Product Liability Insurance

Product liability insurance guards businesses against claims from people who allegedly suffer illness, injury, or loss due to the product the business supplies.  In product liability insurance, a product is defined as a tangible item that is given away or sold. Under the Consumer Protection Act of 1987, the manufacturer or supplier of the product is responsible for the damages that his product may cause to the consumer.

Should a product cause damage, the supplier is liable to be hit with a claim, even if he is not the one manufacturing the product. For example, if you are running an eatery and the food you serve results in the case of food poisoning to seventy-five people, the claim will be great. Though conventional logic suggests that the liability should fall on the heads of the food manufacturers, it would be difficult to prove so.

The magnitude of the risk as well as the claim and the premium are determined by various factors, like the people who purchased the product, the way it was used and the kind of warning labels provided on the product.

Product liability insurance coverage guards you against unanticipated circumstances. If an individual is to manufacture an inferior product then insurance does not protect him. For a manufacturer, this kind of coverage is of massive importance. A tiny defect can make him a target for huge claims.

It is prudent to look for a coverage that protects you against manufacturing quality, safety claims, indemnity costs, et al. Also, you can decrease the premiums by taking measures in advance. Of course, you should let the insurer know about these measures.

Why Retail Stores Need Product Liability Insurance

Product liability insurance is needed by businesses that make or manufacture products, by businesses who import or distribute products, and by stores that sell products to consumers. At first glance, it is easy to see why a manufacturer would need liability insurance in case a product that they make is flawed during the manufacturing process or is found to be hazardous due to the faulty design of the product. However, importers, distributors, and retail stores also need a policy to cover liability as well.

The theory on who needs product liability insurance is best seen in a recent pet food recall involving the country of China. China made tainted pet food that was imported by a Canadian company with two physical US locations. The Canadian company supplied the US Wal-Mart stores with the tainted pet food that was then sold US consumers. Many pets died from the tainted pet food that was sold by Wal-Mart and these unhappy pet lovers started to sue for product liability damages through their US court systems.

Product liability insurance is needed by a manufacturer, unless that manufacturer is outside of the United States realm of control. The pet lovers could not sue the China manufacturer for damages, and even if they tried to sue in China, there is no easy way for a United States citizen to collect court orders damage money from another country.

Product liability insurance is needed by importers and distributors. The Canadian importer was from out-of-country, but did have two locations within the United States that were under United States control. The Canadian importer/distributor could be sued by the pet lovers.

Product liability insurance is needed by retail stores when they sell products. Wal-Mart had many lawsuits placed against them by the pet lovers for selling the pre-packaged food that killed their pets.

As is seen in the above example, the pet owners had the right to completely ignore the manufacturer in China who was the prime culprit in favor of suing the easier people to get to. Product liability laws in the United States can hold all people who come in contact with faulty products responsible to pay for damages if a consumer suffers injuries that are brought about by a faulty product. Product liability insurance is a necessity for all sizes of businesses that deal with consumer products in any manner. Injury claims in court often result in large amounts of damage money being awarded; this can ruin your business.

Check out information about  Commercial Vehicle Insurance , Public Liability Insurance Cost, Liability Insurance For Small Business ,Office Insurance