CONSTRUCTION INSURANCE

CONSTRUCTION PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE

Construction Insurance for tradesmen is not one single policy. It is a catch-all term for several different policies designed for trade professionals, specifically those in construction or building work. 

These policies include things relevant to the construction trade, such as Public Liability Insurance and Personal Accident Cover. 

With Rhino, you can design your own policy bundle, adding policies to suit the unique needs of your business. Here are some examples of policies that can be added to your tailored Construction Insurance bundle:

• Public Liability Insurance
• Employer’s Liability Insurance
• Personal Accident Insurance 
• All Risks Insurance
• Income Protection Insurance
• Tools Insurance
• Van Insurance
• Tax Enquiry Insurance

Again, you don’t need to include every policy in your bundle. What you include is totally up to you – that’s the beauty of it. 

Most construction contractors take out Public Liability Insurance, Personal Accident Insurance and All Risks Insurance as standard given the hazardous nature of building work. However, Rhino’s low-cost add-ons such as Tools in Transit Insurance and Tax Enquiry Insurance are also very popular with construction workers looking to cover all bases and really bring down their level of financial risk.

And how will you know what’s right for you? That’s easy – our friendly, expert team will guide you. You don’t have to worry about being over-sold policies you don’t want or need. Rhino promise to only suggest policies that you’d actually benefit from – and nothing else.

Think of Public Liability Insurance as a foundation for your insurance policy suite. It covers your business for any injury to third parties, property damage and protects you from claims against your business. Like all building sites, after the foundations, you can add many things: that's where Employers Liability Insurance, Contractors All Risks Insurance, Tools Cover, and many others come into play. 

Let’s take a closer look at some of the policies you can include in your Construction Insurance cover.

 

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What cover can be included in CONSTRUCTION INSURANCE?

Public Liability Insurance

We believe that every single tradesperson needs this insurance policy before they so much as pick up a tool. Why? Well, you don't need us to tell you that construction workers face a high level of risk while working on building sites. Accidents and incidents happen up and down the UK every single day in the construction trade, and when they happen on your watch you can face a huge claim for damages or compensation. 

Public Liability Insurance will foot the bill in case your company becomes the subject of a claim. If you're on-site and end up damaging a customer's property or cause some form of injury to either a customer or member of the public, this tradesman insurance policy will cover you or your business financially. Claims for things like injury or accidental damage can end up costing you a small fortune, but having Public Liability Insurance for construction workers means you won't be responsible for paying out any of the end expenses.

 

 

Employer’s Liability Insurance 

Public Liability Insurance – great though it is – won’t help you if something happens to one of your employees. If you employ staff, they will need to be protected by Employer’s Liability Insurance by law, otherwise you can get fined £2,500 per day by HMRC.

Don’t worry though, Employer’s Liability Insurance is an easy add-on policy with Rhino, which takes the stress out of doing right by your team.

Professional Indemnity Insurance 

If you offer advice, plans, designs or professional expertise in the course of you job in construction, you should consider Professional Indemnity Insurance. This policy offers a financial safeguard against claims made against you for professional negligence or bad advice resulting in financial loss for a customer. 

You may think you’re invincible, but even the best builder can make mistakes. For when that happens, Professional Indemnity Insurance will be there to pay up on your behalf to keep your unhappy customer satisfied.

Contractors' All Risks Insurance 

Also known as Contract Works Insurance – if you work on large projects then you’re likely to need this cover. This policy protects against the loss of, or damage to, the project site and any plant or machinery that is present for the purpose of the build. 

This cover comes in very handy if you regularly work on extensions, conservatories or any repair work where you want to insure the project as a whole.

Legal Expenses Insurance 

This add-on policy offers essential protection against legal claims that could come your way as a result of your work. If you’re in the construction game, you’ll know that legal skirmishes aren’t all that rare, and if someone wants to do battle with you in court then financing a legal defence yourself can be career-ending. 

Tools in Transit Insurance 

You can’t work without your tools, so it’s a wise move to cover them against theft or damage. Did we mention that tool theft is at an all-time high in the UK, with tools being stolen from tradespeople every 23 minutes on average. Yes, it’s enough to make your blood boil. But don’t get mad – get insured!

Tax Enquiry Insurance 

In the construction trade, tax enquires are a pretty common occurrence. It seems like every other day a self-employed contractor gets the dreaded letter informing them they’ve been selected for an investigation. Whether it’s because of the IR35 status reform, a crackdown on the very small minority of tax-dodgers or something else, tradespeople are always at risk of tax enquiries which could result in a big bill for backdated tax – even if you believe HMRC are in the wrong. Defending your tax status in court is a costly business (solicitors fees anyone?!) so it’s a smart move to add on this policy to your construction insurance bundle.

Personal Accident Insurance 

If you're too injured or sick to work, still get paid with this cover. It’s as simple as that. Given the dangerous nature of construction work and the fact that if you’re ill or injured then you don’t get paid, it doesn’t make sense to go without this cover.

Get yourself covered for those times when you can’t work through no fault of your own, and you can relax in the knowledge that you can still pay the mortgage, bills and keep everything ticking over until you recover.

 

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WHY Choose Rhino for your CONSTRUCTION INSURANCE?

