Help & resources
Get guidance on things such as HR, Marketing and Legal.
Fast, easy online quote in 90 seconds
24hr legal advice helpline included
No hidden fees or cancellations
Construction sites are dangerous places, and as a hod carrier, you face more risks than most. This is difficult, heavy work, and so there is always a chance of accidents.
From lifting a load incorrectly and injuring yourself, to dropping bricks and causing property damage, there is the constant threat that something will go wrong. If it does, your finances could take a major hit. So, whether you work alone or you employ a team, you’ll need insurance in case things don’t go to plan.
At Markel Direct, we provide tailored hod carrier insurance that will cover you for the unexpected.
Cover at a glance:
- Public liability cover up to £5m
- Protection for accidental damage and injury claims
- Tools and equipment cover and occupational personal accident cover available
What is hod carrier insurance?
Working as a hod carrier, you have very specific requirements when it comes to financial protection. Hod carrier insurance is there to cover you against the risks you face in your profession. One type of protection that is often considered vital in your line of work is public liability insurance. Other forms of cover that are commonly included in hod carrier insurance include tools protection, employer’s liability insurance and occupational personal accident cover.
At Markel, we offer a full range of cover options to hod carriers.
Cover starting from
£8 a month*
*Price based on a hod carrier requiring £1 million of public liability insurance.
Do I need hod carrier insurance?
As a hod carrier, you are likely to need certain types of insurance. Public liability protection is typically chief among these. Carrying heavy loads such as bricks in hazardous environments, and often working against the clock to keep the supply of materials running smoothly on site, means there is always a chance that an accident will happen.
What if you drop bricks, stones or other heavy loads on site, damaging machinery, materials or customers’ belongings? Could you foot the bill for repairing the damage? Or perhaps a brick falls from your hod while you’re working on a raised platform, landing on a passer-by and causing significant injuries. You might find yourself subject to costly legal action in such scenarios. Unless you could afford to pay these expenses yourself, you will need suitable liability cover in place. Some clients might even demand that you show evidence of having public liability protection before they will take you on for a job.
There’s also the ever-present danger that you will suffer an injury yourself that prevents you from working. Even if you take care to always use the correct lifting technique, you’re putting your body under major strain and so you can’t rule out the possibility of physical harm. What would happen to your finances if you were unable to work because of injury? With this in mind, you may need occupational personal injury insurance. There are your tools to think about too. Getting financial cover for your equipment means that if it is stolen, lost or damaged, you won’t be left out of pocket.
And if you have people working for your hod carrying business, you are legally required to have employers’ liability insurance in place.
Public liability insurance for hod carriers
It’s an unavoidable fact that working as a hod carrier brings with it the risk that you will cause injury or property damage to a member of the public. For example, while carrying bricks down a customer’s driveway, you might trip, causing the bricks to be propelled at a parked car. In a situation like this, would you be able to afford the repair bill? Or a customer or member of the public might fall over tools you have left on the ground, suffering injuries as a result and leaving you facing significant legal bills and compensation costs.
Incidents like these can happen at any time, potentially putting your finances in peril. But if you have hod carrier public liability insurance in place, your finances will be protected. This type of insurance covers the costs of compensation payments and legal fees.
Example policy documents
If you have an existing policy with us, please sign in to view your policy documents.
Below you will find examples of the documents provided.
Why choose Markel Direct for hod carrier insurance?
Hod carrying is difficult and sometimes dangerous work, so you need an insurance policy that’s there for you if things go wrong. Here are five reasons to select us as your cover provider.
How to buy hod carrier insurance
Buying hod carrier insurance from Markel Direct is simple. All you have to do is complete our online form and we’ll get back to you in as little as 90 seconds. If you decide to go ahead, you can start your cover straight away or arrange it up to 30 days in advance.
What types of insurance do hod carriers need?
-
Public liability insurance
Public liability insurance is there to protect you as a hod carrier if your business causes property damage or personal injury to a member of the public. It covers the costs of legal fees and compensation payments. We offer policies with limits starting at £1 million and rising to £5 million.
