Does Public Liability Insurance protect me if a third party suffers an injury?

You’ve probably heard that Public Liability Insurance cover is a must for any trade business. But will it step in if somebody is injured - or even killed - as a result of your work? 

Let’s take a look at the importance of Public Liability Insurance and why it’ll prove so valuable to your business should an accident happen.

Definition of Public Liability Insurance

As a trade business, you most likely engage with third parties every single day. Whether in a customer’s home, on your own property or somewhere else, you’re always running the risk of accident or injury occurring to a third party. 

The likely outcome of this would be a legal claim against your business, which can be an inconvenient and hugely costly event for any small business. This is where Public Liability Insurance comes in.

Public Liability Insurance will safeguard your trade business financially from any third-party compensation claim stemming from legal action taken by a customer, client, vendor, or another party. This could be down to property damage, loss or injury. 

If a claim is brought, your insurer will take care of the cost of things like compensation payouts, legal bills, lost income for third parties as well as medical expenses. Sounds expensive? It is - which is why having your insurer cover it is the smart choice.

When operating a trade business, you should know that the risk of injury occurring to a third party is much higher than in most other industries. As a result, most major clients will insist you have Public Liability Insurance before working with you.

Before accepting any work or arriving on-site, examine your client contracts and ensure you have the correct level of Public Liability Insurance they require. 

Due to the protection it offers, 99.9% of UK companies have Public Liability Insurance in place.

Why not learn more about Rhino's Public Liability Insurance as well as how it will benefit your trade business by reading our various blogs on the subject here?

Importance of Public Liability Insurance

Whether you take out Public Liability Insurance is technically up to you, as it isn't required by law in the UK. With that said, Public Liability Claims are so common it doesn’t make good sense to leave your business unprotected. Nearly all tradespeople in the UK annually purchase a Public Liability Insurance policy to protect their businesses financially should an accident or injury occur when working with customers, suppliers and public members. 

If you come into contact with customers, clients, suppliers, and members of the public, Public Liability Insurance will protect you when:

• Your job entails using dangerous equipment that could easily cause an accident or damage
• The work you do uses hazardous chemicals which could cause injury. 
• Your business routinely has visitors to its site 
• You visit customers' homes and properties. 

Rhino Trade Insurance makes it as simple as possible to obtain Public Liability cover. Our team has designed top-quality Public Liability Insurance that you can pick up at a great price and limits range from £1 million, £2 million, and £5 million in cover for your trade businesses.

Looking for a quote today? Get everything you need via our quote engine here. 

How Public Liability Insurance Protects You in Case of Personal Injury

When you take out Public Liability cover, you gain the security needed to ensure your business is financially protected if you cause an accident or damage to a third party through your work. It also covers the expense of any legal fees charged in defending a claim brought out against you.

These claims can cover anything from common problems like minor property damage to life-threatening situations. 

The claimant might ask for compensation for the following:

• Damage that causes loss, discomfort, or suffering.
• Income loss brought on by the injury.
• Future income loss (should the injuries make it harder for the person to work).
• Medical charges, travel costs, and any other expenses the claimant must pay.
• The cost of solicitors' fees and any other reasonable expenses related to submitting the claim.

How much will Public Liability cost your business?

The industry in which your company works can affect the cost of your Public Liability Insurance policy. As the amount of insurance you obtain is entirely up to you, you can choose to take out a lower indemnity; however, it should be noted that certain contracts will require you to have a specific level of protection in place. 

The easiest approach to determine how much cover your company needs is to get a quick quote from Rhino’s handy quote engine. It will ask you questions which take into account factors that may affect your cover. For example, the more dangerous your work is, the more likely it is that you could cause harm while carrying out your job.

The level of insurance cover you need will be determined by factors like:

• Size of your company
• How much you work with the public
• Size of your contracts
• If you have a history of claims
• The degree of risk involved with your work. 

Why choose Rhino Trade Insurance?

We at Rhino are dedicated to giving tradesmen and women throughout the UK top-notch trade insurance. We offer diverse and tailored cover for trades, including Builders, Gardeners, Bricklayers, Plumbers, Gas Engineers, Locksmiths and many others. Through our policy experts, we manage thousands of individual policies for tradespeople all over the country. Give us a call and chat with one of our helpful team if you need any assistance on 0116 243 7904