Business insurance
Most of the businesses around here are a few people, a couple of trucks, and a building. You do not need an enterprise risk program. You need the right general liability limit, the vehicles listed correctly, and somebody who picks up when a customer asks you for a certificate on a Friday afternoon.
From one-person shops to larger companies — if it’s a business, Carolyn can probably write it.
What it covers
Plain descriptions of each part, and what it actually does on the day you need it.
General liability
Covers you when your work damages somebody else’s property or somebody gets hurt because of what you did. This is the coverage a general contractor or a property owner will ask you to prove before they let you on the job.
Commercial property and business personal property
The building, the equipment, the inventory, and everything the business owns. If a fire or a burst pipe shuts you down, this is what gets you back open.
Farm insurance
Farms are businesses too. Barns, outbuildings, equipment, and the liability that comes with all of it.
Commercial auto
If a vehicle is used for work it belongs on a commercial policy, not your personal one. A personal auto policy can deny a claim once it learns the truck was on a job. This catches people out constantly.
Workers compensation
Required in Pennsylvania once you have employees, and the rules on subcontractors are stricter than most people think. Get this wrong and you find out during an audit.
Business owner’s policy
For a lot of small operations, liability and property get bundled into one policy that costs less than buying them separately. Worth pricing both ways.
Worth a call if
- You run a contracting, excavating, plumbing, electrical or HVAC crew.
- You have a shop or a restaurant on Main Street in Masontown, Uniontown or Carmichaels.
- A general contractor just asked you for a certificate of insurance and you do not have one.
- You started as a one person operation and now you have two employees and a second truck.
- You are still running work vehicles on a personal auto policy.
Certificates the same day, from a person
The thing small contractors actually need from an agent is a certificate of insurance, fast, because a job is waiting on it. Carolyn sends those herself. You are not opening a ticket or waiting for a service center in another time zone to get to it on Monday.
Your personal auto policy will not cover the work truck
This is the most common expensive mistake around here. If you are hauling tools and materials to job sites, the vehicle is being used commercially, and a personal policy can walk away from the claim once that comes out. It usually costs less to fix than people fear. Ask before something happens, not after.
Questions people actually ask
How fast can I get a certificate of insurance?
Usually the same day, often within the hour if the policy is already in place. Text Carolyn the name and address of whoever needs to be listed and she will send it.
Do I need workers comp for one part time helper?
In Pennsylvania, almost certainly yes. The exemptions are narrower than people think and paying someone as a subcontractor does not automatically get you out of it. It is worth a five minute conversation rather than a guess.
I work in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, or Ohio. Is that a problem?
It needs to be set up correctly, but no. Carolyn is licensed in all three states and this is normal for crews out of Fayette and Greene County working jobs around Morgantown.
How much general liability do I need?
A one million per occurrence and two million aggregate limit is what most general contractors and property managers ask for. If somebody has handed you a contract, send it over. The insurance requirements are written into it and Carolyn will match the policy to what it actually says.
Are my tools covered if they are stolen off the truck?
Only if the policy is written for it. Standard forms are restrictive about tools away from your premises and overnight theft from a vehicle. This is worth checking on the policy you already have.
Can you look at what I have now without me switching?
Yes. Send the current policy and Carolyn will tell you where the gaps are. If what you have is good, she will say so. That happens more often than you would think.
Get a quote, or just ask a question
Tell Carolyn what you have now and what you are worried about. If she cannot beat what you have, she will say so. Quotes are always free.
115 N Main St, Masontown, PA 15461 (home office)
WV The Torch, 450 Leonard Ave, Fairmont, WV 26554 (by appointment)
(724) 970-4129 — call or text
carolyn@greenespongeagency.com
Remote or by appointment — reach out first.