Rhino are the trade insurance experts, with tens of thousands of happy customers who love our straightforward, low-cost cover. Here are a few more reasons why so many of the UK’s tradespeople are insured with Rhino:

• We’re low-cost – our Public Liability Insurance Premiums start for as little as £6.07 per month
• We have a standard excess charge no matter how large the claim
• We don’t charge policy admin fees, so if you need to get in touch to increase your policy cover or change your business details, there’s no fee
• Fancy paying monthly? We offer interest-free monthly Direct Debit payments on all policies.
• Do it your way. Our cover can be purchased via our website or over the phone.
• Want to speak to a human? Our Leicester-based team are available 6 days a week via phone
• You get your certificates and documentation instantly via email and accessible via your online account.

 

WHAT IS CONSTRUCTION INSURANCE?

Construction insurance makes sound business sense. However, as previously mentioned, it's not one single policy. You will find various covers underneath the term 'construction insurance', and here at Rhino Trade Insurance, we want to help you understand it all. Insurance for construction workers ranges from the all-important Public Liability cover to Tools In Transit Insurance, Contractors All-Risks Cover and Accident and Sickness Insurance. When you add these different policies together, construction workers are protected from various things such as accidents or injuries on the job, your team, any members of the public and property damage. What's more, the other relevant insurance covers available to construction businesses include our Employees' Liability Insurance is a legal necessity for any company that employs staff, and our Professional Indemnity Insurance. 

Despite construction being an industry with so many seasoned professionals, you will always find a mistake will happen on site. Any of the aforementioned risks and hazards can have a disastrous effect financially on you or your business. Why take the risk? Construction Insurance offers the peace of mind you need.

While these policies are not legal requirements, Rhino Trade Insurance offers all the levels of cover for construction workers at very reasonable prices. Don't get caught short on your next big job if something goes south! 

All our construction insurance policies can be purchased easily online, and tradespeople can get quotes quickly within 30 seconds. If you'd like to speak to a member of the Rhino team, then our telephone lines are open six days a week to our UK based team of insurance experts.

 

WHY DO YOU NEED CONSTRUCTION INSURANCE?

Why would you risk your business and go about your daily work life, filled hazards, without insurance? The most important aspect is your business will stay financially covered if the worst comes to the worst. The team at Rhino Trade Insurance are linked with tradesmen all over the UK and have designed the best insurance policies for construction on the market. Not only are our partners and underwriters excellent at making a brew, they also are dab-hands at designing comprehensive cover at competitive rates. Get in touch now by calling us or filling out online quote form now.

What will Construction Public Liability insurance cover?

Construction Public Liability Insurance is the bread-and-butter policy that all construction and building workers should have to protect them against the job’s many hazards. 

It covers injury or illness experienced by a third party (such as a customer or member of the public) as a result of your business activities. It also covers property damage incurred by a customer or third party. 

What will builders’ Public Liability Insurance not cover? 

It won’t cover anything that happens to you, or any of your employees. For cover for injury or sickness affecting you, you’ll need Personal Accident Insurance, and to cover your employees you’ll need Employer’s Liability Insurance in place.

How much does builders’ insurance cost? 

It depends. On what, you ask? Well, the size of your business for a start, as well as your turnover, number of employees, your claims history and a few other factors.

Public Liability Insurance from Rhino starts at as little as £6.07 per month. But there’s only one way to know for sure what your tailored policy package will cost you – head over to Rhino’s quick quote engine, enter a few details and your unique quote will be revealed. 

 

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FAQs

• When might someone make a claim against me?

It could happen at any time. Usually, it will follow shortly after an accident or incident on-site, and you will usually see it coming, or the claimant may inform you in advance. So, if you’ve recently caused an injury or accident while at work, or caused someone to lose money, expect a claim to wing its way towards you within a few days. Sometimes, though, claims can come out of the blue with no way of predicting them.

• How much cover should I get?

This all depends on your business’s unique needs. As a general rule of thumb – the larger scale and more hazardous the work you carry out – the higher your level of indemnity should be. 

Again, the only way to know for sure is to contact Rhino for a bespoke quote – or get an idea by using our smart quick quote engine. 

Rhino offers generous cover limits of up to £10M for Public Liability Insurance, £10M for Employers Liability Insurance, £2M for Professional Indemnity Insurance, Contractors All Risks Insurance covered up to £250K per build and Tool Insurance for up to £10K.

• Do I need insurance if I’m self-employed?

Yes. Self-employed construction workers and builders (and in fact all self-employed tradespeople) need their own insurance. This usually looks like Employer’s Liability Insurance and Public Liability Insurance as standard, and a number of add-ons to suit their unique business needs and circumstances. 

• Do construction contractors need Employers’ Liability cover?

If they hire subcontractors or any staff in any capacity, then the answer is yes. Employer’s Liability Insurance exists to protect the interests of employees, so that if anything happens to them while they’re working for you, they won’t have to take a financial hit.

It must be at least £5M and must come from an authorised insurer (like Rhino).

• Does Public Liability Insurance cover any injuries or damage caused by my employees?

Yes, accidents, incidents and illness caused by your employees should come under the umbrella of your Public Liability Insurance.

• What can affect the cost of my builders’ insurance policy?

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to construction insurance. No matter which insurer you go with, they will need to consider various factors before giving you a quote.

Things like the size of your business, the number of employees you may have, the type of work you carry out, the area where your business operates, how long you’ve been trading, how dangerous the materials you use are, your claims history as well as the number of add-ons you choose will all impact your personalised quote and final price.