Public liability insurance for gas engineers

In case somebody suffers injury or damage to their property as a result of your gas fitting business.

What’s typically covered by public liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• accidental damage to a residential or commercial property, caused by your work as a gas fitter or by one of your employees (remember, if you have people working for you, employers’ liability cover is a legal requirement)
• accidental injury to another person, caused by your work as a gas fitter or by one of your employees

For example:

• you need to move a washing machine to install a boiler, and in doing so you trigger a leak, which damages the customer’s floor
• a boiler you’ve recently installed falls down and breaks several bones in the customer’s foot
• your employee moves a sofa while carrying out a gas safety check, breaking the customer’s camera light by accident

What you’ll need additional cover for

• installing and maintaining pipework used for water and drainage – this would be classed as plumbing work, so you’d need to cover it separately under plumbing insurance

Read more about public liability insurance

Employers’ liability insurance

In case your employee falls ill or gets injured because of their work for you.

What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• a member of your staff becoming sick or suffering an injury as a result of the gas engineering work they do for you

**Employers’ liability insurance is required by law if you have people working for you. Without it, you could be fined up to £2,500 a day for each employee.**

For example:

• your employee slips off a ladder and breaks their back as they’re trying to fix a boiler

Tools insurance

In case your gas fitting tools are lost, stolen or damaged.

What’s typically covered by tools insurance?

• theft of the tools you use to carry out your work as a gas fitter (especially handheld tools and portable electronic tools), whether on site or stored at your business premises
• flood, fire, or accidental damage to your gas fitting tools at a client site or at your premises

For example:

• while you’re in the process of loading your van, somebody steals your tool box, which contains your drills, circular saw and hand vacuum
• one of your employees accidentally steps on your tool box and breaks the drill, so you need to get it repaired

What you’ll need additional cover for

• cover for tools left in your van overnight – these would need to be covered by tools overnight cover, which you can select as an optional extra

Read more about tools insurance

Contract works insurance

In case your gas engineering work in progress is destroyed, disrupted or delayed.

What’s typically covered by contract works insurance?

• damage to the ongoing work in progress on commercial or domestic premises
• your gas work is destroyed or damaged while you’re working

For example:

• you’re working on a commercial building and a fire breaks out, which sets back the completion date you’ve agreed to in the contract
• the boilers you’re in the process of fitting are destroyed by fire, causing a delay to the completion date

Read more about contract works insurance

Legal expenses insurance

In case you need to pay legal costs while operating your gas engineering business.

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?

• lawyer fees and other legal expenses you may face that catch you by surprise as the owner of your company
• the cost of legal claims relating to property damage, nuisance or trespass
• a 24/7 confidential legal helpline and a tax advice helpline, as well as crisis PR support to help you protect your business’s reputation
• support in handling unexpected tax and compliance matters

For example:

• a client owes you a large sum of money because they’re three months late on payment, so you want to take them to court to recover the money
• your businesses tax accounts are investigated by HMRC and you need an accountant to help you deal with the enquiries
• you need legal help to resolve an HR dispute with an employee

Read more about legal expenses insurance

Personal accident insurance

In case you or anyone you’ve covered has an accident.

What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?

• injury or death, whether at work or elsewhere, for anyone you’ve specifically covered in your policy
• lost income, hospital bills, or other medical costs associated with the accident

For example:

• you drop a bronze fireplace on your foot and it breaks your toe
• your apprentice breaks their arm on the way into work
• you suffer a slipped disc while you’re on a run at the weekend

Read more about personal accident insurance

Can I just cover my most expensive tools?

Make sure you cover the total cost of replacing all your tools or you’ll only get a proportion of your claim paid out if something happens to them. Learn about tools cover.

Which type of workers do I need insurance for?

Employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement if you employ people.

If you have people working for you, including bona fide subcontractors (BFSC), labour-only subcontractors (LOSC), part-timers, or full-time staff, employers’ liability insurance is required by law.

Read on for our simplified guide to the difference between labour-only subcontractors and bona fide subcontractors.

Will tools insurance cover all my equipment?

Depending on what you use to do your work, you may need other covers.

You may need more than tools cover – for example, business equipment insurance if you have a work laptop, plant insurance if you use machinery.

Does gas fitters insurance cover my work correctly?

Make sure you’re picking the right cover to protect you properly. It’s important to know that if you have another trade or job, you’ll need additional cover. For example, do you need to consider Plumbers insurance or Plumbing, heating and ventilation contractor – domestic?

Do I need cover for other types of work?

If you provide other services, make sure you’re covered:

• Insurance for handyman
• Refrigeration engineers insurance
• Plumbers merchant
• Bathroom fitter insurance
• Kitchen fitter insurance
• Air conditioning installation
• Labourer insurance
• Insurance for electricians

Other types of insurance

• Limited company insurance
• Self-employed insurance
• Contractors insurance
• Sole trader insurance

Which public liability cover limit should I choose?

Think about the maximum possible loss your business could face in the event of a claim, and make sure you take legal fees and damages into consideration. You can choose from three levels of coverage – £1 million, £2 million, or up to £5 million.