Tradesman Insurance

The type of work you do, where you do it, and whether you employ people or not will determine the cover you need, but as a guide, a tradesperson policy can provide the following types of cover:

• Public liability – a vital cover for most tradespeople, public liability can insure you against a number of risks you face on a daily basis.  For example, if your work causes a member of the public to become ill or they are injured, and they decide to sue you, public liability cover will be there to assist you with any legal action and compensation claims.

   

  Whether you are undertaking building works on someone’s house, landscape gardening for the local council refitting a shop, or redeveloping an office, the threat of an accidental injury to a member of the public is always at hand.  Equally, should someone have their property damaged during your work, you will also be covered against any compensation claims.  Public liability will most likely form the foundation of your tradesman’s policy, regardless of your specific line of work

   

• Employers’ liability – if you’re not a sole trader, you’ll be legally required to have employers’ liability cover.  Irrespective of whether your staff is temporary, contracted, part-time or full-time, you’ll need employers’ liability if you have employees – it’s the law.  It will protect you against legal costs if an employee sues you for unsafe working conditions or if an employee falls ill or is injured due to your business’ actions.  Failure to have it in place can lead to a fine of up to £2,500 per day.

   

  The law says that if you employ at least one person, you must have employers’ liability insurance (sometimes called ‘E.L. insurance’) to protect your employees in case they are injured or become ill as a result of working for you.  Your policy must:
  
  – Cover you for at least £5 million
  – Be with an authorised insurer
  – And employers must provide a safe working environment

   

• Tools cover – could you keep working if you lost your tools?   This is where tools insurance comes in.  Insuring your tools against accidental damage, loss, or theft means that if the worst does happen, then you’ll be able to repair or replace them quickly and so incur minimal disruption to your business

   

• Personal accident cover – working in a trade usually means being self-employed, and that means if you can’t work, you can’t earn.  So, what would happen if you were to be injured while on the job?  Adding personal accident protection to your policy can protect your income, ensuring that even though you can’t work, you can still have money coming in

   

• Contractor all-risks – if you store materials and have tradespeople that work under contracts, then this policy is for you.  It will protect you against costs of theft or damage to your materials and assist with expenses for legal action if a contract is terminated and you’re left to foot an unpaid bill

   

• Construction plant – if you have or use plant machinery such as diggers, cherry pickers, cranes, or forklifts, be they your own or hired-in, then construction plant cover can protect you against the costs of repair or replacing your equipment should something go wrong.  As bills for this type of equipment can easily run into thousands, the modest premiums of construction plant insurance as part of your tradesman cover could be a wise investment

   

• Professional indemnity insurance (or P.I. insurance as it’s also known) offers financial protection should a client sue you or your business if you make a mistake in a piece of work or do something that causes them financial or reputational loss.  For many businesses, this is a critical cover, and thanks to our close relationships with a range of leading insurers – household names including Aviva, RSA, and Axa – we can offer you affordable, flexible, high-quality P.I. protection

   

• Legal expenses – covers the legal costs of providing lawyers and taking action against many common legal problems, such as  disputes with suppliers or clients

   

• Stock and materials – many trades require materials, and you can cover things such as bricks, paint, cables, nails, pipes, etc., on a tradesman insurance policy.  These can be protected while they are being stored between jobs, while on the move, and even while left on-site.  Cover can be arranged for eventualities such as damage, theft, loss, fire, or flood