Can you get public liability insurance for one day?

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 points most likely to change the insurance answer include: setup happens the evening before; products remain with customers afterwards; and several events are planned across the year. A familiar accident can still fall outside a policy. Use these examples to check what has actually been quoted.

A few minutes with your diary, invoices and contracts should help you confirm: all dates and activities; whether you trade outside the event; and ongoing products or completed-work exposure. Keep a copy of the completed answers with the documents that follow.

Read the schedule and endorsements when they arrive. They may contain restrictions that do not appear on the certificate. Keep written answers with the quotation so they can be found later.

The risks hidden in an ordinary job

A quotation should take account of points such as these:

• Setup happens the evening before
• Products remain with customers afterwards
• Several events are planned across the year

They are examples rather than promises of cover. The insurer will still examine what happened and what the policy says.

Take “setup happens the evening before” first. Where would it happen, who would be nearby and what property could be affected? The answer may reveal a site, method or customer type that has not appeared elsewhere in the quotation.

Next consider “several events are planned across the year”. Ask what could stop the damage becoming worse and what evidence would still be available after the site had been cleared.

You are not trying to predict every claim. The point is to see whether the proposed description bears a sensible resemblance to the work.

Information the provider may need

Have the following information ready before you begin:

• All dates and activities
• Whether you trade outside the event
• Ongoing products or completed-work exposure

“all dates and activities”, “whether you trade outside the event” and “ongoing products or completed-work exposure” may come from different documents. Bring them together before requesting a quotation so that dates, activities and contractual requirements do not conflict.

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 “do not squeeze a wider business into an event description” and “annual cover may be simpler for repeat work”; keep them beside the documents when you check the quotation. If the policy takes a different approach to “all dates and activities”, ask about it before the cover is needed and retain any written reply.

Look for mistakes as soon as the documents arrive, especially in the business name and activity description.

Questions for the provider

• Do not squeeze a wider business into an event description
• Annual cover may be simpler for repeat work
• Check cancellation and amendment terms

An endorsement can change the standard wording. Check every endorsement listed on the schedule.

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 cancellation and amendment terms; check how this affects the jobs you accept and ask for clarification if the policy takes a different approach.