Insurance for beauty shops and barber salons is a necessity these days. Your salon or barber shop may be perfectly safe and clean, but you could still be held liable if a client slips and falls or another unfortunate accident takes place. For example, a Virginia woman is suing a JC Penney hair salon for $4.5 million after she received a chemical burn while getting her hair dyed. Even if a court rules in your favor after a lawsuit takes place, you could still be facing thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees. That’s part of the reason why beauty and barber shop insurance is so important.
Why Do I Need Insurance?
It may seem frivolous, but there are some clients who will sue a salon or barber shop after receiving a haircut they don’t like. They’ll often argue in court that the haircut cost them money, because it caused them to lose a business deal or for some other reason. A lot of the tools used in a beauty shop also have the potential to cause injury: scissors, chemical treatments, hot wax, curling irons and other items could injure someone. In addition, if a client injures themselves in your place of business, there’s a very real chance that you could be successfully sued for damages.
Liability Insurance for Salons and Barber Shops
If you are a salon or barber shop, you may already have insurance coverage. However, coverage may not provide the protection you need. This is why it’s a good idea to invest in the following insurances to assure your business is protected from any and all angles.
- General Liability: General liability covers slip and fall accidents in your work area or any other location where you serve customers. It covers your attorney fees as well as medical expenses for an injured customer, property damage, and pain and suffering up to the limits of the policy.
- Professional Liability: A professional liability policy will protect you against lawsuits related to your acts as a professional. It covers your legal defense and settlements awarded to your injured customer (including medical bills, if any).
- Legal Liability: Legal liability coverage protects your business for your liability (responsibility) for damages caused to the space you rent.
- Products Liability: If you sell a product to a customer and that product injures them (due to allergies, carelessness or some other reason), products liability insurance protects you in that instance.
Self Employed Insurance
Barbers and beauticians need liability insurance for many of the same reasons as shops and salons. Self employed individuals offer many of the same types of services, which can make them vulnerable to lawsuits. Even if a case against you is completely frivolous, it could cost you a lot of money out of pocket for your legal defense. In addition to general liability, professional liability and products liability, here are some additional coverages you may need:
- Contents Coverage: This covers losses or damages to your equipment. This type of coverage is essential if you are a self employed barber, or if you run a mobile service where you cut hair in the homes or businesses of clients.
Accidents happen, and some types of people are always looking to make a quick buck. Insurance coverage is vital for barbers, beauticians, beauty salons and barber shops, because you never know what the future holds.
- General liability – protection against trip & fall claims
- Professional liability – protection against lawsuits related to your services
- Products liability – protection in case something goes wrong with a product you sell
Marine Agency is one of the leading salon insurance companies in the country. We provide comprehensive coverage for hair professionals in 48 states. Don’t go to work unprotected! Call us at 800-763-4775 for quote for liability coverage to protect your business today.
