Owning an auto repair shop requires you to be on your feet at all times in regards to proper management and safety surrounding your business. Since the Occupational Safety and Health Administration acts as a governing body of all physical laborers, you may want to keep their guidelines in mind and how they affect your business operations or auto garage insurance. Here is a list of the same standard OSHA regulations concerning auto repair shops:

Spray Finishing

OSHA regulations say that spraying operations should have spray booths that direct fumes toward an exhaust or ventilation system. Spray booths should be built mostly out of steel or concrete, although for low-volume operations aluminum, spray booths are sufficient. Employers should provide chemical labors and warnings, training on how to safely use workplace chemicals and safety data sheets for employees.

Personal Protection Equipment

OSHA regulations say that workers should always use protective equipment to avoid any health and safety risks from chemicals and machines that could cause injury. As an employer, it’s important that you assess workplace hazards and decide whether or not employees need to use protective equipment, depending on the task. In the auto repair industry, workers may need respirators to avoid toxic fumes and flame-resistant clothing, gloves or boots to protect themselves.

Chemical Hazards

Auto mechanics use many hazardous chemicals, including fuels, paints, solvents and oils. OSHA regulations require chemical manufacturers to assess and communicate hazards to their buyers.  Employers must let workers know about the risks of using chemicals. Employers should provide warnings and training on how to safely use workplace chemicals.

Fire extinguishers

Employers of workplaces without specific fire alarm and evacuation procedures must install fire extinguishers in the workplace, according to OSHA. All employees must have easy access to fire extinguishers while making sure they are mounted in a safe place. Employers must maintain fire extinguishers in working condition and keep them closest to the places in which a fire would most likely occur.

At Wolpert Insurance & Risk Management, it’s our job to help auto garages avoid any issues that could damage their business down the line. For more information, we ask you to contact us today with all of your questions.

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Owning an auto repair shop requires you to be on your feet at all times in regards to proper management and safety surrounding your business. Since the Occupational Safety and Health Administration acts as a governing body of all physical laborers, you may want to keep their guidelines in mind and how they affect your business operations or auto garage insurance. Here is a list of the same standard regulations concerning auto repair shops:

Spray Finishing

OSHA regulations say that spraying operations should have spray booths that direct fumes toward an exhaust or ventilation system. Spray booths should be built mostly out of steel or concrete, although for low-volume operations aluminum, spray booths are sufficient. Employers should provide chemical labors and warnings, training on how to safely use workplace chemicals and safety data sheets for employees.

Personal Protection Equipment

OSHA regulations say that workers should always use protective equipment to avoid any health and safety risks from chemicals and machines that could cause injury. As an employer, it’s important that you assess workplace hazards and decide whether or not employees need to use protective equipment, depending on the task. In the auto repair industry, workers may need respirators to avoid toxic fumes and flame-resistant clothing, gloves or boots to protect themselves.

Chemical Hazards

Auto mechanics use many hazardous chemicals, including fuels, paints, solvents and oils. OSHA regulations require chemical manufacturers to assess and communicate hazards to their buyers. Employers must let workers know about the risks of using chemicals. Employers should provide warnings and training on how to safely use workplace chemicals.

Fire extinguishers

Employers of workplaces without specific fire alarm and evacuation procedures must install fire extinguishers in the workplace, according to OSHA. All employees must have easy access to fire extinguishers while making sure they are mounted in a safe place. Employers must maintain fire extinguishers in working condition and keep them closest to the places in which a fire would most likely occur.

At Wolpert Insurance & Risk Management, it’s our job to help auto garages avoid any issues that could damage their business down the line. For more information, we ask you to contact us today with all of your questions.

