Shopfitters insurance

Public liability insurance

In case your business and products cause an injury or property damage.

What’s typically covered by public liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• damage to someone’s property, caused by your work
• an injury or illness caused by your business activities
• certain accidental damage or injuries caused by your employees

For example:

• you accidentally knock a shelf of products onto the floor while working on a client’s premises, which break and need replacing
• you leave a trailing cable outside your premises, causing someone to trip and injure their back
• an accident happens at your premises and someone is injured because of your work

**If you do employ anyone, you’re usually required by law to have employers’ liability insurance too.**

Read more about public liability insurance

Employers’ liability insurance

In case anyone gets ill or injured while working for your shop fitters business.

What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• an injury to someone you employ, including contractors and temps, that happens as a result of working for you
• a member of staff (including casual workers) falling ill due to your business

**Employers’ liability insurance is usually required by law if you employ anyone – including part-time staff, temporary workers, and in most cases, volunteers. Without it, you could be fined up to £2,500 for every day you don’t have cover in place. A main exemption is unincorporated family businesses where all your employees are family members.**

For example:

• one of your employees falls down some stairs in your business premises, and makes a claim against you for chronic shoulder pain
• a temporary employee traps their hand in a door at your premises, causing several fractures
• a member of staff trips on a ledge on their way to a meeting, injuring their hip

Contents insurance

In case something happens to your fixtures, fittings, or operational equipment.

What’s typically covered by business equipment insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• damage and destruction caused by flood, fire, vandalism, or theft
• cover for your contents and the equipment needed to run your business

For example:

• a flood spreads to your office floor and means you need to replace several desk chairs
• your photocopier and fax machine are badly damaged during a break-in
• four business smartphones are stolen from your premises

Read more about business equipment insurance

Tool insurance

In case your tools are lost, stolen or damaged.

What’s typically covered by tool insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• accidental damage to specialist business equipment
• theft of the tools you use to do your job
• loss of your shop fitting tools and equipment

For example:

• a thief steals your business equipment and you miss out on a job
• you accidentally leave some specialist equipment out in the rain, damaging it beyond repair
• you lose your tools on a work trip

Read more about tool insurance

Own plant insurance

In case plant machinery, like excavators, you own is lost, stolen, or damaged.

What’s typically covered by own plant insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• replacement of own plant machinery should yours be damaged or stolen
• water damage to your own plant machinery
• accidentally injuring someone else while you’re working, or afterwards as a result of the work you’ve done

For example :

• an excavator is stolen during an overnight break-in at your works site
• you drill through a water pipe while working on a construction site, causing extensive damage
• your storage unit is flooded, damaging your cement mixer and generator beyond repair

Read more about plant machinery insurance

Hired-in plant insurance

In case plant machinery, like excavators, you’ve hired in is lost, stolen, or damaged.

What’s typically covered by hired-in plant insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• replacing hired-in plant machinery should it be damaged or stolen
• water damage to hired-in plant machinery
• accidentally injuring someone else while you’re working, or afterwards as a result of the work you’ve done

For example :

• there’s an overnight break-in at your work site and an excavator is stolen
• you cause damage to a water pipe by drilling through it while working on site
• a flood damages a hired cement mixer and generator beyond repair

Read more about plant machinery insurance

Contract works insurance

In case your building work in progress is damaged by something like a fire, flood or vandalism.

What’s typically covered by contract works insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• work in progress on domestic and commercial sites
• on-site damage to your tools that you need to complete the job

For example :

• there’s a fire at your place of work, setting back the completion date of the job
• a flood destroys your specialist equipment
• someone breaks into your site and steals your tools

Read more about contract works insurance

Business interruption insurance

In case something is stolen or damaged and you lose income.

What’s typically covered by business interruption insurance?

• you can’t trade because of stock, contents, or building damage

For example:

• your inventory is damaged and you lose income because you’re unable to sell
• your work laptop is stolen or damaged and you can’t run your business

Read more about business interruption insurance

Business legal insurance

In case you’re hit with legal expenses connected to your business.

What’s typically covered by business legal insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• VAT disputes
• theft of your company’s identity illegally
• compensation under data protection legislation

For example:

• HMRC is investigating your VAT affairs, triggered by seemingly incorrect figures on your return
• a fraudster steals your company’s bank details and buys goods to set up a new line of credit with banks or retailers
• a client is claiming you didn’t process their data in accordance with GDPR, and is seeking compensation

Read more about business legal insurance

Personal accident insurance

In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at work or away from work.

What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?

• compensation if you or an employee are injured in an accident, including weekly payments if you or they are unable to work for two weeks or more
• virtual Medical Care service with unlimited 24/7 access to medical advice, consultations, referrals and prescriptions
• 24/7 access to myStrength emotional health support app

You can buy this cover for:

• yourself
• your employees

For example:

• imagine one of your employees breaks their leg in an accident and is out of work for six weeks. Personal accident insurance would provide £300 for the broken leg diagnosis. After the employee’s second week off, you’d receive four weekly payments to assist with costs during their absence. You could use the money as you wish – whether for loss of earnings, hiring a temporary replacement, or compensating the injured employee.

What’s not covered?

• issues caused by sickness, illness, or disease
• conditions that develop over time without a direct connection to an accident
• mental illness, even if triggered by an accident
• self-inflicted injuries
• accidents that occur under the influence of drugs or misuse of medication
• deliberate exposure to danger, except when attempting to save a life
• injuries caused by taking part in a professional or semi-professional sport

Read more about personal accident insurance