Rhode Island Business Insurance

Whether they build custom furniture or kitchen cabinetry, carpenters in Rhode Island face unique risks, no matter how cautious or experienced they are. Working on-site at clients' homes and businesses, using hazardous professional equipment, and dealing with others' personal property bring a heightened liability risk that can benefit from custom, comprehensive small business insurance—and an insurance policy inspires confidence in clients when they're deciding which carpenter to hire for a project. 

Most carpenters choose the protection of general liability insurance, which offers several essential benefits. Because it protects against bodily injury, the carpenter's business will be protected if, for example, a client trips over the cord of the carpenter's electric drill and falls, breaking their wrist. The policy will cover the client's medical costs and protect the carpenter in the case of legal action. Because it protects against claims of property damage, it will cover any costs incurred if the carpenter, while hanging cabinets for a kitchen remodel, drills into the wall and hits a pipe, flooding the kitchen. And because it protects against personal damage, the business will be protected if, for example, one of the carpenter's employees is overheard gossiping about a client in a false and unflattering way and the client subsequently hears about the discussion and sues for slander. In those cases, the policy will cover the resulting claim and pay for a defense attorney when necessary. 

As part of the beauty industry, hairdressers and hair stylists interact directly with clients in a very personal way every single day. While this may be part of the appeal of working as a hair stylist, it also carries certain risks, including client claims of emotional distress, bodily injury, personal injury, treatments gone wrong and property damage. Even when these claims do not have a factual basis, such claims can be costly, stressful and detrimental to a hair stylist's business. 

Professional liability insurance, also called errors and omissions insurance, protects in the case of lawsuits claiming that a business has negligently performed its services. For a hair stylist, a case like this might arise when a hairdresser leaves a color treatment on too long and the client suffers scalp burns and hair damage and sues for emotional distress and bodily injury.  

Rhode Island hair stylists can also benefit from general liability insurance, which protects the business owner in the case of lawsuits claiming property damage, slander and bodily injury that may occur even when no individual is at fault. For example, if a client brings their laptop to the salon and an employee accidentally trips over it and breaks it, a general liability policy could cover the subsequent claim. 

Painters are exposed to potential liability whenever they enter a house, an apartment building or a commercial building for their day-to-day interior painting work. Services such as removing old wall coverings or disposing of lead-based paints can expose clients and employees alike to hazards, and painters could potentially face lawsuits over floor-damaging paint spills, slip-and-fall accidents and even employees' comments about clients during break times. For all of these reasons, Hiscox provides custom insurance that can fit each Rhode Island painting business's specific needs. 

General liability insurance is one of the most important types of insurance for a small painting business to have. It protects against bodily injury, so if a client trips over a painter's equipment and breaks an ankle, the policy will cover the client's medical costs. It also protects against property damage, so if paint spills during a job and damages a client's hardwood floors, the policy will cover the costs associated with refinishing the floors. And it also protects against personal injury, so if an employee is at lunch and starts talking about a client in a false and unflattering way and the client hears about this discussion and sues for slander, the policy will cover the claim and pay for a defense attorney, if necessary. 

Whether they shoot for weddings or for Rhode Island's news media, photographers have to liaise with clients, navigate challenging environments, and get the perfect shot—all while managing their valuable equipment. Altogether, all the excitement of  a photographer's job can come with heightened risk. 

Photographers can find peace of mind by securing reliable professional liability insurance coverage, also called errors and omissions insurance, which covers claims against businesses that provide professional services. These claims might arise, for example, if a faulty memory card prevents a photographer from delivering photographs to a client or if a difficult client claims to be dissatisfied with a photographer's work. 

General liability insurance, which protects against a third party's claims of bodily injury or property damage, provides another layer of protection. A photographer might face claims like these if a client trips over their camera bag and sues to cover associated medical costs or if the photographer's assistant is heard gossiping about a high-profile client who subsequently files a libel or defamation lawsuit. 

Personal trainers in Rhode Island might train clients for competition, help them recover after injuries, or simply help them get in shape. But as personal trainers know well, there are risks that come along with any fitness regimen, from injuries sustained during workouts to physical damage from equipment to chronic pain that starts after a session is over. While these risks are inherent to physical training, they may prompt litigious clients to file a claim against their personal trainers. 

Professional liability insurance, also called errors and omissions insurance, covers claims against businesses that provide professional and personal services, such as personal trainers. This insurance offers protection even when the trainer hasn't made a mistake, such as if an older client suffers chest pain and has to be rushed to the hospital after a session and subsequently files a claim alleging that the personal trainer caused his heart attack and mental anguish. Not only will a Hiscox professional liability policy provide an attorney to defend against such claims, but it will also cover the costs of any subsequent payments for medical care. 

In addition, the physical nature of a personal trainer's business can use the protection of general liability insurance, which protects against claims of bodily injury or property damage. This would protect the personal trainer's business in the case of slip-and-fall claims, which are not uncommon in a busy gym environment.  

General liability insurance, known as Commercial General Liability (CGL), protects your business from another person or business’s claims of bodily injury, associated medical costs, and damage to property. Some examples of what could be covered are below:

• Exceeding project schedule: A management consultant was hired to do a project that included assessing the client’s customer service function. As the project progressed, more deliverables were added. When the consultant informed the client that the project had become too large for him to complete on his own, the client sued him for not completing the project as agreed. Professional liability insurance could protect management consultants against claims of negligence and will appoint an attorney to defend them, even if they haven't made a mistake.
• Bodily injury: At a media event being held at a consultant’s office, a journalist had too much to drink and stumbled into a table, knocking it over, breaking several glasses and injuring himself. He brought a claim for his injuries against the consultant. General liability insurance protects media consultants against third-party claims of bodily injury, associated medical costs and property damage.
• Property damage: A claims adjuster was inspecting a home for a claim of water damage. While in the home, he knocked over and broke an expensive sculpture. The homeowner made a claim for the cost to replace the sculpture. General liability insurance could protect claims adjusters against third-party claims of bodily injury, associated medical costs and property damage.

Learn more about general liability insurance costs. 

Professional liability insurance, also known as errors and omissions insurance (E&O insurance), covers another person’s claims against businesses that provide professional and personal services. Some examples of what could be covered include:

• Negligence: A regular Pilates client starts to experience severe back pain and makes a claim against the studio for negligently instructing her. Professional liability protects yoga and Pilates instructors and studio owners against such claims and will appoint an attorney to defend them, if necessary, even if they haven’t made a mistake.
• Dissatisfied client: Parents hired a tutor to help their child improve their SAT scores. After several tutoring sessions, the student took the test for the second time and received lower scores than the first time. The parents sued for a refund of the fees they paid the tutor. Professional liability insurance could protect tutors against claims of negligence and will appoint an attorney to defend them, even if they haven’t made a mistake.

Learn more about professional liability insurance.