Public Liability Insurance for the Self-Employed

Public liability insurance is one of the most important things to consider if you’re self-employed or own your own business. It covers you in the event of an accident, where a client or member of the public is harmed, or if their property is damaged.

If you engage with clients and the general public face-to-face as part of your work, it’s vital that you take out public liability insurance. Regardless of the size of your business or what industry you operate in, accidents can happen, and the legal fees and compensation associated with this can be devastating to a business.

What is Public Liability Insurance?

Public liability insurance protects you, the business owner, against any claims that may result in legal action. In the event that things progress as a legal matter, a public liability insurance policy will cover your legal expenses as well as any compensation you may be required to pay.

You should take out public liability insurance if any of the below scenarios are relevant to you:

You interact with members of the public/clients face-to-face
You work on the property of clients, such as their home, office or a construction site
You work at events that have members of the public in attendance, such as fairs, markets or conferences.
You have clients or members of the public visit your business premises

There are an infinite number of circumstances that can trigger a public liability claim, but they often include things like a client or customer tripping over something at your premises, or someone injuring themselves on a piece of your equipment.

Sometimes, no one is truly at fault, for example you could accidentally knock over a glass of water at a client meeting and damage a laptop. While this is an unfortunate incident, you may still be susceptible to a claim, and a policy would cover you in instance.

What Types of Claims Am I Covered For?

If you’re a tradesperson, the following examples would be covered under public liability insurance:

Someone trips over one of your tools or a cable and hurts themselves.
You’re decorating a home and accidentally get paint on their carpet or belongings.
You’re working on a ladder and drop something on a pedestrian.
You’re cleaning a home and accidentally break an item, such as an ornament.

If you work in an office environment, the following examples would be covered under public liability:

You’re in a meeting with a client and knock a glass of water onto their phone
A client trips over a laptop charging cable
A client trips over an uneven surface, such as a torn carpet, whilst visiting your office
You’re at a conference and your promotional stand falls on a member of the public

If you work in retail or hospitality, the following examples would be covered under public liability insurance:

A customer slips on a wet floor and hurts themselves
You’re preparing a venue and one of your employees damages a wall
You’re catering an event and accidentally spill wine on a carpet
You’re employee accidentally spills a hit drink on a customer

Generally speaking, if you or your employees interact with the public face to face, in any way, you need public liability insurance.

How Dead Simple Insurance Can Help

At Dead Simple Insurance, we know what policies you need to protect your employees, yourself and most importantly: your business. We can help you find the best prices from reputable providers, taking the hassle out of insurance.

Business Public Liability

What is Public Liability Insurance?

What Types of Claims Am I Covered For?

How Dead Simple Insurance Can Help