Coverages / Professional liability (E&O)
E&O · 10 of 37 trades
Professional liability (E&O)
Financial loss a client suffers from your advice, design or service rather than from physical damage. Not required by federal law; some state licences and client contracts require it.
- 1Trades carrying it 10 of 37
- 2Highest injury rate 6.3 per 100
- 3Lowest of them 1.5 per 100
- 4Typical requirer Trades that design, specif
What it is for
General liability pays for physical injury and damage; it excludes purely financial loss caused by your advice, design or failure to perform a service. Professional liability (errors and omissions) covers that. Trades that size systems, design layouts, inspect, advise or supervise care have an E&O exposure whether or not they think of themselves as "professionals", and some licensing boards and clients require it.
How it is bought
Trades that carry professional liability (e&o)
Trades that design, specify, inspect or advise. On this site, 10 of 37 trades list it, from nursing care facilities at 6.3 recordable cases per 100 workers to security guards and patrol services at 1.5.
What to ask a broker
- What the policy excludes that your work actually involves.
- Which contracts or licences require this line and the limit they name.
- Whether it is a standalone policy or an endorsement, and what the deductible is.
Coverage descriptions are editorial. Legal figures: 49 CFR 387.9 — Schedule of limits, public liability (eCFR). Injury rates: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, Table 1 (2024), incidence rates per 100 full-time workers. Checked 2026-10-23.