your tools are damaged or stolen.
From lawn mowers and weed whackers to shovels, rakes, and trowels, as a landscaper, you likely work with a lot of different tools and machines at any given time. Plus, in most states, you’re legally required to carry workers compensation insurance.
Accidents happen, which means it’s important to have the proper coverage to not only protect yourself but your employees, too.
For example, what if an employee were to drop a heavy shovel and break their foot? Or if an employee is injured while using lawn shears? Talk about some big medical bills! Your workers compensation policy will not only cover your employee’s medical bills, but it can cover other related expenses, such as time missed from work and rehabilitation expenses.
It’s imperative that landscapers have adequate workers compensation insurance. Even if we think we’re being as careful as possible, accidents can happen. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in 2017 more than 229,000 workplace injuries due to contact with objects and equipment were so serious that they resulted in time away from work. What’s more, the cost of work injuries in the U.S. that same year was $161.5 billion. That’s not a typo.
Workers compensation insurance for landscapers can cover:
Other insurance that may be needed for your landscape business
There’s no question that running a landscaping business is costly, especially if you’re in the early stages and purchasing equipment, vehicles, marketing, etc. The thought of adding insurance costs to the equation can seem daunting.
The truth is that the cost of landscaping insurance is a fraction compared to what you’ll spend if you get sued by a customer or if an employee gets injured on the job. Plus, if it’s legally required to have insurance coverage in your state, the repercussions of not having a policy could be major.
With landscaping insurance, not only do you have peace of mind knowing that you and your family are covered, but you know your employees and customers are taken care of, too. Small businesses that are insured are seen as more legitimate to customers than those without insurance. Having a current landscaping insurance policy is a vote of confidence that’s great for business.
Contact us to know more about how we can keep your landscape business protected
It might be time to switch insurers whenever the service that your existing insurer provides doesn’t meet your needs. For example, if you have a poor claims experience or an unexplained rate increase, it might be time to consider other options
If you cancel a previous policy before a new policy is effective, you could run into some serious financial problems.
Contact us today to help you with multiple options to choose from.