Does your shop have a key employee? This employee may be your business partner, manager or even YOU! Defined by Investopedia, a key employee is “an employee with a major ownership and/or decision-making role in the business. Key employees are usually highly compensated. They may also receive special benefits as an incentive both to join the company and to stay with the company.” In short, key employees literally are the key to continued success!

Our question to you is this: How could you not protect a key employee with the right coverage?

If something were to happen to this key person, whether a major medical illness, disability or even death, what would happen to your auto shop? Would their loss affect your business? Your finances? Having key person life insurance is critical to avoid a financial disaster. At Wolpert Insurance, we can help you design a plan that serves your needs at a price that you can afford.

This is a plan to purchase the required personal life insurance at a lower cost through the sharing of premiums by an employer and employee. This may not only help you retain key persons with a fringe benefit but could allow you to recover its contributions to premium payments once the policy is surrendered—or in some cases, as a result of a death claim.

There are plenty of advantages to a Split Dollar Plan, for instance, including:

•  Taxes may be saved by using corporate dollars
  •    You receive life insurance coverage
  •    You can recover its premiums paid to the policy

If you are interested in learning more about this or other types of coverage, please do not hesitate to reach out to our agency. At Wolpert Insurance, we are here to guide you through the intricate details of garage insurance. It is our goal to have your garage and auto body shop—and your employees—as happy and safe possible.

Is your auto body and repair shop under an umbrella yet? Let’s face it: When you own an auto repair business, the chances of an accident or injury are pretty high! Liability issues are everywhere—in and outside your shop. Garage insurance representatives at Wolpert Insurance understand. These risks must be managed and included within your program of insurance when appropriate. This is why one of the many things we stress is the importance of an umbrella insurance policy on your garage insurance plan.

Many of you may be wondering: What is umbrella insurance, exactly?

It is a policy that protects your business from liability claims at a limit above the liability limits of your qualifying and underlying garage insurance. It is called umbrella insurance for a reason! It may help to shield your business from a financial storm, perhaps by protecting you even when your liability insurance is exhausted.

We already know what you are thinking next: What does umbrella insurance cover?

It can cover a variety of liability situations, and could add a layer of protection for bodily injuries on your shop’s property to those occurring in an auto accident. In the auto repair business, we believe you should consider umbrella insurance to help protect what you have built.

Whether you are located in Massachusetts or the New England area, we encourage you to visit us at Wolpert Insurance. Our agents write many businesses in this niche industry, and we believe we have the solutions for your shop. To learn more about umbrella and excess liability insurance policies, please call 800-299-6819. We look forward to hearing from you!

As the owner of a garage and auto body shop, you have a number of responsibilities. While you may be focused on your trade and the work that comes with it, it is important to not forget about the logistics. This week, we would like to take a moment to discuss succession planning and what it means for your business.

So, what is succession planning?

Succession planning is the act of creating a structure for transferring business from one owner to the next. In essence, it brings together a number of critical players in the business, from the owners to partners to key employees and even advisors.

Why is succession planning important?

Succession planning is important; especially at the very beginning of business stages (remember the three that we discussed last week? It begins with an examination of financial, operational and even personal issues within the business. Once all three are looked at, the end result is a succession plan. The benefits of this are endless, including:

•  Improved operations (day-to-day and overall)
  •    Boosted profitably and overall growth
  •    Stronger relationships between everyone involved

At the heart of succession planning, there is also a buy-sell agreement. It is important that the person who is determined to take over the business has the proper funding and plan in place. A buy-sell agreement can help create a smooth transfer and transition for those who will remain active in the business.

As you can see, ensuring a smooth transition is critical as garage shop owner. Sure, you may only be getting started and are not thinking so far in advance but planning in advance is STILL important. If you have any questions or concerns about succession planning or even buy-sell agreements, do not hesitate to reach out to us at Wolpert Insurance. We work with trained partners ready and waiting to answer all of your garage insurance questions and concerns.

We’re back with another frequently asked question in the auto body shop and garage field. This week, we would like to discuss the need for equipment breakdown coverage.

Depending on the equipment and tools that your shop uses on a daily basis, you may be in dire need of this specialized policy. All too often, business owners will be denied coverage because he or she “assumed” that their property insurance covered ALL equipment. At times, this is not the case because property insurance may only cover external causes – not internal causes.

So, why should you consider this policy? Here are just a few reasons:

•  New technology, such as computerized equipment, is subject to breakdowns. If your shop uses any type of new technology, you may find out how expensive it can be to repair. Having this coverage in place may aid you during such times.
•  Do your employees travel with equipment from the shop? If a breakdown or accident occurs in a place other than onsite, it may not be insured by a traditional property policy.
•  Equipment breakdown coverage may cover a number of assets, including: heating systems, boiler and pressure vessels, electrical systems, production machinery, air conditioning systems, and much more.

As you can see, this policy could come in handy when something unexpected happens. The last thing that you need as the owner of a shop is to experience an interruption in business – this could cost you tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

At Wolpert Insurance we try to guide our clients to the insurance solutions that they feel are right for them. With that being said, we believe that many garage and auto body repair shop owners will benefit greatly by having equipment breakdown coverage in place. If you are interested in learning more about this specific garage insurance policy, do not hesitate to call us at 800-299-6819. We would be more than happy to go into further detail!

We’re back with another FAQ to answer – garage and auto body shop style! While you may be focused on the tools and machinery that pose risks to the workplace and its employees, it is a good idea to think about chemicals, too.

Whether you are an employer or employee in a garage and auto body shop, it is crucial to be aware of the chemicals that you are working with. You must have a clear understanding of its contents, the hazards and how to prevent injury/illness.  This week, we would like to zone in on antiknock agents.

