Animal hospitals are important businesses for all communities. Just like humans have medical emergencies, animals do too. As the owner of an animal hospital, you have a variety of duties and responsibilities. You must make sure that your hospital is ready for any emergency that might arise and be prepared to take care of many different types of animals. Keep your animal hospital safe and running smoothly by making sure you have the right types of small business insurance.
General Liability Insurance For Animal Hospitals
General liability is an all-around broad level of business insurance that protects your company from many common potential hazards. It protects your company from suffering financially when customers are physically hurt or when they file legal actions against your business for accidents and mistakes. General liability grows your coverage automatically when you add new locations, products or services. Several of the key ways general liability protects you include:
General Liability Insurance Includes:
- Premises Liability – When customers bring their animals to your hospital, they are likely to be flustered or scared for the animal’s health. This state can make accidents more likely to happen. If a customer has an accident while at your animal hospital she may need medical treatment herself. The premises liability portion of your general liability insurance helps protect you from having to pay the customer’s medical expenses, and it keeps her from having to pay for them as well. Premises liability pays for medical care when accidents cause bodily injuries on your business premises. It also pays for repairs if a customer’s personal property is damaged at your hospital.
- Products Liability – When your animal hospital sells products to its customers, it does so with the best of intentions. Sometimes a product is defective however, and can bring harm instead of help. When defective products cause physical injury to your customers, or when they cause damage to personal property, your products liability insurance can help pay for the cost of repairs.
- Completed Operations – Completed operations insurance is the section of your general liability coverage that helps protect you after the services have been rendered. If a customer feels that the services you provided caused them harm or loss, they may sue your animal hospital. This portion of your business insurance helps pay for your legal defense costs. It also pays for medical expenses, repair bills and settlements or awards.
Business Owners Policy
General liability coverage is provided for your company as part of another type of business insurance: a business owners policy (BOP). A BOP provides your company with direct protection of its assets. This coverage can include loss protection for tangible as well as intangible business assets-your inventory or your company’s payroll, for example. A BOP can be tailored to protect only those assets your company has. Common options include:
- Buildings and Contents
- Business Income and Extra Expense
- Electronic Data
- Newly Acquired or Constructed Buildings
- Employee Dishonesty Coverage