Public liability insurance is one of the most common types of commercial insurance that UK businesses and self-employed people take out. It provides essential protection in case you are sued for causing injury to a customer, or member of the public, or for damaging their property.
Cover For Work At Your Premises And Work Away
If you have business premises, your public liability cover will usually be included in a business package or commercial combined policy. You can also buy a separate combined liability or tradesman insurance policy.
Make sure you have public liability insurance for work at your premises and for work away if needed.
Examples Of Public Liability Claims:
- A customer slips or trips over in your shop
- Whilst working on a roof, a contractor drops a tool, which hits a person below
- A delegate trips over a cable at a seminar you have arranged
Slips, trips and falls make up the majority of claims and can be extremely expensive. As an example, one of our client’s learned that a customer had slipped whilst visiting their shop. There were no witnesses to the fall. The claim was eventually settled at £14,000 with over £10,000 of that amount being legal costs.
Public Liability – A Few Tips
A few things to think about when arranging Public Liability insurance:
- Check that the business description fits your business and includes all your activities
- Choose a sensible limit of cover (ask your business insurance broker for advice if unsure)
- Check the policy exclusions and any endorsements. (If you have a cheap quote, this may be because the cover has more restrictions)
- How much excess will you have to pay in the event of a claim?