If you're still not convinced by the need to get your business fully covered, or just want to put some numbers to bolster your business recovery plan, then here's a rundown of the key insurance stats you'll need:
- In 2006, the insurance industry paid out £5.8m to businesses on property damage, and £8.9m in liability claims, such as for accidents at work, professional liability, and injuries to the public on commercial premises
- The average settlement amount for a case of violent or forcible entry was around £3,975 in 2007
- Arson accounts for around half of all business insurance claims made
- Just 4% of businesses say another disaster like the summer 2007 floods or the Buncefield oil depot explosion would make them think twice about their insurance policies and contingency plans
- Over two thirds of businesses have no contingency plans to deal with an emergency, such as a major flood or fire
- 96% of risk managers say there is at least one benefit from implementing a business continuity management or contingency plan
- Seven out of 10 firms would go out of business if they experienced a major emergency in their first year
- A third of small businesses say there would be 'no cost' to their business if they were put out of action, 1 in 10 say it will cost them less than £5,000
- The average cost to business of a natural disaster is between £8,000 and £17,000
- After the floods of summer 2007, insurers dealt with over 27,000 claims from damaged businesses, paying out over £1bn