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Auto garage owners like yourself must have the best coverage available, but what type of coverage should you be looking for? When it comes to garage insurance, it can be difficult to differentiate between auto gAuto garage owners like yourself must have the best coverage available, but what type of coverage should you be looking for? When it comes to garage insurance, it can be difficult to differentiate between auto garage liability and garage keeper’s insurance, so which one should your business be looking for? Let our agency break down each of them for you:

• Garage liability insurance: Garage liability insurance is purchased by someone who owns a repair shop or some type of vehicle service center. Liability insurance normally covers liability for the premises, operations and products. Normally, there are two sub-policies that fall under liability insurance: completed operations coverage and product liability. Completed operations coverage comes into play when maintenance you perform on a vehicle proves to be defective and your customer is involved in an accident or is injured as the result of your work. Product liability involves bodily injury or property damage suffered by third parties as a result of defects inherent in the products you sell to a customer.
• Garage keeper’s insurance: On the flipside, garage liability insurance does not cover customer’s cars that are left in your care, but this is where garage keeper’s insurance comes in. If you cause damage to a customer’s vehicle while it is in your possession, garage keeper’s insurance is what you will need to cover these costs.

Let’s take a look at some examples to help it sound clear:

Let’s say a customer pays your business to fix their brakes. Your employees perform the maintenance, but after the customer takes their car back they are involved in an accident because their brakes were not properly serviced. This type of situation would most likely be covered under the completed operations coverage of your garage liability because damages were caused to a third party. Another example could involve your auto shop selling windshield wipers to a customer. Soon after, the customer discovers that the windshield wipers are defective and do not work or do the job effectively. Any resulting bodily injury or property damaged suffered as a result of the wipers poor performance would fall under the product liability portion of your garage liability coverage.

Garage keeper’s insurance is a bit different. Let’s say an employee finishes a cigarette and puts the ash in a bucket in your shop without properly extinguishing it. This cigarette causes a fire in your shop an severely damages a few vehicles in your possession. Since your employee is responsible for causing the damage to your customer’s vehicles, your garage keeper’s insurance respond to these claims.

It’s necessary for your auto garage to obtain the coverage you think you need. If you take possession of a customer’s vehicle, then you may want to consider a garage keeper’s policy in order to protect you from any liability issues that may occur while it is in your possession. If you also own a service shop , then you will need garage liability insurance coverage as well..

If you are still unsure what route to take, our agency can explain everything in detail for you and assist in finding the right option for your business to pursue.
arage liability and garage keeper’s insurance, so which one should your business be looking for? Let our agency break down each of them for you:

• Garage liability insurance: Garage liability insurance is purchased by someone who owns a repair shop or some type of vehicle service center. Liability insurance normally covers liability for the premises, operations and products. Normally, there are two sub-policies that fall under liability insurance: completed operations coverage and product liability. Completed operations coverage comes into play when maintenance you perform on a vehicle proves to be defective and your customer is involved in an accident or is injured as the result of your work. Product liability involves bodily injury or property damage suffered by third parties as a result of defects inherent in the products you sell to a customer.
• Garage keeper’s insurance: On the flipside, garage liability insurance does not cover customer’s cars that are left in your care, but this is where garage keeper’s insurance comes in. If you cause damage to a customer’s vehicle while it is in your possession, garage keeper’s insurance is what you will need to cover these costs.

Let’s take a look at some examples to help it sound clear:

Let’s say a customer pays your business to fix their brakes. Your employees perform the maintenance, but after the customer takes their car back they are involved in an accident because their brakes were not properly serviced. This type of situation would most likely be covered under the completed operations coverage of your garage liability because damages were caused to a third party. Another example could involve your auto shop selling windshield wipers to a customer. Soon after, the customer discovers that the windshield wipers are defective and do not work or do the job effectively. Any resulting bodily injury or property damaged suffered as a result of the wipers poor performance would fall under the product liability portion of your garage liability coverage.

Garage keeper’s insurance is a bit different. Let’s say an employee finishes a cigarette and puts the ash in a bucket in your shop without properly extinguishing it. This cigarette causes a fire in your shop an severely damages a few vehicles in your possession. Since your employee is responsible for causing the damage to your customer’s vehicles, your garage keeper’s insurance respond to these claims.