Example of a claim:
You trip while carrying bricks in a customer’s back garden, causing the bricks to land on and seriously damage patio furniture. You have to cover the cost of replacing the damaged furniture. -
Employers' liability insurance
Employers’ liability insurance offers protection if a worker is injured or made ill by their work. By law, you must have a minimum of £5 million of this type of cover in place if you employ anyone. Our policies have a cover limit of £10 million.
Example of a claim:
A worker suffers a serious injury to their back while carrying a heavy load. They sue you for their suffering and loss of earnings. -
Tools insurance
Tools insurance covers the cost of replacing or repairing your tools if they are damaged, stolen or lost. Choose from cover limits of between £1,000 and £5,000. You can decide whether to insure your tools 24/7 or during working hours only (8am – 8pm).
Example of a claim:
While you are parked near a building site you are working on, thieves break into your van and steal a number of expensive pieces of equipment. You have to purchase replacements. -
Legal expenses insurance
Legal expenses insurance can help to cover the cost of defending or pursuing legal actions against other parties such as suppliers, clients or employees. This could be for contract disputes, tax enquiries (including IR35), attending jury service, debt recovery, personal injury, as well as any award you are required to pay following an employment dispute with an employee. There is a limit of £100,000.
Example of a claim:
A supplier has failed to deliver building materials you’ve paid for and is ignoring your requests for a refund. You face the costs associated with recovering the debt owed to you.
-
Occupational personal accident insurance
Occupational personal accident insurance gives you financial support if you can’t work because you’ve suffered an injury as a result of your work. It may provide one lump sum or weekly payments, depending on the nature of your injury.
-
Owned plant insurance
Owned plant insurance covers the cost of repairing or purchasing new plant machinery you own if it’s damaged or stolen. Our policies offer cover limits of between £10,000 and £50,000.
-
Hired in plant insurance
Hired in plant insurance protects you if plant equipment you have hired from a third party is damaged or stolen. Our policies come with limits ranging from £10,000 and £50,000.
-
Contract works insurance
Contract works insurance provides protection if work you’ve carried out on a construction site needs to be redone due to fire, flooding, theft or an act of malicious damage.
-
Goods in transit insurance
Goods in transit insurance provides compensation if your goods are damaged or lost while being transported from one location to another. It covers items being moved by your own vehicles or a courier.
How it works
Choose the cover you require
Get a quote you need in minutes
Buy online or contact one of our advisors
How much does hod carrier insurance cost?
The price of your cover will depend on factors including how big your business is, whether you have employees, what sort of cover you’re looking for and the level of protection you need. Get a quote today to see how much our hod carrier insurance will cost you.
*Price based on a hod carrier requiring £1 million of public liability insurance.
Ready to build your quote?
Our simple quote process will help you to find the right business insurance for your individual needs.
Frequently asked questions
These frequently asked questions are designed to help you and include questions relating to policy cover, pricing and ‘technical’ terms.
-
When should I get hod carrier insurance?
It’s advisable to take out hod carrier insurance before you begin your first project for a client. You never know when something will go wrong, so it makes sense to have financial cover in place from the outset.
-
Is business insurance a legal requirement for hod carriers?
Most types of business insurance are not a legal requirement for hod carriers. The exception to this is employers’ liability cover. If you have people working for you, even if they’re part-time or temporary employees, by law you must have this type of protection in place.
While other forms of cover aren’t legally required, lacking appropriate insurance could put your finances in danger. -
Can I just cover my most expensive tools?
When you come to us for your hod carrier insurance, you must cover all of your tools. This means that you’re fully insured in the event you need to make a claim. If you lack protection for some of your equipment, this may result in your claim not being covered, or it could mean you get a smaller sum in compensation.
-
How is Markel regulated?
Markel is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. If you would like to find out more, visit the Financial Services Register.
Can't find the answer you are looking for? - Contact our experts
Access specialist business services as part of your policy cover.
As a specialist insurer of accountants and bookkeepers, we provide a range of useful services for you to access, included as standard with certain covers.
What is included:
Relevant News and Insights
Existing customer?
Whether you need to renew a policy, or modify an existing policy, or simply have a question, contact us.