What type of insurance should my health, safety, or fire consultants have?

In this blog we discuss what types of insurance should health safety consultants or a fire risk assessor have in place.

We’re publishing a series of customer focussed blogs covering what a client should look for when hiring the perfect H&S support. We think the subject of insurance is so important that we’ve launched our blog with this as the very first subject.

As a business owner, particularly of a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), hiring the right safety services is a fundamental step to ensuring you don't expose yourself to unnecessary business risks. However, before engaging a consultant, it is vital to understand the types of insurance documents they should have and what protection you have if something doesn't quite go to plan. This guide breaks down the key insurances you need to ask for evidence of what to consider as part of your due diligence process.

Professional Indemnity Insurance

Shortened to PI insurance, this will afford the consultant some protections against any claims made by clients for professional errors, omissions, or negligence. This type of insurance covers legal costs and any compensation payable. Very important in the extremely rare occasion that any consultancy advice causes a loss.

Here at My Safety Consultant, we argue this is probably the most common insurance to look out for when hiring some support for your safety management. As such, we request a copy of this insurance from all our verified consultants. Despite this safeguard, we absolutely insist that you undertake your own reasonable checks for a few reasons. One, the insurance may have lapsed or been cancelled by the time you have agreed a contract. Or, the coverage may not be sufficient for your business and the nature of the works. We also recommend you check that the renewal period covers the duration of your project.

Subcontractors

Just a quick note on subcontractors. Often agreed during contract stage, but if the company employs subcontractors, it really is important to check if they are also covered under the PI insurance. If not, you need to verify the subcontractors' own PI insurance.

Public Liability Insurance

Public Liability (PL) insurance covers the safety consultants against claims from third parties for injuries or property damage that occur as a result of their business activities. This is especially important if the consultant will be working on your premises and installing or repairing something. It doesn't tend to have implications for advice provided however, a lot of consultants do have public liability insurance in place.
 

 

Employer's Liability Insurance

Employers' Liability (EL) insurance is a legal requirement in the UK for any business which employs staff. It covers the consultant against claims from employees who suffer work-related injuries or illnesses.

If your consultant has staff coming to site then they're either a subcontractor or an employee so this should prompt you to do some further checks if you haven't seen an EL certificate. The minimum requirement is £5 million in the UK, but cover tends to be a minimum of £10M.

In our experience, this insurance is quite cost effective and, as it is a strict legally required, it is almost always in place. But it doesn't hurt to make sure because if someone is injured on your premises then you may find you have some liability.

If your consultant has staff coming to site then they’re either a subcontractor or an employee so this should prompt you to do some further checks if you haven’t seen an EL certificate.

The minimum legal requirement is £5 million in the UK, but cover tends to be a minimum of £10M.

In our experience, this insurance is quite cost effective and, as it is a strict legal requirement, it is almost always in place. But it doesn’t hurt to make sure because if someone is injured on your premises then you may find you have some liability.

 

Product Liability Insurance

Product Liability insurance covers claims arising from injury or damage caused by any products supplied, manufactured, or recommended by the consultant. This is relevant if the consultant provides or endorses any safety equipment or systems. In our experience product liability insurance can be bulked together with public liability insurance.

 

A note on Fire Risk Assessment and Fire Risk Assessors

A few years ago the insurance industry became increasingly wary of insuring fire risk assessors due to the perceived level of risk involved with fire risk assessments. As a result, some insurers started to impose restrictions on their insurance offered to UK businesses providing fire safety expertise. We recommend asking a competent fire risk assessor if there are any restrictions on their insurance which could affect the risk assessment or safety advice they are insured to provide.

 

H&S Insurance Due Diligence Checklist

• Navigating the insurances really doesn’t have to be complicated and as a business owner it is highly likely that you will have these in place yourself. However, with our handy checklist you can confirm that you are hiring the right business for your company.
• Verify Insurance Certificates - Always ask for copies of the consultant’s insurance certificates. Check the validity dates and coverage amounts.
• Confirm Subcontractor Coverage - If the consultant uses subcontractors, ensure they are appropriately insured either under the main policy or their own.
• Review Policy Details - Pay attention to the exclusions and limitations within the policies particularly for fire risk assessments. This will give you a clearer understanding of the scope of coverage.
• Check Renewal Dates - Make a note of renewal dates and ensure the policies will remain valid for the entirety of your contract period.

 

Safety Insurance Summary

Ensuring that your health, safety, and fire consultant has the appropriate insurance is a critical step in protecting your business. By understanding the various types of insurance and conducting thorough due diligence, you can hire with confidence, knowing that both your business and the consultant are adequately covered.

We promise you will cause no offence to any of our consultants by asking them to provide their credentials. On the contrary, consultants tend to be proud of their professionalism and will be more than happy to oblige.

Remember, taking the time to check these details not only safeguards your business but also reflects your commitment to maintaining high standards of health, safety, and fire compliance.

 

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