If you’re an electrician, mechanic, welder, aircraft fitter or one of many other skilled trade contractors, you know that working with your hands can be dangerous. Unfortunately, accidents happen, and not only to yourself.
That’s why tradesman insurance is so vital. This is a specialist contractor policy, offering protection against the risks associated with working in dangerous environments, including various large-scale units. For example, a mistake on a job might lead to someone getting hurt or expensive damage caused to your customer’s property. Tradesman insurance covers many of the incidents you can’t afford to handle by yourself.
Contact our friendly customer service team on 01242 808 740. If you have any questions or need to make any amendments to your policy, it’s just as easy to get in touch.
What is tradesman insurance?
You might hear it called trades insurance, plumber’s insurance, electrician insurance, or even construction insurance. Under all its different names, tradesman insurance is like a tool kit, containing several forms of cover that protect people carrying out manual work. Our trade professions policies typically combine public liability, professional indemnity, employers’ liability, and other forms of insurance. Our skill is wrapping all the cover you need into a single neat, affordable package.
Tradesman insurance protects you against many of the hazards you face from doing the job each day. Examples include claims made against you due to injury, loss or damage to property or injuries to members of the public.
Why do tradespeople need insurance?
Working as a sole trader, freelancer or contractor brings several benefits — flexibility above all. But being the boss also carries additional risks.
- If something goes wrong onsite or an injury occurs because of your actions, you’re the one left to deal with the consequences. Having the right cover in place can protect your finances and save you a lot of stress.
- Think of tradesman insurance as your safety net. For a small premium, it offers millions of pounds’ worth of protection. It also ensures you’re compliant when working, which is essential these days. Many agencies and clients won’t even let you quote for a job unless you have sufficient insurance in place. The same goes for most industry bodies.
- All our tradesman insurance policies include employers’ liability cover worth up to £10 million as standard. This cover is a legal requirement for many businesses and also provides cover for potential substitution clauses in a contractor’s contract.
What does tradesman insurance cover?
Like all insurance policies, Tradesman cover differs depending on your chosen provider and the limits they impose. However, all trades cover provided by Kingsbridge is underwritten by , which means you can choose our policies with complete confidence, whatever your trade.
Here’s all the cover we offer as part of a Kingsbridge tradesman insurance policy:
Public liability insurance
cover for damage to third-party property and persons, plus cover for legal fees if a client or member of the public claims against you.
Professional indemnity insurance
Protection against claims for negligence, which can result from a mistake while working or being accused of giving bad advice. It also includes cover for loss of documents and data, breaching intellectual property, defamation, and libel.
Employers’ liability insurance
This covers your employees in case of accident or injury at work. Even a spouse who does your admin or someone helping you out may count as an employee.
Optional add on cover:
Occupational personal accident cover
This can be added for just £50 extra for most trades.
IR35 Insurance
Contractors who operate as a limited company are at risk of being the subject of an IR35 investigation by HMRC. In such cases, defence costs and potential penalties can be crippling. This cover provides the protection you need if HMRC decide to investigate you.
What trade professions do we cover?
Whatever your line of work, our team can tailor a policy and keep the cost as low as possible. Trades we cover include:
- Electricians
- Mechanical fitters
- Welders
- Aircraft fitters
- Plant operators
- Vehicle mechanics
- Plumbers
- Carpenters and joiners
How much cover does tradesman insurance provide?
We offer four different levels of cover, so there’s no need to pay more than necessary. Even the minimum cover provides £1 million for public liability, £10 million for employers’ liability, and £250,000 for professional indemnity.
Why choose Kingsbridge?
- We are specialist insurers of trade professionals, contractors, freelancers and sole traders. We can provide all your business insurance needs in one comprehensive package, combining public liability, professional indemnity and employers’ liability.
- A-rated insurers underwrite all Kingsbridge tradesman insurance policies.
- Premiums are competitive, no hidden fees or charges.
- Individual limits on cover, rather than shared with other tradesman and contractors.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Are tradespeople required to have insurance by law?
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The only cover many businesses are obliged to have by law is employers’ liability insurance, if you have staff. You could receive a heavy fine for not having it. However, a tradesman policy offers additional protection for contractors that could save you thousands of pounds.
- How much tradesman insurance cover do I need?
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That depends on the type of work you do, the risk levels, the size of your business and the number of employees. Talk to us at Kingsbridge, and we’ll make sure to talk you through the various cover levels.
- Do tradespeople need public liability insurance?
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You aren’t legally obliged to have public liability insurance, but just consider how likely you are to injure a third party or damage a customer’s property while working.
Full terms, conditions and exclusions can be found here.
