Running a tattoo studio can be a highly profitable business, for $1.65 billion is spent on tattoos in the United States each year. Operating a studio doesn’t come without risk, however, and it’s important for studios to protect against the risks they face by getting a robust tattoo studio insurance policy. If you own or run a tattoo studio, here’s a look at some of the protections that are available through tattoo studio policies and why your studio should probably have them.
Tattoo Artist Liability Insurance
Tattoo artist liability insurance is a form of professional liability (or malpractice) insurance. As such, it provides protection should an artist make a mistake while inking a customer. Most tattoo artist liability protections extend to both mistakes that injure customers and those that result in incorrect tattoos.
Because everyone is liable to make a mistake at some point in time, this is a protection that every tattoo studio should have. A number of tattoos (e.g. “no regerts”) may be ironically funny, but customers who get such tattoos by mistake rarely find the humor in them. Instead, customers can become quite upset and sue. If they do sue, tattoo artist liability protection will likely help pay any legal fees and settlements associated with the lawsuit.
When getting tattoo artist liability insurance, it’s important to make sure the coverage will provide comprehensive protection against mistakes. Specifically, this type of insurance should include:
- coverage for guest artists
- coverage for off-site work (i.e. work done at fairs and festivals)
- coverage for independent contractors
All of these coverages should be included automatically, so a paperwork snafu never jeopardizes your studio’s protections.
Body Piercer Liability Insurance
Body piercing insurance is similar to tattoo artist liability insurance, except this coverage provides protection for piercings rather than tattoos. Should an artist make a mistake while piercing a customer, this insurance coverage will usually help cover any legal costs and settlements that arise from the incident.
Assuming your tattoo studio is like most and provides piercings, you’ll want to make sure this coverage is included in your studio’s tattoo shop insurance policy. Additionally, it should cover all the types of piercings that your studio does, including both surface and genital piercings if both are offered. Without this protection, your tattoo studio would only be insured for half of the work it does.
Workers Compensation Insurance
Workers compensation insurance provides protection for employees who suffer work-related injuries or illnesses. In a tattoo setting, such injuries and illnesses might include anything from a minor repetitive motion injury to contracting HIV from an accidental puncture.
In most states, businesses that have employees are required to carry workers compensation insurance. Therefore, your tattoo studio likely needs this coverage. In the rare situation where workers compensation isn’t legally required, you might still want it in case you’re injured while working — health insurance sometimes won’t cover on-the-job injuries.
It’s not always available directly through a tattoo shop insurance policy, but agents that assist with tattoo shop insurance policies are usually also able to help studios get workers compensation coverage.
Get the Coverages Your Tattoo Studio Needs
In summary, all tattoo studios face risks and need insurance to protect against those risks. Three of the coverages that should be included in your studio’s tattoo studio insurance policy are:
- tattoo artist liability insurance
- body piercer liability insurance
- workers compensation insurance
For help finding a tattoo studio insurance policy that has all of the protections your studio needs, contact us at Marine Agency Insurance. We’ve been insuring tattoo studios for over 25 years, and we’ll make sure your studio is well protected.
