Does Liability Insurance My Employer Carries Cover Me Too?

Does Liability Insurance My Employer Carries Cover Me Too?

When something unexpectedly goes wrong and a client decides to sue, chances are the client’s attorney will name anyone and everyone who was part of the client’s fitness plan in the lawsuit. Which means that if you were part of the team, you’ll want to be covered by insurance. What you may not realize is that the type of insurance policy you have in place can make a big difference in how the lawsuit impacts you personally.

If you have a full-time job working for a fitness facility, you might be covered by an employer’s Professional Liability Insurance policy. What’s important to know is that there can be shortcomings to employer-provided Professional Liability Insurance—it may not give you the full protection you need as a practicing fitness professional.

Employer’s Professional Liability Insurance Coverage

Employer’s Professional Liability Insurance coverage is often a shared limit, which means that multiple employees are covered under the same aggregate (total annual) limit. If one employee is involved in a claim and uses the insurance, it could exhaust the limit of the policy or leave little leftover to cover any other claims that may arise for another employee. An employer’s policy also only covers you for the work provided during working hours.

Personal Professional Liability Insurance

By purchasing your own Professional Liability Insurance policy, you benefit in several ways:

• Flexibility to choose the limits of coverage you want – and the full limit applies to you and only you, up to the limits of the policy. It’s perhaps the most advantageous aspect of having your own policy—you aren’t at risk of being underinsured. Plus, you’ll have legal representation with your interests in mind, not those of the employer.
• Additional Insureds can be added to your policy for a small additional premium – this may be advantageous in cases where you offer advice or training outside of work and may have an assistant working alongside you.
• Coverage applies to you personally no matter where you are – you are covered while you are on-the-clock at your job, and anywhere else you may give training and advice—while providing private instruction to a friend, while on vacation or even in situations outside of work where you find yourself providing advice unexpectedly.
• You’re also covered if you change employment. Whether you leave one facility for another, or start a your own business, you’re covered for the work you do in the future, and the work you did in your previous employment. If you continuously maintain your own personal Professional Liability Insurance policy, you can ensure coverage for claims that may arise at any point in time, no matter when that incident may have occurred.

So ask yourself: If you are named as part of a liability lawsuit, do you have enough insurance to pay the expenses that you will be liable for? Are you relying on your employer’s Professional Liability Insurance to cover you? Purchasing your own personal policy can be a saving grace when you consider the price tag of some of today’s liability suits—often soaring into the millions of dollars! Lockton Fitness Professional Liability Insurance policies are affordable—a full-time employed individual can buy an annual policy for as little as $75. That’s a pretty small price to pay for peace of mind.