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Insurance thoughts for tradesmen & builders ...
Insurance can often be the last thing on your mind but the 1st on someone elses. Worth the gamble ?
A tradesmans daily job can often be a risky and dangerous business, BUT also one where sly backhanded moves can actually literally rob a tradesman or tradeswoman of rightful earnings or wages and leave the tradesperson with almost no legal legs to stand on. A tradesmans work often involvees the use of sharp and dangerous tools, moving up and down ladders or scaffold, often at dangerous heights, lifting heavy work loads and equipment, two days rarely the same, different jobs, different locations and different companies, means more risk and the chance of an accident or problem is higher than normal. If a tradesman is not covered in the modern day, compensation and often regarded as Americanized society of today, then they can easily and unexpectedly very quickly find themselves in financial and legal trouble or even worse, injured and unable to work at all.
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I don't think of things going wrong.
No fit out or refurb tradesman likes to think about something bad happenning at work nor do they like to think that they just may not be paid at the end of a job even though we all know each day is a gamble and we couldn't bet on things winning and running smoothly all the time, but the fact is things DO go wrong and there is always someone within a company on a site somewhere in the UK who will not even think twice about stopping you from getting paid, and that's the gamble. The worst part is you may never even know anything is wrong until you have left the job and are sat at home waiting patiently to be paid or even working a new or the 2nd job to make ends meet in hope the cheque from the last job will be on the mat in the morning.
Types of Insurance cover to consider :
Public Liability Insurance
Insurance Protection against legal proceedings brought against partitioners, dry liners or ceiling fixers at work should a tradesman be involved in an accident or some form of damage to property or belongings of someone else or a company being worked for or onsite. Should anything happen at work and public liability is claimed against you, the 1st financial worry to be faced, is Legal costs, lose and you pay through the nose. UK Solicitors are expensive and the first thing a company will do is summons their solicitor and claims advisors who know the laws, the rules and the regulations. If the accident was your fault, it could be a very, very costly experience.
Employers Liability Cover
Insurance Cover for employee incidents for which the employer is liable for up to £10m.
Employees don't always understand the risks not only to themselves but also the high chance of claims against them or their employer in the event of an accident or just simply fooling around in the work place, especially on a clients property.
 Are you aware of the contra charge scenario or do you just gamble each day at work and expect to be paid fully ? Are you being over contra charged ? Read More
In modern society where everything is risk assessed for the safest days trade, accidents from very minor environmental damage, work tools being stolen, personal injury or even worse causing injury to another person or property, non payment of wages, excessive contra charges from your contractor, can be a an extremely costly event, very stressfull and in hard times even life changing. Often the simplest and most regular of tradesman routines can see unfortunate events occur, from minor personal accidents to the theft of work tools to structural damage or your contractor or employer simply deciding not to pay you so they can cover their own costs. Partitioners, ceiling fixers and dry liners are all in the same boat and the legal system in the construction industry can be extremely complex and very dog eat dog but legally.
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Serious Insurance matters :
Tradesmans Indemnity Insurance.
We all make mistakes at work, unfortunately mistakes cost money, money that sometimes could be so much that you simply could not afford to pay the costs yourself without being in debt the rest of your life.
Contra charges are a popular way for a contractor to penalise the tradesman for mistakes he has made and regain financial losses, it may eveen be that you have been wrongly contra charged or excessively over contra charged.
Indemnity insurance will help protect you at work against your employer should anything go wrong and you ar liable. Indemnity insurance is used in many lines of work and being in the services provided industry as a tradesman, this one could be a life saver for you. Always ask the advice of a professional solicitor before committing to any form of insurance as a tradesman, the laws are complicated and can be misleading so you need to know exactly where you stand 1st.
Personal injury and accident insurance.
Most tradesmen are fit enough to take most knocks and bruises at work, but the construction industry is one of the most prolific trades for personal injuries while at work, with many tradesmen receiving unexpected injuries from even the simplest and most regular of jobs that actually pull them away from work from a few days to a few weeks or even permanently. Insuring against personal injury is often the most disregarded of the insurances due to the fact it is for personal use and many of us have the idea that it won't happen to me....
Insuring your tools and equipment.
Everyday, somewhere in the UK, a tradesman will have some or all of his or her tools stolen onsite, it's a guaranteed bet someone somewhere will lose items from the work van, from the garden shed at home or from the car. Tools get damaged and even a screw gun can cost a few hundred pounds to replace. Insuring work tools is popular among tradesmen in general.
If you have thought about insurance for your trade then it should be worth finding out more information just to see what it will cost you, how it could benefit you in an unexpected event especially in our Americanised "claim, claim, claim" society where caution is something that needs to be taken very seriously when at work and as a tradesman dealing with a company, the odds are not in the little guys favour so cover is always worth looking at as an option.
Looking for a solicitor who deals with tradesmen and construction claims ?
Call 0800 1777167
CSCS CARDS, are you still not in yet ?
What is Indemnity insurance ?
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