What are antiknock agents?

In short, an antiknock agent is a gasoline additive. The main purpose of having antiknock agents in the shop is to reduce engine knocking and increase fuel octane rating. Sometimes, these are made up of the following:

•  Methylpentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT)
  •    Ketone solvents (such as methyl isobutyl keton)

In plain words, these ingredients may be harmful to you and your employees, possibly causing eye irritation, breathing problems, dizziness, headaches, nausea, and more.

Being exposed to MMT on a daily basis may have harsh long-term effects, such as damaged kidneys and liver. The Manganese found in MMT is a potent neurotoxin, making it a cause for concern in the shop. Even fine particles in the air that contain manganese can be harmful. These toxins can be absorbed in an employees’ blood through the lungs and cause damage to the central nervous system.

It is also important to note that exposure to manganese may lead to a progressive neurological syndrome, called manganism. Symptoms are said to include:

•  Impaired motor skills and coordination
  •    Hyper-irritability
  •    Nervousness
  •    Hallucinations
  •    and more…

If a mechanic in your shop is experiencing such things, he or she should see a doctor.

It is clear that antiknock agents are not worth messing around with! As an employer, it is your duty to educate employees on these gasoline additives and all chemicals that employees could be exposed to in the workplace. It’s also your job to make sure that all the necessary steps are taken to properly educate your staff on safety measures to help avoid the worst case scenarios.

At Wolpert Insurance, we understand that. We can hep! We realize that your goal may be to obtain comprehensive and affordable garage insurance solutions, so we take our services a step further. We enjoy educating garage owners in the state of Massachusetts by answering FAQs and more. Be sure to come back next week for another informative blog post!

We are back again with another great question! Our garage insurance agency enjoys being a guru in the auto body and garage business. We sincerely hope that you enjoy our knowledge, questions, and answers, as well.

This week’s question:

Are employers REQUIRED to hold on to material safety data sheets for 30 years?

This question is often up for debate. This week, Wolpert Insurance is here with the answer.

NO, you are not required to keep MDSDs for 30 years. HOWEVER, you ARE required to keep some record of the identity of the substance or agents to which employees are exposed to, for at least 30 years. If you choose NOT to keep the actual material safety data sheets, you will need to have the following information on the chemical:

•  Chemical Name
  •    Info on where and when it is used

This information must be recorded and held onto for a minimum of 30 years. Of course, if you want to keep MSDSs, that is great! These sheets are accepted as a form of record. Honestly, this may be the easiest way to follow OSHA regulations. You may even want to consider purchasing a good electronic MSDS management tool. This is an easy way to make sure you are in compliance with OSHA standards. To learn more, please check out the OSHA website, here.

At Wolpert Insurance, it is our goal to provide you with information that matters. We understand that you are busy as the owner of a garage and auto body shop, which is why we take the time to  relay information to you. Be sure to come back soon – we are always updating!

Over the past month, we have zoned in on the Right to Know Law. This is an important law to be familiar with – especially as the owner of an auto body repair shop and garage. If you have missed the first few blogs, do not hesitate to look back! If you have been following right along, it is about that time to wrap it up.

To wrap this discussion, we will be discussing training requirements.

Truth be told, auto mechanic training is not the ONLY training that your employees will need. According to the Right to Know Law, employees who are being exposed to chemical hazards must be trained ANNUALLY. There are a few guidelines to be aware of…

1.    If you have a new employee, the initial training must be done within 30 days of their hire date.

2.    You must keep record of this training. It should include: A description of the training given, the date of the training, and the names of the instructor and employees who attended the training.

3.    The record MUST be kept for the duration of the employment.

As for the training itself, there are always a few guidelines. For one, it must address a summary of your employees’ rights under the Right to Know Law. Also, it should include information on how to read a material safety data sheet (MSDS.) Last but certainly not least, the training MUST inform the employees of specific hazards and safe work practices for avoiding such hazards. This is essentially the main point of the training! If you are not careful, you may be filing a claim on your garage insurance much sooner than later.

To conclude, our agents hope that you not only realize how important the Right to Know Law is to your field and industry, but we hope that you have a full understanding of it as well. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, you should contact our agents at Wolpert Insurance. We would be happy to give you better insight!

Thank you so much for reading this series and please, come back for more!

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Over the past few weeks, we have gone over information in regards to the Right to Know Law. Last week, we specifically discussed the chemicals that were covered in the Right to Know Law. This week, we would like to dive into information having to do with labeling requirements.

So, what are labeling requirements in regards to this law?

First and foremost, covered substances and hazardous materials in containers that exceed 1 gallon or five pounds MUST be labeled in accordance with the regulations. The label must include the following:

•    ALL chemical names of the substances listed on the Mass Substance List if they are in the container at quantities greater than 1%. If impurity, 2%.

•    The proper NFPA Label in the event that the chemicals listed in NFPA Code 49 exceeds greater than 5 gallons or 30 pounds.

It is important to note that containers that are labeled in accordance with the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard will ALSO be considered to meet the objective of the Mass Right to Know Law. Containers must be labeled with:

•    Name of product
•    Health hazard warnings

Working with hazardous materials is risky, but if you handle chemicals with care and follow label requirements, you may be able to reduce the chance of an accident or issue in the garage.

At Wolpert Insurance, it is our goal to keep you educated when it comes to safety in the workspace. After all, we want to make sure you are not filing TOO many claims on your garage insurance. The more claims, the higher your premium may be in the long run. To conclude our discussion of the Mass Right to Know Law, we will be discussing training requirements next week. Be sure to come back for another lesson and quick wrap-up!

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