Insurance

[Ben Tidey]

hi guys,

im wondering about insurances and as a subby what do i need??? and what would i expect to pay for the privilege???? ta

[Rupe]

Nothing and nothing.

 

Are you a tree surgery company acting as a bonafide sub contractor to other companies, and therefore carrying out all the management of health and safety on site and providing employees etc?

[Ben Tidey]

no im just me and my kit. would i be covered by there employers liability then??

[Rupe]

Yep. Your not really a subby but that is the term often used, so you don't need seperate insurance. If for some reason you are not covered by there employers liability then they need to change the policy so that you are covered. There isn't a policy you can take it instead of this other than personal accident cover which woudl be upto you.

 

MOst people fret about Public liabilty cover the most. And again you are covered by the company you are working for. They are doing the job and must have insurance.

 

But if they don't have this insurance (many companies don't) then nothing you can take out will cover their jobs, even if you are the climber. You are not taking on the responsibilty of the contract as a whole, and don't need insurance.

[AardvarkTreeServices]

Yep. Your not really a subby but that is the term often used, so you don't need seperate insurance. If for some reason you are not covered by there employers liability then they need to change the policy so that you are covered. There isn't a policy you can take it instead of this other than personal accident cover which woudl be upto you.

 

MOst people fret about Public liabilty cover the most. And again you are covered by the company you are working for. They are doing the job and must have insurance.

 

But if they don't have this insurance (many companies don't) then nothing you can take out will cover their jobs, even if you are the climber. You are not taking on the responsibilty of the contract as a whole, and don't need insurance.

 

I dont think whats said above is strictly true!!

 

Theres no legal obligation for anyone to have public liability insurance- it may be part of your contractual terms, but its not law. If you dont have it, and are not covered by someone elses, then you will have to pay for any damage or injury caused by you BUT only if you have been negligent.

 

If you dont have anyone working for you that you control then you dont need employers liability. If the outfit you work for control what and when you do then they legally need employers liability. If you dont work under there control then they dont need employers liability.

See this HSE leaflet for more info http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse40.pdf

[Rupe]

What your saying is the same as what I was trying to say.

 

You right there is no legal requirement for anyone to have public liability. I wasn't suggesting there is. If the company you are working for doesn't have it then theres no need for you to have it either as you won't be taking responsibility for the contracts as a whole. (by contract I mean the particular job you are on at any given time)

 

The climbing is a minor part of the job, and if something goes wrong then the company carrying out the work is responsible. If they are not insured then that does not mean that the responsiblity then falls back on the climber.

[Hodge]

i enquired with trust who i have been with for 6 years if a bona fide sub contractor should have insurance and theey sai that he does. i have enquired with NFU about the same issue and tey also state any sub contrators engaged by my firm must have their own insurance. therefore i insist any sub contractors have their own public liabillity.

 

its an area for concern.

 

i enquired how much for PL for my groundie, £420 a year.

[Mozza]

To be fair mate insurance companys would say that, As they sell insurance

[Littletree]

If you are doing small private jobs climbing at the weekend what would be the advice on having PL insurance to cover you ?

 

There is no law on having it but whats the score say something should go wrong . my friends though they are not in this industry are telling me to get it at all costs

 

What do you think ?

 

Littletree:biggrin:

[Rupe]

In response to sawdust

 

Yes, a bona fide subcontractor DOES need insurance unless they want to be an uninsured bonafide subcontractor. Its not a legal requirement but it is the right thing to do.

 

A self employed climber and your groundie are not bonafide subcontractors!!!!

 

When they say any subcontractor must have insurance they mean subcontractors!! Not people you are gettign in for the day, they are covered as if they were employees, which is why (amongst other reasons) you are being encouraged to take your man on as an employee!

 

Insurance companies will give you a quote but its an unusable policy as you cannot put the responsibility of your jobs onto your groundie!!