Getting insurance for tree work on a private lake

[Dan Maynard]

12 minutes ago, Acer Palmatum said:

I would love to just crack on but the committee has to tick all the box’s as a Birmingham angling club got fined 66k for not having all relevant insurance in place as someone died. 

Blimey never had fishing down as a dangerous occupation.

[Acer Palmatum]

they had a work party of volunteers and while doing maintenance work one of the volunteers was hit by a falling tree and unfortunately died what I heard they had no adequate insurance and paperwork in place. 
The lake I’m on the committee wants to make sure they have enough cover for the work we want to do.

[AHPP]

1 hour ago, Dan Maynard said:

Blimey never had fishing down as a dangerous occupation.

There's a meme in that:

What my family think I do - sit on a stool.

What I think I do - scene from one of those Quest programmes about Alaskan crabbing trawlers.

What I actually do - choke on my own vomit after doing eleven cans of special brew and falling asleep in a £200 folding chair. Anything to avoid the wife.

[Stubby]

1 hour ago, Dan Maynard said:

Blimey never had fishing down as a dangerous occupation.

Never seen " Jaws " ? 😀

[Dan Maynard]

3 hours ago, Acer Palmatum said:

they had a work party of volunteers and while doing maintenance work one of the volunteers was hit by a falling tree and unfortunately died what I heard they had no adequate insurance and paperwork in place. 
The lake I’m on the committee wants to make sure they have enough cover for the work we want to do.

Fair point, obviously there's a serious side to the subject.

 

I volunteer with the wildlife trust, they are pretty hot on the competence and insurance but they have some full time staff so not quite your situation.

 

Maybe you need to set up a ltd management company? Doesn't have to pay salaries.

[dumper]

No insurance co in their right mind Will insure a load of amateurs, Dads army springs to mind 

choose a couple of responsible people pay them and do the works on your insurance get paid then donate proceeds to club 

And your donation is tax deductable

Edited March 19, 2023 by dumper

[Acer Palmatum]

As I’ve said, I’m qualified to do tree work and we are a limited company already and the rest of the volunteers are only dragging brash etc not using any saws or doing any climbing. I’m not wanting to use my insurance as I’m doing the work for free and my insurance would not cover all the rest of the volunteers who are on site working with myself.

[Vedhoggar]

I don’t see what the problem is if you already have Public Liability Insurance and Employers Liability Insurance, perhaps you need to consider switching over to an other insurance company. Working near water is not mentioned as anything special, it’s undertaking work at airports, on railway lines and beside power lines that is specifically highlighted. Insurance covers employees, self-employed labour only, casual workers, Bona Fide sub-contractors as well as friends and family working under your direction normally. If you are not getting paid it won’t increase wages and turnover on declaration form. 

[Acer Palmatum]

32 minutes ago, Vedhoggar said:

I don’t see what the problem is if you already have Public Liability Insurance and Employers Liability Insurance, perhaps you need to consider switching over to an other insurance company. Working near water is not mentioned as anything special, it’s undertaking work at airports, on railway lines and beside power lines that is specifically highlighted. Insurance covers employees, self-employed labour only, casual workers, Bona Fide sub-contractors as well as friends and family working under your direction normally. If you are not getting paid it won’t increase wages and turnover on declaration form. 

This seems to be the problem with getting insurance for doing the tree work as we are only volunteers and need to get cover on that basis as volunteers if we have a unpaid contractor which would be classed as an employee even though unpaid I was told by my committee that the law would change from civil liability risk to criminal liability and much more wider H & S controls would be required. 

[Mick Dempsey]

Did a day subbing for a tree firm on the Bluebell railway in the late 90s cutting overhanging branches.

There was a volunteer there in a wheelchair because he got a bit overeager trying to clear up a few years before.