Although you have insured the business property on your premises, this protection does not extend off site - unless you carry Inland Marine insurance.

• A truck carrying designer handbags for an upscale department store is hijacked at a rest stop.
• A hailstorm damages bulldozers on a machinery dealer's lot.
• A fire at a dry cleaners scorches customers' clothing.
• A defective sprinkler system in a "big box" store warehouse soaks dozens of TVs.

You need Employment Practices Liability insurance (EPLI) to protect you from lawsuits filed (justly or unjustly) by anyone who you employ, have employed, or even considered employing.

1. Who is insured? This should include the company as an entity, along with officers, directors, and every type of employee (full-time, part-time, temp, leased, loaned and seasonal). The importance of this becomes clear if you're ever sued for a sexist slur made by temporary receptionist to a job applicant.
2. What claims does the policy cover? You want coverage for every eventuality: monetary damages, all types of legal proceeding from criminal to regulatory, settlements, judgments, lost pay, defense fees and punitive damages.
3. How does the policy define "wrongful employment practices" beyond the obvious (sexual harassment and racial discrimination)? Make sure that you have coverage for violations of federal, state, local and common law on employment discrimination;, deprivation of career opportunities; defamation; retaliation, negligent job evaluation, and failure to have an acceptable written employment policy.
4. What does the policy exclude? EPLI should include wrongful practices that might have taken place before you bought coverage - so you don't have to worry about a suit by that disgruntled vice president you fired three years ago for pilfering paperclips.

You're facing a deadline to complete work under a major contract - when a voltage spike surges through your electrical lines, burning out computers and telephone equipment. How would you pay for replacing or repairing the damaged equipment, taking the steps needed to get back in production, and replacing lost income?

• Reimbursement for the cost of repairing or replacing damaged equipment (Some policies also cover green construction, disposal and recycling methods)
• Replacement of income lost from downtime ("Business Interruption" or "Service Interruption" coverage)
• Assistance from your insurance carrier, ranging from maintenance guidelines and checklists and crisis planning templates to identifying sources for repairs, unusual parts, or replacement equipment that can be obtained quickly.

Unfortunately, many small businesses ignore business continuity planning - perhaps because this seems so simple that they just don't need to do it. Here are five basic (and cost-effective) steps you need to take before disaster strikes:

1. Define who's in charge. Because you might be unavailable after a disaster - injured, ill, on vacation, etc. - designate an order of succession to avoid confusion and unclear responsibility during the recovery process.
2. Avoid a communication breakdown. Normal communication infrastructure might be disabled after a disaster, so make sure you have alternatives for employees, customers, clients, key suppliers, and subcontractors. At a minimum, have phone numbers (landline and cellular), and e-mail addresses. Don't rely on outdated, unreliable methods such as phone communication trees. Use a voicemail system supported by a vendor with communication equipment offsite. Don't forget to consider backup power needs.
3. Perform data backups. Be sure to make duplicate copies of data regularly, with one copy at a location that's easy and inexpensive to access.
4. Have a Plan B. if your facility is destroyed or access is denied by civil authorities, can you conduct certain business operations from home or a local hotel? For example, what steps can you take to replace computers and retrieve data?
5. Make sure you have enough insurance. In a worst-case disaster scenario (major fire, windstorm, civil disorder, etc.), you might well lose your business assets and face a period of downtime - zero cash flow. Insurance can keep you afloat until you're back on your feet.

We stand ready to help design a comprehensive, cost effective program that can make your business less risky.

A pipe bursts and water ruins a corner of your Brazilian cherry wood floor. A windstorm tears off half of the vinyl shingles on one side of the house. A fire burns a couple of kitchen cupboards. Although your Homeowners policy will cover such partial losses, the extent to which the insurance company must go to make everything look just the way you'd like can be tricky.

1. Prioritize, streamline, delegate, and discard. When facing a task, ask if it's really necessary to do immediately.
2. Break things up. Take two - to three - minute breaks every hour and commit to doing at least one fun thing every day.
3. Make time. Build time into your schedule for creative expression, healthy eating, moderate daily exercise, hanging out with friends, and enjoying nature.
4. Be on time. Build in cushion time between appointments to allow for traffic and the unexpected.
5. Send negativity flying. If a co-worker is on the warpath, visualize an airplane with an ad banner over the person's head, with each negative word floating up into the banner and out of view.
6. Relax and watch what happens. Do mini-meditations or mindful breathing while you're between tasks or in line at the cafeteria.
7. Get essential nutrients. Go beyond vitamins and begin to think about daylight and laughter as integral parts of your daily life.
8. Consider what you're consuming. Sugar, caffeine, and alcohol can increase stress levels.
9. Watch your words. Don't let negative internal chatter and self-recrimination distract and demoralize you.
10. Be kind. Do something nice for a different co-worker every day until it becomes second nature to reduce stress for others.
11. Sleep on it. Sleep deprivation a major culprit in stress is Try to get restful, restorative slumber every night, and watch your stress level decline.

• ensures that patients are treated early and effectively;
• monitors and manages opioid prescriptions;
• uses predictive modeling to tag potentially severe claims;
• requires physician peer reviews for opioid prescriptions;
• uses drug testing and screening workers prescribed with drugs;
• provides post-addiction help; and
• phases workers back into their jobs

• Bodily Injury Liability pays the cost of bodily injury to others from accidents for which you are responsible. If you're sued, it also pays your defense and court costs.
• Property Damage Liability picks up the tab for property damage to others for which you are responsible, as well as defense and court expenses.
• Personal Injury/Medical Payments usually covers medical and funeral expenses for bodily injury from an accident that involves an insured vehicle.
• Collision pays for a covered vehicle that is damaged by a collision with another vehicle or object.
• Comprehensive Coverage pays for a covered auto that is stolen or that is damaged by causes other than collision or reckless driving.
• Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists covers injuries and, in some cases, property damage, when you're involved in an accident with another person who either doesn't have Auto Insurance or carry enough coverage.

Before you purchase or renew your Commercial Auto Insurance ask yourself these questions: 1) how much Liability Coverage you should buy, and 2) how large of a deductible should you choose?