Public liability insurance for glaziers

In case someone is injured or their property gets damaged, because of your glazing business.

What’s typically covered by public liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• damage to someone’s property, caused by your work
• injuries caused by your business activities
• accidental damage or injury caused by your employees, if you have any

For example:

• while installing a customer’s windows, you accidentally scratch an older window which will need to be removed and reinstalled
• you leave your ladder out while on lunch, causing a customer’s child to trip and cut their head – they’ll need stitches and a day off school with mild concussion

What you’ll need additional cover for

• If you do employ anyone, you’re usually required by law to have employers’ liability insurance too.

Read more about public liability insurance

Employers’ liability insurance

In case an employee gets sick or injured because of working for you.

What’s typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?

Claims against your business for:

• an employee, including a contractor or casual labourer, suing you after falling ill because of working for your glazier business, or
• making a claim for an injury they’ve had while working 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 apprentice falls off a ladder while installing a glass window – he breaks an arm and needs eight weeks off work
• a contractor working for you drops a pane of glass on their hand, damaging the ligaments and fracturing two bones

Tools insurance

In case your glazier tools are lost, stolen or damaged.

What’s typically covered by tools insurance?

• loss, damage or theft of your hand tools, power tools and specialist glazier equipment

For example:

• some teenagers break into your garage and steal tools you’ve just bought for a large contract job
• a fire in your site static unit causes damage to the large supply of suction lifters you’ve just ordered, which will need replacing

What you’ll need additional cover for

• larger plant items you use to carry out your glazing – you’ll need to add our specific plant cover for these

Read more about tools insurance

Stock insurance

In case something happens to the glazing materials you keep in supply.

What’s typically covered by stock insurance?

• loss, damage or theft of your work materials, or items you’re planning to sell

For example:

• you take your van for a service and forget that some windows for tomorrow’s job are still inside – these get damaged when the van goes up on the garage lift
• the materials you’ve ordered for a new contract are stolen from your locked shed

Read more about stock insurance

Business and office equipment insurance

In case things like your laptop or phone are lost, stolen or damaged.

What’s typically covered by business and office equipment insurance?

• theft, flood, fire or accidental damage to the equipment you use to run your glazing business
• operational equipment like your laptop, rather than the trade tools you take out and about

For example:

• your apprentice drops your laptop while getting into your van, damaging the screen
• a small fire in your home office damages some equipment you’ve just installed, including a printer and alarm system

Read more about business and office equipment insurance

Hired-in plant insurance

In case your rented plant machinery, like a sanding unit, is lost, stolen or damaged.

What’s typically covered by hired-in plant insurance?

• loss, damage or theft of things like sandblasters and glasswashers which you’ve hired in

For example:

• the lift machine you’ve hired for a big housing development contract is stolen over the weekend
• a sanding unit you’ve hired gets damaged while you’re moving it across your works site

What you’ll need additional cover for

• tools and plant machinery which you own yourself – you’ll need to add our specific own plant insurance or tools cover for this

Read more about hired-in plant insurance

Own plant insurance

In case your own plant machinery, like a cherry picker, is lost, stolen or damaged.

What’s typically covered by own plant insurance?

• loss, damage or theft of things like your own glass cutter or cherry picker

For example:

• your glass cutter is damaged in transit during a weekend job and needs a new part, delaying the contract by several days
• the cherry picker you own gets jammed with concrete during a job and needs repairing

What you’ll need additional cover for

• plant machinery you’ve rented – you’ll need to add our specific hired-in plant cover for this

Read more about own plant insurance

Contract works insurance

In case your work in progress is damaged by disasters like fire, flood or vandalism.

What’s typically covered by contract works insurance?

• repair costs for the work you have in progress if it’s damaged or destroyed
• labour, materials and tools to get the job back to the stage it was at before it was damaged or destroyed
• damage caused by things like fire, flood, storm, vandalism or theft

For example:

• vandals break into the site and set fire to the work you have in progress, meaning you’ll need to replace the majority of your tools and all the work you’ve already done
• a nearby firework display causes damage to your materials and works on site, delaying the project by two months

Read more about contract works insurance

Legal expenses insurance

In case you’re faced with legal costs from running your glazier business.

What’s typically covered by legal expenses insurance?

• legal expenses resulting from your day-to-day business activities, like a contract dispute
• the cost of legal claims relating to property damage, nuisance or trespass
• HMRC investigations, or tax and compliance issues
• includes a tax advice helpline, a 24/7 confidential legal helpline, and crisis support to help you protect your reputation, as a top-rated glazier

For example:

• your client is disputing their contract with you, refusing to pay for the work you’ve done due to a disagreement over materials and completion dates
• an apprentice you’ve hired sues you for unfair dismissal

Read more about legal expenses insurance

Personal accident insurance

In case anyone you’ve covered is accidentally injured, at or away from work.

What’s typically covered by personal accident insurance?

• injury or death at work or elsewhere, for anyone covered on the policy
• lost income, medical costs and hospitalisation benefit

For example:

• you fall off your ladder and sprain your wrist, keeping you off active work for three weeks
• your employee breaks their ankle while playing football with their kids and needs a month off work

Read more about personal accident insurance

Is public liability enough for third party property damage?

In some situations you may need more than public liability to cover certain kinds of property damage. Learn about contract works cover and hired-in plant cover.

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 tool 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 insurance – for example, business equipment insurance if you have a work laptop, plant insurance if you use machinery.

Does glazier 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 joinery insurance or conservatory installers?

Do I need cover for other types of work?

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

• Handyman insurance
• Bathroom fitter insurance
• Carpet fitter insurance
• Flooring contractors insurance
• Painter and decorator insurance
• Builders insurance
• Kitchen fitter insurance
• Scaffolding insurance
• Carpenter insurance
• Tiler insurance
• More tradesmen and construction insurance

Other types of insurance

• Limited company insurance
• Self-employed insurance
• Freelance insurance
• Consultant 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.