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...fence around your back yard. High fences and shrubbery can add to your privacy...

...fence around your back yard. High fences and shrubbery can add to your privacy...

The GMI Business Auto product targets contractors, artisans, building supply dealers, wholesale distributors, system installers, and specialized delivery that is not time sensitive in nature. Qualified accounts are automobile fleets that involve the use of commercial vehicles and private passenger cars to support business activities where the primary goal is to sell and distribute products, perform contracting operations and provide services to customers.

Protecting the American Dream is our specialty. The Midlands Business Owners Policy (BOP) combines liability and property coverages into one convenient package. From accountants and chiropractors to retail and wholesale, our BOP safe guards your clients’ livelihood.

Protect your Friends and Family as you Beat the Heat. Warmer weather means more outdoor activities for the whole family, including cooling off in the pool. We want to help you make sure that you, your family and guests are safe. Here are a few tips that can help you stay safe while you have fun: Always supervise swimmers and have life-saving equipment nearby: Maintain secure fencing and a locked entrance around the pool and deck area to prevent access when adequate supervision is not available. Install self-closing and self-latching gates. Make sure no one swims alone. Never leave a child unattended in the water or pool area, and make sure less experienced swimmers are always accompanied by a swimmer who has water life-saving skills. Equip your door, gate or pool with an audible alarm to alert you if someone enters the pool area or falls into the pool while it is unattended. Diving should be prohibited unless a specific area of the pool is designated for safe diving. Water depth and diving-restricted areas should be clearly marked. Make sure there is adequate life-saving equipment in the pool area, including life preservers and a rope with life-saving rings, a reaching pole or rescue hook. Regularly maintain your pool during the season to keep swimmers and sun-bathers safe: Keep chemicals safely stored away from the pool area. Follow all storage and usage instructions recommended by the pool chemical manufacturer. Be sure electrical devices, including outdoor entertainment systems, are away from pools or wet surfaces. When using electrical devices outdoors be sure to plug them into a GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter). Keep the pool area clear of glass bottles, toys or other potential accident hazards. Inspect the liner. Rips and tears can appear undetected at the top of the lining.  Check for signs of wear and tear in areas where pipes or other items may have penetrated the liner (e.g., skimmers, hoses, etc.). For above ground pools, check metal supports for rust or deterioration. These may indicate areas where the pool could rupture or a person could be injured. Check the deck for safety hazards (e.g., protruding nails, loose boards, etc.). Ensure your pool has compliant anti-entrapment drain covers. Inspect them regularly to confirm they are not broken or missing. Visit the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (P&SS Act) for additional information.  This act applies for all outdoor and indoor structures intended for swimming or recreational bathing, including in-ground and above-ground pools, hot tubs, spas, whirlpools and non-portable wading pools.

Most states demand that businesses, regardless of size, take every reasonable action to keep their premises safe for employees and visitors. The definition of visitors is fairly loose. Basically, it is anyone not employed by the business and covered by its workmen's compensation insurance policy. This means that clients, customers, delivery persons, repair persons, outside maintenance contractors and anyone who comes to the business premises needs protection from foreseeable dangers. There are different types of people who come into a business and each has a different level of required care for its class of visitors. Invitee This is a person whose invitation is explicit (by appointment, for example) or implicit (a customer looks at the goods and services for sale in a shop). A business owner's duty to an invitee is to exercise ordinary care and make the property generally safe without any dangerous conditions. Licensee A licensee in not an invitee or trespasser. An example of a licensee is a party who enters the premises for their own convenience or gratification. Think of a person ducking into your entryway to avoid the rain. The duty of care is far less than for an invitee, and the business is only liable to a licensee for willful and malicious harm. Trespasser This group of people enter the premises lacking an implicit or explicit invitation. They come on the business property for their own enjoyment or benefit. The only duty of a business owner is a negative one - the business cannot build any mantraps the willfully and maliciously causes a trespasser harm. Many states have an exception to this limited responsibility; if the business anticipates, suspects or knows of the presence of a trespasser it must exercise ordinary care and avoid inflicting injury on a trespasser through any kind of active negligence. Common Workplace Visitor's Injuries Slip and Fall Accidents These are the largest cause of visitor injuries. Injuries happen when a visitor trips, slips or falls and suffer injuries. These accidents often stem from things such as uneven floorboards, electrical extension cords crossing aisles or doorways, spills or liquids on the floor, and poorly installed carpet or carpeting that has tears or rips. Negligent Security It is normal that businesses have a duty to their invitees to make sure they are safe from foreseeable. A business is liable for the criminal acts of a non-employee when the business fails to keep the premises safe from criminal activity. Usually claims of negligent security stem from places such as:  Hotels Motels Parking garages Apartment complexes Businesses in high-crime areas (a parking garage in such an area needs adequate lighting, video cameras and warning signs that video surveillance is ongoing, and other security measure as needed. Attractive Nuisance This is a legal doctrine that applied mostly to children, even if they are trespassers. Hotels with outdoor pools need adequate fencing, a pool cover, locks and lighting, as the pool is attractive for kids to try to use after trespassing. Defective Property Conditions Businesses are often liable for dangerous or defective conditions. These include faulty elevators, faulty escalators, crumbling stairways and more. Speak with your business insurance advisor about these risks and how to protect yourself, your business and employees from legal liability for them.

Whether you are a new agency just starting up or an existing agency looking to acquire new clients, you need to start thinking about Social Media and how it can impact your book.