Is heating and gas engineer insurance a legal requirement?
If you work as a heating and gas engineer, it can be difficult to work out exactly what types of insurance you need and why. This FAQ examines the different options, and whether you must have them by law.
What is heating and gas engineer insurance?
It’s a general term which different insurance companies may use to mean slightly different types of cover. As a rough rule of thumb, heating and gas engineer insurance typically includes one or more of:
- public liability insurance
- employers’ liability insurance
- professional indemnity insurance.
It may also include other types of cover such as accidental death cover, financial loss and tools insurance.
Is heating and gas engineer insurance a legal requirement?
Some elements of it will be.
It is a legal requirement to have employers’ liability insurance if you employ anyone, even if they are employed part-time or work for free (such as trainees or friends helping you for free). You can be fined for every day that you don’t have this type of insurance.
It is not a legal requirement to have public liability insurance, but it may often be a contractual requirement. This is typical if you work with larger businesses or public sector organisations. Without it, you may struggle to win certain projects.
Public liability is deigned to protect you if your business does something which causes damage to property or injury to someone.
As working with gas and heating comes with inherent risks, being insured also provides you with peace of mind.
Is it a legal requirement to have professional indemnity and tools insurance?
It is not a legal requirement to have professional indemnity or tools insurance.
Professional indemnity is designed to provide protection if you offer professional advice (for example about design, specifications, or installation) which turns out to be negligent and causes a loss.
Tools insurance is important if you need your tools to work. If you find yourself without them, and you can’t afford to replace them, you probably won’t be able to earn an income.
What else is included in heating and gas engineer insurance?
This will depend on the nature of your business and what different insurance companies offer. For example:
- financial loss insurance: protects your business if you cause financial losses to a third party because of something you do or do not do.
- accidental death cover: pays out in the event of your accidental death.
Other types of insurance you may want to consider include:
- personal accident insurance
- contract works insurance
- hired plant cover
- jury service cover
If you think any of these may be relevant to you or your business, you should speak to a reputable construction insurance company.