Wilmington, MA Business Insurance

(Don't let a major disaster bankrupt your company.)

Written by Meg Stefanac
Written by Meg Stefanac

Financial blogger and business owner, Meg Stefanac, has more than 15 years experience working in the financial services industry and enjoys helping individuals make solid financial decisions. Meg has extensive experience writing about insurance and finances and is a key contributor to TrustedChoice.com.

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Wilmington, Massachusetts business insurance

There are many businesses located in the town of Wilmington, MA. From large corporations like Charles River Laboratory to the many shops that line Main Street, each plays an important role in the community. Business insurance helps them avoid large financial losses in times of trouble.

If you are a business owner in Wilmington, a local independent insurance agent can help you build an insurance policy package that can provide suitable coverage against all of your company’s potential risks. Set up a one-on-one consultation with an insurance agent near you to learn more.

Why Do Businesses in Wilmington, MA Need Liability Insurance?

Liability lawsuits against businesses often result in judgments exceeding $1 million. That is why liability insurance is so important for area businesses. It is designed to cover expenses related liability lawsuits such as court costs, legal defense fees, and financial damages.

All business insurance policies include commercial general liability insurance (CGL) as a standard part of their coverage. CGL is designed to cover many of the most common liability hazards businesses can face. It includes the following:

  • Product liability insurance: This is designed to cover third-party injuries, illnesses, and damage that are caused by defects in products your company produces, sells, or promotes.
  • Premises liability insurance: This is designed to cover third-party injuries, illnesses, and damage that occur due to accidents on your business property.

CGL coverage isn’t enough to fully cover most businesses against all of their liability risks. In many cases, adding other liability policies may be necessary. Some of the many liability products you may want to consider for your business include:

  • Cyber liability insurance: This is designed to cover your financial responsibilities if cybercriminals break into your company’s computer system and steal sensitive customer information like financial and personal data.
  • Employment practices liability insurance: This is designed to cover against lawsuits related to accusations of illegal employment practices such as discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and breach of contract.
  • Environmental liability insurance: This is designed to cover clean-up costs and damages if an accident at your place of business leads to the pollution of the environment, including the land, air, or water.
  • Liquor liability insurance: This is designed to protect your businesses if an intoxicated patron causes injuries or property damage to others. Massachusetts’ dram laws enable the injured party to include your establishment in a liability lawsuit if it provided the alcohol.

Talk to a local independent insurance agent to learn more about these and any other commercial liability insurance products that may be right for your Wilmington business.

How Does Property Insurance Protect Wilmington Businesses?

Commercial property insurance is designed to cover loss or damage to your company-owned assets, including inventory, merchandise, computers, furniture, display cases, and supplies. This coverage is a standard part of every business insurance policy.

Businesses in Wilmington are most at risk for damage caused by accidental fires, theft, and severe weather events like hurricanes, windstorms, hail, heavy snowfalls, and freezing temperatures. Fortunately, these hazards are all covered by commercial property insurance.

In addition to your standard property coverage, you may also want to consider purchasing supplemental policies such as:

  • Inland marine insurance: This is designed to cover your portable business property whenever it is in transit or stored off-site, such as in a warehouse or at a job site.
  • Boiler & machinery insurance: This is designed to cover repair costs and business losses related to mechanical malfunctions of your essential business machinery.
  • Bailee's insurance: This is designed to cover property owned by your customers whenever it is in your business’s custody, care, or control, such as if you are performing alterations, maintenance, or repair services on it.

Talk to your local insurance agent to learn more about your various business property coverage options.

A Word about Flood Damage in Wilmington

Be aware that even though damage caused by severe weather events is typically covered by commercial property insurance, damage caused by floods is not. This is true even if the flood is the direct result of a covered hurricane.

Floods are a risk Wilmington, particularly for businesses located near waterways like Mill Brook, Lubbers Brook, and Maple Meadow Brook. However, when snows melt in the spring, and hurricanes and tropical storms bring heavy rains to the area, flash flooding can happen just about anywhere.

