Liability Insurance UK – In Plain Language
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008As a self-employed business owner, it is your legal responsibility towards your employees, customers and the public. You could be held legally liable and risk being sued if an employee or a member of the public suffers an injury as a result of your negligence or breach of duty. If their claim for personal injury compensation is successful, you could also face a claim from the National Health Service for refund of hospital treatment costs (including the cost of providing an ambulance if and when appropriate).
In its simplest form, liability insurance is formulated to pay any legal costs and compensation that could happen if someone is found to be at fault. If you employ anyone it is most likely that you will have to take out employers’ liability compulsory insurance (ELCI).
ELCI forces any employer running a business in the UK to insure their liability to their staff for bodily injury or illness sustained in the course of their employment in the UK. It provides increased peace of mind to firms against penalties which might otherwise result in financial problems, and to staff members that finances will be available to pay compensation even where firms have gone bust.
How are liability insurance premiums calculated ?
The price of an insurance policy – normally called the premium – is normally worked out utilising a “book rating”. It is calculated by beginning with a base rate, which includes the insurer’s expenses and reflects their desire for your profession – if they want your type of business, the premium will be less than if they don’t.
The premium is also calculated on the insurance company’s estimation of the level of risk related to a particular business or industry area.
The policy cost will be adjusted by factors such as any previous claims, the size of the perceived risk and your approach to risk management.
The fewer claims that you have made and the safer your working environment, the lower your premium will be.
Costs are also calculated on the records of other similar professions by lumping good and bad together – a small business with a good record may be damaged by this. Your own safety record and approach to risk management can lessen the damage caused by this.
With employers’ liability, the exposure risk is assessed on the basis of the number of members of staff and the size of the company wages bill. In addition, there are further factors that affect how risk is assessed.
For public and product liability the insurance risk is calculated on the turnover of your company and other items including whether you carry out your business away from your premises.
What public liability insurance covers
Commercial liability insurance covers any awards of damages given to someone following an injury or damage to their belongings or property caused by you or your business. It also covers any expenses, costs and related legal fees together with costs of hospital treatment (including ambulance costs) that the government could demand from you.
Charges depend on your line of business, your turnover and the number of employees you have.
Public liability insurance is a complex product and possible clients must give careful consideration to all of the policy documents to make sure that the product suits their requirements.
Even if you work from home, if customers or members of the public meet you there, you should probably consider purchasing public liability insurance.
Some businesses, eg riding stables, are legally forced to have public liability cover. You are also likely to discover that some of your potential or existing clients need proof of current public liability insurance cover before they will allow you to work for them.
Many owners of small businesses or self employed tradesmen will find that there are a variety of products that are tailored to their business. These policies are found under a number of labels including business insurance, small business insurance or self employed liability insurance. These offerings will include a variety of individual sections including public and employers liability, combined with a combination of office insurance, legal expenses and professional indemnity.