Labourer insurance

Public liability insurance

In case you or your employee injure someone or damage their property.

What’s typically covered by labourers public liability insurance?

• damage to someone else’s property as a result of your work as a labourer
• injury to someone else as a result of your work
• damage or injury caused by a member of your team, including casual workers (remember, if you employ people, you’re legally required to have employers’ liability insurance)

For example:

• you’re preparing foundations at a construction site, and in the process, you accidentally drill into some pipework
• your employee is trying to use a crowbar to take out a fitted kitchen but they slip and damage the washing machine

What you’ll need additional cover for

• if you do other sorts of specialist work, such as building work or using a construction plant, this would need to be covered as a separate trade in your policy

Read more about public liability insurance

Employers’ liability insurance

In case an employee gets sick or injured while working for you.

What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?

• employees suffering illness while working for you, or as a result of working for you
• employees getting injured due to carrying out work for you

**Employers’ liability insurance is required by law if you have people working for you. Without it, you could be fined up to £2,500 a day for each employee.**

For example:

• your apprentice slips and fractures their ankle while digging a pit
• your employee falls and breaks their back as they’re trying to lift a heavy load

Tools insurance

In case your tools are lost, stolen or damaged.

What’s typically covered by tools insurance?

• theft of the specialist tools you use as a labourer while you’re on a job
• accidental damage to your tools

For example:

• you’ve parked your van on your boss’s drive, and later that day, somebody breaks into it and steals all your power tools
• you accidentally break your drill by dropping it onto a concrete patio, so it breaks and you need to buy a new one

What you’ll need additional cover for

• your tools when they’re locked in a vehicle overnight (you can add this in by selecting tools overnight cover)

Read more about tools insurance

Contract works insurance

In case your work in progress is destroyed, disrupted or delayed.

What’s typically covered by contract works insurance?

• damage to your ongoing labourer work at domestic or commercial sites
• damage to the tools and equipment left on site that you need to complete a job
• theft of the tools and equipment left on site

For example:

• vandals set fire to a building site you’re contracting for, causing damage to the foundations you’ve prepared and the trenches you’ve dug so far – this then sets back the completion date for the project
• a fire destroys the majority of the materials you need for a job, delaying the completion date

Read more about contract works insurance

Legal expenses insurance

In case you’re faced with legal costs as a self-employed labourer.

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?

• legal costs you’re responsible for dealing with, including resolving disputes with your employees, tax and compliance disputes, and claims to do with property damage, nuisance or trespass
• a tax advice helpline, a 24/7 confidential legal helpline, and crisis communications support if you find yourself in the news

For example:

• you fired your apprentice labourer after finding out they were stealing power tools from you, but they’re denying it and accusing you of unfair dismissal, so you need to defend your legal rights
• you need help responding to enquiries from HMRC because your personal tax affairs are being investigated

Read more about legal expenses insurance

Personal accident insurance

In case you or anyone you’ve covered has an accident.

What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?

• injury or death – outside of work, as well as at work – for anyone covered on the policy
• lost income, medical costs and hospitalisation benefit

For example:

• you get your hand trapped in a pile of rubble at a construction site and end up losing a finger
• your apprentice breaks their leg on a night out, leaving them unable to work for two months

Read more about personal accident insurance

Can I just cover my most expensive tools?

Make sure you cover the total cost of replacing all your tools or you’ll only get a proportion of your claim paid out if something happens to them. Learn about tool cover.

Which type of workers do I need insurance for?

Employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement if you employ people.

If you have people working for you, including bona fide subcontractors (BFSC), labour-only subcontractors (LOSC), part-timers, or full-time staff, employers’ liability insurance is required by law.

Read on for our simplified guide to the difference between labour-only subcontractors and bona fide subcontractors.

Will tools insurance cover all my equipment?

Depending on what you use to do your work, you may need other covers.

You may need more than tools insurance – for example, business equipment insurance if you have a work laptop, plant insurance if you use machinery.

Does labourer insurance cover my work correctly?

Make sure you’re picking the right cover to protect you properly. It’s important to know that if you have another trade or job, you’ll need additional cover. For example, do you need to consider carpenter insurance or groundworkers insurance?

Do I need cover for other types of work?

If you provide other services, make sure you’re covered:

• Tradesman insurance
• Handyman public liability insurance
• Plumbers insurance
• Insurance for gardeners
• Joinery insurance
• Electrical contractors insurance
• Plasterers insurance

Other types of insurance

• Limited company insurance
• Self-employed insurance
• Contractors insurance
• Sole trader insurance

Which public liability cover limit should I choose?

Think about the maximum possible loss your business could face in the event of a claim, and make sure you take legal fees and damages into consideration. You can choose from three levels of coverage – £1 million, £2 million, or up to £5 million.