A guide to electrician insurance
Being an electrician, or ‘sparky’ as they’re affectionately known, can be a rewarding career, and many self-employed electricians are busy all year round.
Electricians face risks and danger to life whenever they undertake a job. Whether it be an exposed live wire or socket, or a trip hazard such as an unsecured cable, there are many hazards that electricians, customers and members of the public need to be aware of, each of which could cause injury.
As the electrician or the electrical company that is responsible for the job, you are liable for any injuries or damages that occur.
This is why electricians liability insurance is vital for ensuring each project is successful, which includes protecting the income earned from the job whilst also safeguarding your customer’s premises should anything go wrong.
We take a look at the potential risks that electricians face on a daily basis and how certain types of insurance can help.
On-site risks
The most obvious risk is what could potentially go wrong on-site. Working with electricity is dangerous even when the electrical supply is turned off.
Electricians can be required to cut away partition walls and even brickwork to chase wiring around a house or other building. This type of work can cause injury and unforeseen property damage, as well as creating hazards that could cause injury to members of the public. For example, a customer or a member of the public may make a claim against you for a variety of reasons, such as being electrocuted from a faulty switch.
These risks are why public liability insurance is such an important form of cover for electricians.
Many self-employed electricians work on their own, but those who employ staff, include apprentices, need to carry Employers’ Liability insurance by law, with a minimum of £5 million of cover.
Personal injury or illness
What would you do as a self-employed electrician if you were electrocuted whilst on-site? Or if you were working in a confined space and sustained an injury as a result?
These are only two of potentially many scenarios where you could find yourself unable to work, thus causing disruption to your business and your clients, as well as potentially facing an unforeseen financial struggle as a result.
Electricians and electrical contractors face health risks daily which could lead to personal injury and even hospitalisation, and it only takes one small lapse in judgement or even human error on someone else’s part for an accident to occur.
Occupational personal accident insurance offers cover for certain work-related injuries and illnesses sustained during the course of your work which stop you working and impact your earning potential, your business and your lifestyle.
Product failure
A potential failure in electrical work can lead to extensive damage to property and potentially to the health of your clients or members of the public. Product failure isn’t always due to the product itself, it can also be due to how the product has been installed.
Installation of electrical appliances and wiring can cause fires and potentially even fatal situations if there is a fault. It has been known for wires to be left exposed and switches to be unsecure against walls. Whilst some switches and sockets are simply installed in inaccessible or even dangerous positions, such as directly behind cookers.
Providing incorrect advice about electrical installations
Whether you charge for your advice or provide it free of charge, any advice that you give to a client could result in a negligence claim against you if that advice is proven to be flawed and causes your client financial loss.
It could something as simple as recommending a brand of fusebox that keeps shorting-out, because it is not fit for purpose for the volume of electricity being used by a modern household. This can lead to wires burning-out and plastic casings melting, which can in some cases require a complete rewire.
In an instance such as this, professional indemnity insurance will respond to cover your legal fees in the event of a claim being made against you.
Theft or damage of tools and trades materials
After a long workday, you park your work van on your driveway and you head inside your home. Due to tiredness after a couple of hours updating your ledger and responding to customer enquiries, you forget to move your tools into the garage for safe keeping.
The next morning, you discover your rear van door has been prized open and your work tools are gone, which means you have to cancel your work for the day and replace your stolen tools.
Our tradesman insurance offers tools insurance protection starting from £1,000 up to £5,000. In the event of a claim being made, the policy will pay you the amount of to replace your lost equipment.
3 tips to help you to easily identify what has been taken:
• Keep all your tool receipts in case you have to make a claim.
• Keep a log of all the tools you have in your van.
• Note down the serial number of each item where possible.
Electricians public liability insurance is designed to protect you against the unexpected. If something goes wrong during a project, working with electricity can make the consequences of a mistake very serious or even fatal. Our electricians liability insurance can be tailored to protect your business against a wide range of scenarios, including the legal fees and compensation awards that are involved with a claim.
Click here for a quick online quote for your electricians liability insurance.
Or call 0333 242 9053 to speak to one of our team.