Insurance Insights

As new mobile phone technology continues to emerge, more businesses are introducing smart phone applications into their daily work life, which includes business owners, employees, and executives. In fact, according to the AT&T Small Business Technology Poll, 85% of small businesses use smart phones for business operations, which is up 80% from the previous year. While using your own mobile devices at work is convenient and makes business travel easier, it also comes with security risks that could damage your business reputation in the long run. By having a handle on the risks, you can work to resolve them if you still plan to allow mobile devices to be used in the workplace.

Having a job that requires working outdoors can be a gift for many individuals, especially those that prefer to be out in the fresh air and away from stuffy cubicles. However, while this may be ideal for many people, it also has a variety of safety risks. People who work in certain industries which involve working outdoors  — including construction workers, painters, gardeners and landscapers, and roofers — have associated risks and dangers like heat exhaustion, bug bites, and accidents, to name just a few. By understanding the probable risks of working outdoors, you can better protect yourself and your employees.

Risks of Working Outdoors

Merchant fraud is an unfortunate loss you may have to deal with when you own and operate a small business. While a business of any size can experience merchant fraud, such as shoplifting, it tends to affect small businesses more because any small loss can be a huge burden to your business finances and assets.

Small businesses need to be on guard for merchant fraud at all times. According to a recent study conducted by the National Learning and Resource Center, over $13 billion worth of goods are stolen each year from retail stores, which totals over $35 million each day. With statistics like this, it is more important than ever to be on guard for merchant fraud and take the necessary steps to protect your business from it.

Shoplifting Profile

Business travel is an inevitable part of work life for many occupations. Whether you plan to take a single business trip to meet with a client or you travel for business on a regular basis, safety is an essential part of traveling. When speaking of business travel safety, you want to be concerned not only for yourself and your personal belongings, but also any business equipment you happen to bring with you on your trip, which is common among some professionals. The following do’s and don’ts of business travel safety act as a guide for keeping your business excursions as safe and free of incidents as possible.

In Your Luggage  

Most businesses use company vehicles, whether it is for delivering materials, picking up supplies, offering mobile business services, or for other uses. When you are using a company vehicle, you depend on the vehicle to get you where you need to go safely. Part of keeping your vehicle safe is proper tire safety and maintenance. If you fail to perform regular maintenance checks of your vehicle’s tires it can cause an auto accident, from mild to severe. The Rubber Manufacturer Association recommends that you check your tires, including your spare tire, at least once a month.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a part of the US Department of Labor, and it is their job to ensure all employees in the US work in safe, clean, and appropriate work environment. As part of its mission, your small business may be subjected to a complaint from OSHA for the conditions in your workplace. There are a variety of reasons your business might get a complaint, such as having tripping hazards in your workplace and not working to correct it, or improper training for equipment or handling toxic chemicals. The following will provide instructions on how best to handle an OSHA complaint should you happen to receive one.

Interior designers are creative individuals with an eye for color and style, and
a passion for designing attractive and livable spaces. Interior designers work with
lighting, furniture, decorative accessories, and exterior elements of a person’s
home or a company’s office. With the success an interior designer finds during her
career, comes the increased potential for possible claims of incompetent work. With
this type of risk, insurance for interior designers is crucial as it will protect
her from a variety of liabilities and claims from previous clients. A variety of
professionals in the interior design industry can benefit from interior designer
insurance, including freelance interior designers, commercial interior design agencies,
and independent interior design agencies.
Types of Interior Designer Insurance

A Distributed Denial of Service Attack, also called a DDoS attack, is the most dangerous tool a hacker has on a company or individual’s computer. It is an ongoing concern due to the damage it can do to your computer, hard drive, and network. No matter how large your company website is, the DDoS can get through many of your additional security measures. Ensuring proper protection from a DDoS attack, such as obtaining cyber crime insurance, is essential if you have a company website, no matter how big or small.

What is a DDoS attack? 

A class action lawsuit is a lawsuit filed for a specific group of people that have been wronged or injured by actions made by a company involved in the lawsuit. They’re often filed by employees of the company, or third parties. It is important to know how small business owners can guard against class action lawsuits because they can be detrimental to your business. Even if you win the lawsuit, they can be extremely costly and damage not only your business assets and finances, but your reputation. According to a class action survey conducted by Carlton Fields law firm in 2011, approximately 57% of companies are implementing innovative risk management tools in order to take extra preventative measures against class action lawsuits.

If you own and operate a small business, the safety of your employees as well as your company building and contents should be of utmost importance. Unexpected events, such as fires, can occur without warning and cause large amounts of damage. While you may not be able to prevent a fire in all cases, you can still develop a fast response team and system for evacuating the building safely. Fire safety tips for small business include a number of different methods you should use for preventing a fire and handling the fire if it has occurred in your building.

Fire Evacuation