Never thought it would happen to me! This is the number one comment we hear from a beauty professional. Unfortunately, after something has gone wrong. Not a great defense, but at least an honest one.
Picture this! Imagine a car 3 meters inside a salon or medi-spa. Believe it or not, what is one of our more common insurance claims? A car driving through the front window of a business. How? The driver is usually in distress. They slam on the gas rather than the brake. This launches the car over the curb. It travels on. Next, you hear the crackle and bang as the car crunches into the front window. Usually thank goodness, airbags explode, and the only thing hurt is the driver’s pride. Imagine not having beauty insurance for this claim.
This is not a rarity! This usually happens during business hours. A display or reception area at the front window prevents injuries to the business staff. But the damage is done. Two or three “drive-in” claims a year are reported. This is a common major claim out of 500+ businesses. The cost to the business alone is usually a minimum of $10,000. Plus, the loss of income during repairs. Now imagine if a staff member was hurt.
Beauty professionals are vulnerable to smaller injury clams. Clients can have allergic reactions. Fast-moving scissors snip a bit too close. Estheticians, hairdressers, barbers, and other beauty professionals need protection too. Recently an article was posted about having hot wax dropped in an eye. Unfortunately, this damaged the client’s sight. After a short court case, the insurance company settled for $400,000. That’s a lot of money to be out of pocket. Beauty Insurance protects both the client and the technician.
Equipment accidents can occur as well. It is also important to check all beauty equipment. Training and equipment manuals will tell you what needs to be serviced. Make sure you do this regularly. Cars need an oil change every 5,000 km. Brake checks every 40,000 km. Devices like an IPL laser hair removal machine needs to be calibrated every six months. Whether you use it ones a month or once a day, make sure it is maintained. Steamers and footbaths need to be cleaned and inspected regularly. Protect yourself with beauty insurance.
Another main type of claim is burns. Usually hot wax treatments, or the odd hot towel, sizzles while applied. Wax melts at 37 °C and skin starts to burn at 44 °C. That is only 7 °C apart. “Hot wax treatments are not something you can learn from textbooks”, says Chris Stark at Ives Insurance Broker’s. “It’s a hands-on course.” Estheticians need to feel the wax as it melts and heats up. Let professional instructors walk you through the different stages. Insight is invaluable. Professional training is crucial. The tricks of the trade and life lessons are worth their weight in gold. Always remember your training, don’t take shortcuts, and be careful!
Everything has odds. If you play a game of chance long enough, you will win. If you are in the beauty business long enough, the odds are you will have a claim of some kind. Hopefully not a vehicle in your front window. Don’t be the one to say, “I thought it would never happen to me!”. Your insurance broker’s job is to make sure you are protected. Together, working with beauty professionals to provide solutions for claims. Brokers work with you to provide solutions to protect and give you a business advantage.