It’s necessary for your auto garage to obtain the coverage you think you need. If you take possession of a customer’s vehicle, then you may want to consider a garage keeper’s policy in order to protect you from any liability issues that may occur while it is in your possession. If you also own a service shop , then you will need garage liability insurance coverage as well..

If you are still unsure what route to take, our agency can explain everything in detail for you and assist in finding the right option for your business to pursue.

Auto garage and body shop owners must consistently be aware of the fine print when it comes to their property coinsurance policies. Coinsurance is especially important for owners in your industry because when damages are incurred on your company property, you’ll need to make sure you have enough coinsurance to reimburse you so you’re not left scrambling when it comes to your auto repair shop insurance.

Many small business owners do not understand coinsurance or do not have the necessary information in order to get the right rate that will be most beneficial to them. Most commercial property insurance policies contain a coinsurance clause that may leave you with a large bill if you happen to miscalculate our insurance needs. The basic reason coinsurance policies exist is to make business owners are insuring their property to an adequate value.

Coinsurance requires an insured party to be a coinsurer in the event that the policy limits are not sufficient to the amount of insurance required. Here’s an example:

The basic formula for determining adequacy of insurance limits is:

(Actual amount of insurance/required amount of insurance) x amount of loss = amount insurer will pay

Putting this formula to use, let’s assume we have a building valued at $100,000 with contents valued at $150,000. The total insurable value is the sum of these numbers, $250,000. Under an 80% coinsurance clause, a business owner would be expected to insurance 80% of his valuables, or $200,000.

In one scenario, if the amount of the loss in a certain incident is $50,000 and the insured only carries $150,000 in coverage, then:

($150,000/$200,000) x $50,000 = $37,500. Subtracting this number from $50,000, the business would have to cover $12,500 in costs.

On the flipside, the insured has the full $200,000 required:

($200,000/$200,000) x $50,000 = $50,000. In this case, your policy costs would be taken care of.

Coinsurance can have a major effect on your business in the short-term and long-term. Make sure you square the terms with your insurance provider of your coinsurance policy for the property of your auto garage.

For more information on coinsurance and how it can affect your business and your garage insurance, contact Wolpert Insurance & Risk Management today.

Auto garage and body shop owners must consistently be aware of the fine print when it comes to their property coinsurance policies. Coinsurance is especially important for owners in your industry because when damages are incurred on your company property, you’ll need to make sure you have enough coinsurance to reimburse you so you’re not left scrambling when it comes to your auto repair shop insurance.
Many small business owners do not understand coinsurance or do not have the necessary information in order to get the right rate that will be most beneficial to them. Most commercial property insurance policies contain a coinsurance clause that may leave you with a large bill if you happen to miscalculate our insurance needs. The basic reason coinsurance policies exist is to make business owners are insuring their property to an adequate value.

Coinsurance requires an insured party to be a coinsurer in the event that the policy limits are not sufficient to the amount of insurance required. Here’s an example:

The basic formula for determining adequacy of insurance limits is:

(Actual amount of insurance/required amount of insurance) x amount of loss = amount insurer will pay

Putting this formula to use, let’s assume we have a building valued at $100,000 with contents valued at $150,000. The total insurable value is the sum of these numbers, $250,000. Under an 80% coinsurance clause, a business owner would be expected to insurance 80% of his valuables, or $200,000.

In one scenario, if the amount of the loss in a certain incident is $50,000 and the insured only carries $150,000 in coverage, then:

($150,000/$200,000) x $50,000 = $37,500. Subtracting this number from $50,000, the business would have to cover $12,500 in costs.

On the flipside, the insured has the full $200,000 required:

($200,000/$200,000) x $50,000 = $50,000. In this case, your policy costs would be taken care of.

Coinsurance can have a major effect on your business in the short-term and long-term. Make sure you square the terms with your insurance provider of your coinsurance policy for the property of your auto garage.

For more information on coinsurance and how it can affect your business and your garage insurance, contact Wolpert Insurance & Risk Management today.