What insurance do I need as an electrician in the UK?

If you work as an electrician, you’ll be aware of the need for compliance and appropriate health and safety measures. As the profession comes with an element of risk, it’s also important to ensure your business is set up with proper protection in place, including insurance.

In this video, part of our Public Liability FAQ series, we answer the question ‘What insurance do I need as an electrician in the UK?’.

Do I need insurance?

It is always important to have insurance in place. However careful you are, things do occasionally go wrong. When they do, they can cost a lot of money to resolve.

In some cases, it is a legal requirement to have insurance. Your clients may also insist you are insured before agreeing to let you work with them.

What types of insurance do I need?

There are various types of insurance you may need. These include:

• public liability insurance
• employers’ liability insurance
• professional indemnity insurance
• insurance for your tools

Do I need public liability insurance?

You could consider this type of insurance, although it is not a legal requirement.

Electrician public liability insurance protects you and your business if something happens and, as a result, someone is harmed, or damage caused to their property. These types of claims are common and can be expensive.

If you work with large companies or public sector organisations, you may find they insist you have this kind of insurance. You may also find your trade association insists you have it

Do I need employers’ liability insurance?

Employers’ liability insurance is designed to protect you in the event an employee or former employee suffers an injury or illness as a result of working for you.

You are legally required to have employers’ liability insurance if you employ anyone. This includes trainees or apprentices, part-time staff, and temporary workers. It even applies if someone is helping you out for free.

You can be fined daily if you don’t have it when you should.

Do I need professional indemnity insurance?

You should consider this if you provide any kind of professional advice as part of what you do. This could be advice about the design of an installation or in respect of the materials to be used.

If this advice turns out to be negligent and causes damage, your professional indemnity insurance will be there to cover the cost of a subsequent claim

Do I really need to insure my tools?

If your tools are damaged, stolen or lost, you may not be able to work. That can impact your finances and your credibility as a business.

Having insurance in place means you could replace your tools quickly and get back to work.

Do I need any other types of insurance?

There may be other types of insurance you need specifically for your business. If you’re not sure what you need, it’s worth speaking to a reputable insurer with experience of insuring your type of business.