Public liability for mobile hairdressers and beauticians

Why the work description matters

Treat the quotation questions as part of buying the cover, not as a formality to get through quickly. An unclear answer is better queried before payment.

Public liability normally centres on accidental injury to other people and accidental damage to their property. It does not make every loss connected with a job recoverable.

The following situations are a useful reality check: a client trips over equipment; hot tools damage furniture; and products spill in a customer’s home. 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: full treatment menu and qualifications; patch-test and consent procedures; and mobile, home salon and hired-chair work. 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.

The risks hidden in an ordinary job

Think about the following before asking for a price:

• A client trips over equipment
• Hot tools damage furniture
• Products spill in a customer’s home

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

Look closely at “products spill in a customer’s home”. Record who controlled the area, what equipment was in use and whether another business or household was affected.

Also look at “hot tools damage furniture”. 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:

• Full treatment menu and qualifications
• Patch-test and consent procedures
• Mobile, home salon and hired-chair work

Use “full treatment menu and qualifications”, “patch-test and consent procedures” and “mobile, home salon and hired-chair work” 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.

This record is useful at renewal as well. It shows what was declared and makes changes in the business easier to identify.

Two reminders from this page are “treatment liability may be essential” and “keep product and batch details”; keep them beside the documents when you check the quotation. If the policy takes a different approach to “full treatment menu and qualifications”, 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.

Questions for the provider

• Treatment liability may be essential
• Keep product and batch details
• Check excluded cosmetic procedures

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

Before the next job starts

Read any special terms added for the activity, site or method of work. Decide whether the precautions are realistic for every relevant job.

Do this while the details are fresh. It is much harder to reconstruct an answer after somebody has complained.

Finally, make sure the business could follow every stated precaution on a busy day. If a condition does not fit the way the work is carried out, ask about it. Ignoring an impractical condition is not a safe solution.

The final note for this particular subject concerns: check excluded cosmetic procedures; check how this affects the jobs you accept and ask for clarification if the policy takes a different approach.