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Public Liability Insurance

Quick, easy and personalised Public Liability insurance so you can work with the peace of mind that you’re covered.

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In our increasingly litigious society, public liability insurance has become a vital form of insurance protection for freelancers, contractors, self-employed consultants, and small businesses who have contact with clients and the general public.

It can cover legal costs for defending liability claims and pay compensation awarded to a claimant if your business is found to be at fault, providing you with peace of mind that your business will be covered.

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What does public liability insurance protect against?

Public liability insurance (PL) covers you for the cost of a public liability claim from a third party, such as a member of the public (not an employee), that has suffered injury (or death) or property damage allegedly caused by you or your employees in the course of your business activities.

The policy will respond to cover legal costs incurred as a result of a claim and compensation awards to the claimant if you are found to be at fault.

Public liability claims vary depending on the industry sector, below are some examples:

IT contractors – You are working on-site at a clients’ offices and your laptop cable is exposed on the floor. A member of your clients’ staff trips over the cable, falls and breaks their wrist when trying to cushion their fall. The client makes a claim against you for damages and compensation.

Management consultants – You are working as a consultant in your clients’ office when you accidentally spill a hot drink on one of their laptops. The client claims against you for the cost of repairing or replacing the damaged laptop.

Engineering Contractors – As a contracted engineer you are tasked with operating engineering machinery. You forget to safeguard a machine after using it, which causes an accident, injuring another member of staff. The client makes a claim against you for damages and compensation.

Construction contractors – As a contracted construction worker you are tasked with operating plant machinery. You forget to safeguard a machine after using it, which causes an accident, injuring another contractor and damaging the plant equipment. The client makes a claim against you for damages and compensation.

Trades – You’re a plumber who is called out to a customer’s house to install new pipework. You accidentally cause a flood which damages the customers carpets. The client makes a claim against you for the cleaning or replacement of the damaged carpets.

What does public liability insurance cover?

  • Legal expenses – Should a claim be made against you the policy will provide cover to help with the cost of legal proceedings.
  • Cost of repairs – The cost of repairing damage to the claimant’s property, such as accidentally knocking over and breaking a valuable ornament in their offices during a meeting, or a plumber causing a leak/flood to a customer’s premises and damaging carpets as a result.
  • Medical fees – The cost of hospital treatment, including ambulance call-out, if a claim is made against you for these.
  • Compensation claims – Injury to third parties or damage to their property if an accident occurs on your business premises or your client’s premises.

Why choose Caunce O'Hara for your public liability insurance?

Caunce OHara business insurance for contractors and freelancers
1

Trusted by over 23,000 clients for their business insurance.

2

Immediate cover available, with documents issued via email in minutes!

3

Over 25 years’ experience of insuring self-employed professionals, including freelancers, contractors, and small business owners.

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I had spoken to Caunce O'Hara prior to the transaction and it all went smoothly for me. I have used them now for 12 years.
Trusted Customer
Feefo
Golden star
Excellent Customer service and value for money. Best public liability, professional indemnity and employers liability insurance offer I’ve come across.
Trusted Customer
Feefo
Golden star
Company insurances renewed for another year with Caunce O'Hara. No drama, issues or concerns.
Trusted Customer
Feefo

Questions about public liability insurance

Public liability insurance provides cover will pay your legal costs and certain compensation payments that might be due if your client takes legal action against you for alleged damage to their property or for compensation if you are alleged to have caused an accident resulting in a member of the public sustaining an injury.

The policy offers the following benefits:

  • Protection for you and your business against property damages claims.

No matter how careful you are, accidents will happen. Damage to property can include accidentally knocking an item over or a spillage onto an electronic device, both resulting in repairs or replacements.

  • Cover for human error which causes an accident and/or injury.

Unintentional human errors are common, especially if you are tired. If your alleged error causes an accident resulting in an injury, then you could find yourself on the receiving end of claim. Public Liability insurance will respond to provide cover in this instance.

 

Despite the elevated risk of mistakes being made when undertaking client work, a surprising number of business professionals don’t to protect themselves with public liability insurance.

In many cases this is because they are unaware that they need this type of insurance protection and are unaware of the potentially damaging outcome of a claim.

If you are unsure if you need professional indemnity insurance protection, we have compiled a list of instances when it is advisable to be insured, as follows:

You deal with clients face-to-face.
You deal with / have contact with members of the public.
You work on-site at clients’ premises.
You host meetings at your offices / home office.

The list is relevant to freelancers, contractors, small business owners and sole traders. If you provide these services, then Public Liability insurance is a policy you should consider for peace of mind that you are covered in the event of a claim.

Professionals who benefit from carrying public liability insurance includes, but is not limited to:

Management consultants
IT contractors and IT consultants
Technical and mechanical engineers
Marketing consultants
Photographers
Social workers
Teachers and tutors

The level of protection you need will depend on the potential liability and also what is stipulated as the minimum requirement in your contract. Caunce O’Hara can help you build the ideal liability insurance policy that will help protect your business. Public Liability is offered as part of our Business Combined Liabilities insurance, which also includes Employers’ Liability, Directors & Officers insurance, and cover for your business equipment.

At Caunce O’Hara we offer comprehensive PL insurance as part of our Business Combined Liabilities insurance, which can be purchased from as little as £112.00 a year (that is only £8.16 per month). Your premium will depend on the amount of cover you need, the risks of your profession and the excess amount.

Professional Indemnity insurance (PI) will provide cover for business professionals who provide business services, advice or designs to clients and will cover against claims of negligent work.

Employers liability insurance (EL) will cover the cost of defending or settling a claim against you from an employee who has suffered injury or disease as a result of the work they do for you.

It is important to be aware that as a self-employed business owner, a claim can be made against you personally with unlimited personal liability, therefore Directors and Officers insurance is a valuable insurance policy which will cover you in this instance, which is provided as part of our Business Combined Liabilities insurance product.

Legal Expenses insurance will also provide cover for costs incurred from a legal occurrence or claim that your indemnity and liability insurance does not cover, including the costs incurred from an IR35 tax investigation.

Cyber insurance, also known as cyber liability insurance, will cover your business in the event of a malicious attack on your computer systems and your data.

Personal accident insurance can provide cover for your loss of earnings while you are unable to work due to a work-related accident or illness caused by your work.

Commercial crime insurance can be beneficial to anyone who ones or runs a business, no matter how large that business is. Theft and other crime can have catastrophic consequences for a business and potentially to those who are connected to that business, such as suppliers and employees.

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Call 0333 321 1403

Our understanding of the freelance sector and the challenges you face daily, enables us to tailor our insurance products to meet your needs. Contact us to talk about your insurance requirements and to better understand the insurance we offer.

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Contact Caunce O'Hara for your business insurance today