That is why supplementing your business coverage with a commercial flood insurance policy is often a good idea.

Flood insurance policies are backed by the federal government and can provide your business with up to $500,000 in structural and $500,000 in contents coverage. Talk to an independent insurance to learn more and to get help securing an affordable policy through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

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Is Business Interruption Insurance a Good Idea in Wilmington, MA?

Tornadoes are not a common threat in Massachusetts, but that does not mean the risk doesn’t exist. In 1974, an F3 twister touched down just 4.2 miles from the Wilmington city center, causing tens of thousands of dollars of damage.

A major disaster like a tornado or a hurricane may force you to shut down your business for several weeks while repairs are made. Business interruption insurance is designed to provide your company with a continuation of income during such times.

Disasters in Massachusetts

  • Number of federally declared disasters in MA since 1953: 54
  • Most common reasons for declared disasters: severe storms, hurricanes, and heavy snows
  • Average number of tornadoes in MA per year: 1.4

Business interruption insurance can enable your company to afford to pay regular monthly bills like loan installments, employee salaries, and rent until you are able to resume normal operations.

This optional insurance is not right for every business. A local independent insurance agent can help you determine whether it is a good fit for your Wilmington business.

Do Businesses in Wilmington Need Workers’ Compensation Insurance?

With few exceptions, the state of Massachusetts requires all businesses to cover their employees with workers’ compensation insurance.

If an employee is injured on the job or is stricken by an occupational illness, workers’ compensation insurance can cover the cost of any necessary medical treatment, hospitalizations, follow-up care, prosthetic devices, and prescriptions.

It can also compensate the injured worker for lost wages and other related expenses and can provide death benefits for surviving family members if the work injury proves fatal.

Rates for workers’ comp coverage are based on your company’s overall payroll, the number of employees you have, and the types of jobs they do. The more dangerous the job, the more coverage will cost. A truck driver would cost far more to insure than a research assistant in a lab.

A local independent agent can help you obtain a competitively priced policy from an insurance provider that specializes in covering businesses that operate in your industry.

What about Employee Benefits for Businesses in Wilmington?

As a business owner in Wilmington, you may be thinking about offering your workers an employee benefits package that includes perks such as paid vacation, sick time, health insurance, and life insurance.

  • Annual amount spent on healthcare coverage by MA businesses: $1,064,684,000
  • Average annual cost of health care in MA: $6,379/person or $17,424/family

Even though subsidizing healthcare coverage for your employees can be expensive, doing so may actually have money-saving benefits for your business.

Studies done by human resource professionals have consistently shown that when businesses offer great benefits, they find it easier to recruit and retain highly qualified employees. Also, many small businesses can benefit from tax benefits when they provide subsidized health insurance.

There are several different insurance products available for you to choose from for your employee benefits package. You may therefore find it beneficial to have the guidance and advice of a local insurance professional. Your agent can help you find suitable policies at competitive prices.

Why Work with an Independent Insurance Agent in Wilmington, MA?

Every business has specific risks and exposures, and these can vary significantly from one company to the next. The wide range of insurance products and policy options available makes it possible for business owners to fully customize their coverage to meet their company’s particular needs.

A local independent agent can help you navigate your many options as you build a business insurance policy package for your Wilmington business. That way, you can be sure you are purchasing products that are both appropriate and competitively priced. Find an insurance agent near you to get started.

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https://www.census.gov/quickfacts
https://www.fema.gov/disasters
http://www.naic.org/prod_serv/AUT-PB-14.pdf
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/alter-benefits-attract-retain.aspx
https://www.business.org/hr/benefits/top-reasons-to-offer-employee-benefits
http://www.city-data.com
https://www.nfib.com/content/legal-compliance/legal/workers-compensation-laws-state-by-state-comparison-57181