SWG PL: Miscellaneous – 15 Industries You (Probably) Didn’t Know We Cover
In Canada, 70 percent of the workforce is employed by small and medium sized businesses, a significant portion of which comprise professional service providers. (1) These hardworking entrepreneurial professionals provide specialist knowledge to their clients, relying on their professionalism and quality of service to build them a solid reputation over time.
While their liability risks might seem drastic, the legal costs of one lawsuit could cost these service providers their reputation while incurring hefty legal fees.
We Cover Service Providers from these Obscure Industries
Here are 15 of the less-recognized industries we cover under our Miscellaneous Professional Liability product line.
- Life Coaches:
Even the best coaches are at risk when working with particularly demanding clients. They need protection from alleged claims (of bad advice, for instance) or lawsuits brought against them, and PL insurance can help pay the legal costs if they are found liable.
- Funeral Directors:
PL covers funeral directors should the family of a deceased person claim they have caused them financial harm due to errors, omissions, or negligence.
- Calligraphers:
Calligraphers are artists who specialize in stylized handwriting and lettering, often working as freelancers. These professionals need insurance that covers alleged negligence and errors from difficult clients.
- Translators:
Translators working in high-stakes arenas such as law and medicine can be sued for poor translation leading to miscommunication, injustice in a courtroom case, personal injury, and a variety of poor outcomes.
- Zoology Consultants:
Zoology consultants employ their specialist knowledge to make a difference in the health of animals and ecosystems. They need coverage for claims made against them for losses arising from alleged breach of professional duty.
- Genealogists:
Genealogists research, report on and publish archival information, and might run into legal trouble for publishing private or confidential information about a family, or data found to be misleading or false.
- Feng Shui Consultants:
Feng Shui consultants can be sued over claims of “bad feng shui” leading to the financial loss of a business or building tenants. In some cases, feng shui experts have even been taken to court by their clients over fire losses.
- Accident Investigators:
Investigators are hired by the insurance company of the driver to take photos and videos at the scene of an accident. Providing, or failing to provide, evidence could tip the scales of justice, potentially leading to a lawsuit.
- Aerial Mappers:
Aerial mappers are tasked with accurately mapping large areas for a variety of purposes. They need protection from errors and omissions that could result in damages to property or people, for example, failing to accurately locate a service line before a construction project.
- Arborists/Tree Surgeons:
Arborists are commonly sued for fallen trees or branches that result in damage to property or people. As the industry is known for an influx of untrained workers, professionals who invest in specialized insurance will stand out from the pack.
- Auctioneers:
The most common reasons an auctioneer might be sued include breach of contract, misrepresenting property, shill bidding, and perceived bait and switch.
- Crematory Operations:
Crematory operators can be sued for negligence for failing to perform their duties to the expected standard of care, such as proper cremation, crematory maintenance and inspection, that leads to damages to the family or breach of contract.
- Dog Groomers:
Accidents at the groomers such as escapes and injuries happen more often than people might think. Getting PL insurance is an important step pet groomers can take to uphold their reputation as accountable professionals and win the trust of their customers.
- Driver Training Schools:
Liability gets a little complicated when an unlicensed driver is out on the road with a driving instructor. If a car accident occurs, the training school could be sued for the negligent acts of its staff, or for failure to properly maintain its vehicles.
- Handwriting Analysis:
Analysts who examine documents and forensic documents can be sued for poor analysis leading to unjust outcomes in a courtroom case.
Why Consider Miscellaneous Professional Liability Insurance?
Service providers offer their professional advice and counsel, with the understanding that they will perform their best efforts and exercise reasonable care. Sometimes, however, a service provider might lose information, damage property, defame a third party, forget to execute a necessary step to complete a project, or otherwise err in the execution of their duties.
Miscellaneous professional liability insurance protects service providers from mistakes they make, or are perceived to have made, during the performance of their duties. This coverage can aid service providers in defense against such claims until they are proven in court. It can also supplement liability insurance policies that cover specific areas of business operation, such as premises or product liability.
SWG PL – Miscellaneous Professional Liability insurance offers a packaged E&O and CGL policy that covers a wide range of classes of business. Tailored E&O coverage protects small to large firms from a broad range of miscellaneous risks. SWG provides a Miscellaneous PL policy at competitive rates, bringing extensive knowledge and underwriting experience in professional liability.
Visit our policy page for more details. Or, if you didn’t see what you were looking for on this list, contact us.
Content is current as of the date of broadcast and is subject to change without notice.
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