Public liability insurance for electricians

How to approach the cover

There is no shortcut in the business description. It should cover the routine jobs and the less frequent work that can carry more risk.

The quotation should describe the risk and the policy should reflect that description. Keep both sets of documents so you can compare them.

The following situations are a useful reality check: an error damages customer equipment; work causes a fire or loss of power; and a cable or open floor creates a trip. These examples do not promise that a claim will be covered. They bring out details that a broad business label can hide.

The provider may need a clear account of: voltage and type of installation; inspection, testing and design duties; and work in hazardous or high-value premises. Do not make a risky activity disappear by choosing the nearest convenient description.

Check that the final wording follows the answers supplied during the quotation. An unexpected restriction should be queried. Do not leave a doubtful restriction until somebody asks for the certificate.

Jobs and situations to mention

Think about the following before asking for a price:

• An error damages customer equipment
• Work causes a fire or loss of power
• A cable or open floor creates a trip

One incident can involve more than one part of a policy. Report the facts and let the insurer consider them.

Look closely at “a cable or open floor creates a trip”. Record who controlled the area, what equipment was in use and whether another business or household was affected.

Also look at “work causes a fire or loss of power”. If another contractor, venue or customer controls part of the site, keep the agreement and any instructions they supplied.

Keep the exercise practical. Use jobs you have done or genuinely expect to do, rather than remote possibilities added simply to make the list longer.

Prepare the facts first

The quotation will be easier to complete if you first confirm:

• Voltage and type of installation
• Inspection, testing and design duties
• Work in hazardous or high-value premises

Use “voltage and type of installation”, “inspection, testing and design duties” and “work in hazardous or high-value premises” to describe the business as it operates now. Include occasional work when it creates a different hazard, even if it produces little of the annual turnover.

Where a contract has prompted the purchase, keep its insurance clause beside the quote. That makes the required limit and dates easier to check.

Two reminders from this page are “defective workmanship may be excluded” and “advice and design can raise professional-indemnity issues”; keep them beside the documents when you check the quotation. If the policy takes a different approach to “voltage and type of installation”, ask about it before the cover is needed and retain any written reply.

Do not accept a description simply because it is the closest choice in a menu. Ask if it does not fit the work.

What the certificate does not show

• Defective workmanship may be excluded
• Advice and design can raise professional-indemnity issues
• Comply with isolation procedures

Limits, excesses and exclusions answer different questions. Check all three rather than stopping at the headline figure.

A final check against the real work

Check the work diary for tasks involving heat, height, water, digging, treatment, advice or products. These are easily forgotten when they are not done every week.

Where an answer is an estimate, note the figures used. Update the provider if the eventual position is substantially different.

If a customer has set the insurance requirement, send the certificate only after checking it. The legal name, dates and limit should match what the customer reasonably expects to see.

The page has one more practical caution: comply with isolation procedures; check how this affects the jobs you accept and ask for clarification if the policy takes a different approach.