The work done by civil engineers and engineering firms is essential to building and maintaining safe public infrastructure. This means that your work is held to a high professional standard. Any mistake in your work could have a big impact on a project’s completion and safety.
Civil engineering insurance policies can help protect your business against industry risks you may experience on the job. To fully protect yourself and your business, you may need several different policies designed to shield you against liability, workplace injury, and other common claims.
What insurance do civil engineers need?
There are many types of insurance that civil engineers and engineering firms often consider to protect themselves and their business. Here are four of the most common civil engineering insurance policies they seek:
Professional Liability
Also known as Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance, this type of policy protects your business against claims of negligence, misrepresentations, or mistakes. Professional Liability claims are typically made by clients who allege some form of financial damage as a result of your services, products or employees.
Professional Liability insurance covers a range of liability-related claims, including:
- Mistakes and Errors
- Omissions
- Undelivered services
- Missed deadlines
- Negligence
- Breach of contract
This type of insurance can help shield civil engineers and engineering firms against costly liability lawsuits. Your Professional Liability policy will likely pay for attorney’s fees and court costs associated with a related claim. It might also cover settlements and judgements that you are ordered to pay.
Civil engineers may need Professional Liability insurance to become licensed in some states. Additionally, if you are a member of a professional association, they may also require you to maintain minimum levels of coverage.
General Liability
A General Liability policy can protect you against any claim by an outside party regarding injury or damage to their property. In these instances, your policy will cover your legal expenses as well as your cost to replace or remedy the situation up to the limits of liability.
General Liability insurance covers third parties who are injured in your offices or workspace, such as clients, customers, delivery personnel, and others who are not your employees. It also helps shield you if you damage a third party’s property while working. Civil engineers often meet with clients on worksites or in offices, making this an important form of coverage to consider.
This type of insurance is typically not required by law for civil engineers. However, clients may expect you to have General Liability coverage before you begin working with them and may write the requirement into their business contracts. If you lease an office or other work premises, your commercial landlord may also require you to have General Liability insurance.
Business Owner’s Policy
A Business Owner’s Policy (BOP) is a convenient and affordable way for small business owners to protect against several of their most common exposures. These policies combine General Liability insurance with other types of coverage, such as business interruption and business property damage.
Business Owner’s Policies can be customized to include different types of coverages to fit your specific needs. This can include protection for damaged stock, equipment breakdown, and other common business risks. Importantly, BOPs do not include Professional Liability or Workers’ Compensation insurance.
Civil engineers and engineering firms are typically not required to have a Business Owners’ Policy. However, a policy may be useful depending on how you work. BOPs usually contain insurance coverages that are valuable to many types of small businesses, such as property damage and business interruption.
Worker’s Compensation
Workers’ Compensation insurance protects your company and its employees. If any of your employees get injured or are ill at work, this type of insurance will cover their medical bills. It will also cover some of their lost income if they’re unable to work because of the injury, as well as rehabilitation or physical therapy to transition the employee back into the workplace.
Workers’ Compensation insurance typically covers the costs of a workplace injury or serious illness, including:
- Medical care, such as hospital bills or physical therapy
- Replacement wages when taking time off to recover
- Disability support costs if the employee is unable to return to work
- Funeral costs if they were to pass away
In every state except Texas, businesses are required to have Workers’ Compensation insurance when they have employees (check your state government website for specific details on meeting this requirement). Some states also require sole proprietors to have Workers’ Compensation coverage to protect themselves on the job. Civil engineers may fall into this group, as these mandates are often applied to those working in the construction industry.
Find Civil Engineering Insurance Policies
BizInsure makes it easy to find civil engineering insurance policies to help protect you against the many risks you may face in your work as a civil engineer. Whether you’re a one-person operation or a small engineering firm, we make it simple and easy to get the coverage you need.
Learn more about insurance for civil engineers and start comparing quotes from top-tier insurers today!
