Tradesman: Painters & Decorators Insurance

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Painters and Decorators Insurance

Painters work in all types of premises and environments - domestic, public sector, commercial and industrial - indoors and out, ground level and at height.

As a decorator you could be involved in an accident causing injury to yourself, your clients, their family, fellow contractors, employees, visitors or other members of the general public.

Tradesman liability insurance is designed to cover the risks to your business, the public and any employees.

Public Liability Insurance

Tradesman PL. cover protects against claims against your decorating business by covering your legal liability to pay damages for unintentional death, injury or damage to property, and the legal costs if you are found to be at fault.

You should check for relevant exclusions on the type of properties you can work on.

Cradles and Working at Height

You'll find that some insurers won't cover you for work higher than 4 storeys, say, or industrial units higher than 8 metres and some insurers exclude industrial properties completely.

Other insurers exclude working from cradles because of the risks involved. As well as serious injury or even death, a weak cradle support could cause thousands of pounds worth of damage if it were to fall on parked cars or, even worse, passersbys.

Things that could go wrong:

• A client knocks over a tin of paint onto an unprotected carpet causing thousands of pounds worth of damage
• A customer suffers a serious head injury after slipping on a paint spill and sues you for damages
• A ceiling collapses after a plastering subcontractor used too thick a skim and the job has to be redone
• You fall from the top of a ladder while painting a ceiling cornice and break your back, leaving you paralysed and unable to work again
• Vandals spray-paint graffiti over the properties you've just completed decorating for a new housing development contract
• Paint you supplied does not colour match causing the work to be redone

Without liability cover any potential blame situation could cause cause you significant disruption, uncertainty and increased costs.

What 's not covered

Check for PI exclusions in the amount of flammable liquids such as paint you can store in your workshop e.g. 50 litres.

You could find that some policies exclude you from using cradles or working on buildings above a certain height.

Employers Liability Insurance

On larger contracts if you need to hire in extra labour you'll need employers liability cover for them. If they're injured on the job, you'll usually be held wholly liable for any compensation awards and face criminal proceedings.

Check that your insurance allows for additional temporary employees, and whether there are any restrictions on the number of days they're covered for.

Things that could go wrong:

• An employee falls over a paint bucket breaking a wrist
• A painter suffers brain damage after falling from a domestic ladder. He should have been working from a tower scaffold. As director you are fined £5,000 for health & safety breaches.

Painting & Decorating Association

The Painting & Decorating Association is the UK's largest trade and employers' association for contractors in the painting and decorating industry.

Members must hold public liability insurance and have 5 years' experience in the industry.

PDA members can access preferential rates on Public Liability Insurance through Towergate Insurance Brokers.

Workers also run the risk of asthma and skin disorders as a result of close contact with working materials, so providing and monitoring the use of health and safety equipment could help keep employees healthy and reduce the risk of a claim made against you.

Personal Accident & Sickness Cover

Painters regularly work at heights and falls are a common hazard of the job. Even a slip from a low height can cause a serious injury and put you out of work, so it's important to be aware of health and safety issues and consider personal health/accident or Income Protection Insurance.

Tools Theft

If you need to transport your materials and equipment from site to site - theft of your van, tools and materials could cause you serious problems.

Direct Line Tradesman Insurance

Direct Line's new Tradesman Insurance is designed for established, professional painters and decorators with up to 10 manual employees.

Their insurance provides liability cover in a comprehensive standard policy with up to £1m public liability cover, with an option to increase up to £5 million and add additional covers such as employers liability cover and tools.

Towergate Risk Solutions

Towergate Risk Solutions offers specialist combined liability insurance and personal accident for painters and decorators.

They've been recommended by the Painting and Decorating Association (PDA) for over 10 years now.

Uniquely, they don't ask you to pay any excess on their public liability insurance.

Policy features:

• Employer's liability
• Public and products liability
• Contract works
• Tools
• Personal accident

You must be a member of the PDA to qualify.

We couldn't access policy details online - you have to contact them direct.