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As a labourer, you play a critical role in the success of construction projects. Your manual skills, stamina, physical strength and fitness, and your ability to work at height and manage heavy loads, make you a vital asset when it comes to carrying out construction work. But your job can also be filled with risks.
It doesn’t matter how experienced you are or how much care you put into your work, unfortunately things can go wrong. Whatever the task at hand - whether you’re paving a road, building a commercial property or reconstructing a bridge - you face a myriad of potential hazards every day.
That’s why it pays to have financial protection in place. At Markel Direct, we offer specialist labour insurance that’s designed especially with you in mind.
Cover at a glance:
- Protect yourself from the risks of your work, including personal injury
- Tailored packages built around your needs
- Public liability cover up to £5m
- Tools and equipment cover optional
What is labourer insurance?
Labourer insurance is there to protect self-employed individuals in your line of work when the unexpected happens. When you take out insurance with us, you can tailor your package to include only the policies you really need. You can select from a variety of covers, including public liability insurance, tools insurance, employers’ liability insurance and more.
Labourer insurance is designed to cover the compensation costs and legal fees should a claim be made against you for personal injury, property damage or negligence, for example.
Cover starting from
£13 a month*
*Price based on a labourer requiring £1 million of public liability insurance.
Do I need labourer insurance?
According to the Health and Safety Executive, the construction industry has a significantly higher rate of workplace injury compared to the average rate across all industries. It is also associated with higher than average rates of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. In addition, the risk of property damage is ever-present in the construction industry.
While the right training and equipment can help you to avoid accidents, they’re no substitute for self-employed labourer insurance. While you may pride yourself on your awareness of health and safety risks and your scrupulous attention to detail, the fact of the matter is that problems can arise. As a labourer, there is always the potential that you could inadvertently injure someone or damage a third party’s personal property during the course of your work. For this reason, it’s vital to ensure that you’re financially protected should the worst happen. It’s also worth bearing in mind that some clients won’t take you on if you don’t have adequate insurance in place.
Furthermore, if you employ staff - even on a part-time or short-term basis, you must have employers’ liability insurance by law. This policy will cover compensation and legal expenses if one of your employees sustains an injury or develops an illness as a result of the work they do for you. For example, an employee could file a claim against you for noise-induced hearing loss if they weren’t provided with the right ear protection for their job. Or a worker could sue you if they experience a serious injury as a result of a fall from height if you haven’t implemented fall arrest systems or provided adequate training.
You should also consider the tools you need to do your job. From trowels and levels to power drills and power saws, you probably rely on a variety of equipment. How would you manage if these tools were lost, stolen or damaged in a fire or flood? If you would struggle to afford to replace your tools in these situations, you should consider tools insurance.
Public liability insurance for labourers
It’s no secret that labouring is demanding work and is full of potential hazards. As a labourer, you likely have to deal with dust, fumes, noise, power tools, site traffic, uneven ground and adverse weather conditions, to name a few examples. You may also be tasked with working at height and transporting heavy loads. You’re also likely to come into contact with a variety of different people during the course of your work, including clients, contractors, employees, site visitors and members of the public. No matter how careful you are, you could find yourself held legally liable if someone is injured or their property is damaged as a result of your work. That’s where public liability insurance for self-employed labourers comes in.
For example, when working at height, you drop a piece of concrete. It lands on a site visitor who sustains serious injuries. They make a claim against you for compensation.
In this situation, you could be left in financial hardship by the legal fees alone without labourer public liability insurance in place. On the other hand, the right protection could shield you from hefty compensation costs and legal expenses, allowing you to get back to your work.
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 labourer insurance?
When it comes to choosing your insurance provider, you’ll want to make sure you’re making the right decision. Below are a few of the reasons to pick Markel Direct for your builders and labourer insurance.
How to buy labourer insurance
Buying labourer insurance doesn’t have to be complicated when you shop with us. Simply fill in our online form and you’ll get a quote in as little as 90 seconds.
Once you’re ready to proceed, simply pay online. You get cover straight away or up to 30 days in advance.
What types of insurance do labourers need?
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Public liability insurance
Public liability insurance covers the cost of compensation and legal fees if a member of the public sues you for property damage or personal injury. Our cover limits are between £1 million and £5 million.
Example of a claim:
A member of the public trips over a toolbox you have left unattended on the pavement while working on a commercial building in the town centre. They fracture their wrist and make a claim against you.
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Employers’ liability insurance
Employers’ liability insurance provides financial protection in the event that one of your employees becomes ill or injured due to their work. You must have at least £5 million of this cover. Our cover limit is £10 million.
Example of a claim:
A worker suffers a serious back injury after scaffolding collapses on top of them. They file a claim for compensation against you for their suffering.
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Tool insurance
Tools insurance protects the equipment you need as a labourer. If your tools are lost, damaged or stolen, your insurance will cover the cost of replacing them. Cover limits range from £1,000 to £5,000. You can choose to insure your tools 24/7 or during working hours only.
Example of a claim:
Your van is broken into and your tools are stolen. You have to pay out of your own pocket to replace them.
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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.
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Occupational personal accident insurance
Occupational personal accident insurance is designed to supplement your income if you can’t work due to an injury you suffered on the job. Depending on your injury, you may be paid weekly or in one lump sum.
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Owned plant insurance
Owned plant insurance covers the cost of purchasing new plant machinery or repairing it if yours is damaged or stolen. Our cover limits range from £10,000 to £50,000.
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Hired in plant insurance
Hired in plant insurance pays out if you have hired plant machinery and it is stolen or damaged. Our cover limits range from £10,000 to £50,000.
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Contract works insurance
Contract works insurance protects you financially if you have to repair work you have already carried out on a construction site due to a fire, flood, theft or an act of malicious damage.
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Goods in transit insurance
Goods in transit insurance covers the cost of replacing goods if they become lost or damaged in transit (either travelling by courier or in your own vehicle).
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 labourer insurance cost?
The cost of your labourer insurance will be determined by your cover needs. Factors such as the size of your business, how many workers you employ and whether you operate as a sole trader, partnership or limited company will be taken into consideration when calculating your premium.
To find out exactly how much your cover will cost, simply get a quote today.
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.
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Is business insurance a legal requirement for labourers?
From a legal standpoint, the only form of insurance that a self-employed labourer must have is employers’ liability - if they employ staff. All other types of insurance are optional in the eyes of the law.
However, this doesn’t mean that going without insurance is a good idea. You must carefully consider the financial implications of being uninsured should the worst happen. You should also bear in mind that being uninsured may mean you’re automatically disqualified for certain jobs.
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Can I just cover my most expensive tools?
When you take out tools insurance with Markel Direct, you must insure all the tools you use for your work. This is so that you’ll be fully protected if you need to file a claim.
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Do I need cover for other types of work?
If you provide services for other types of work beyond your labouring activities, you need to make sure you’re covered for those services. We offer a variety of tradesman insurance policies, including handyman insurance, plasterers insurance, bricklayers insurance and more.
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How is Markel regulated?
Markel is regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority. To discover more, visit the Financial Services Register.
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