What does public liability insurance cover?

There are potential risks in any business but by protecting yourself with public liability insurance you can ensure that you are covered against incidents that could prove costly to your business.

Public liability insurance protects businesses against third party claims and safeguards businesses against costly compensation pay outs. But what are the areas that the insurance covers?

What does it cover?

Public liability insurance covers you and your business for any incident which causes loss or harm to a customer. Although an incident could occur in a property that you own, for example your office or restaurant, the policy will also cover you for incidents that may occur in a customer’s home or workplace, for example while you are out visiting a client.

Examples of public liability claims:

• A member of the public trips on a loose nail and injures themselves in your property
• You spill coffee on a clients keyboard during a meeting at their office
• A floor is left wet with no warning signs and a customer slips causing injury
• You damage a family antique while cleaning a customer’s home

Although incidents like slips, trips and falls are most common, other incidents do occur and it is important to have a policy which covers you in every eventuality.

Excess

Although the insurance policy will cover you there are limits and any claim that is in excess of that limit will have to be paid by you or by your business. Most insurance companies offer cover from £1 million, and public liability insurance for small and media enterprises usually has a maximum of £10 million.

Whereas Public Liability Insurance covers customers and clients, Employers’ Liability Insurance deals with employees. Click here to read more.