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When you consider the potential risks faced when welding, public liability is a very important form of insurance to hold.
Whether you do a lot of welding or just a little, this guide will help you when choosing your insurance and knowing what to look out for.
Public Liability Cover
As a welder there are a number of potential risks you face when it comes to causing property damage or personal injury to other people.
Whilst insurance cannot stop these things from happening, they can help you and your business financially in the aftermath of such an event.
If property damage or personal injury is caused due to your work, either directly or indirectly, and you are found to be liable due to negligence, you are responsible for all costs involved.
These costs can involve repair or replacement of damaged property, and in the case of personal injury there are medical expenses, rehabilitation, lost earnings and other forms of compensation.
Without public liability insurance you would have to pay these costs out of your own pocket, but with the right insurance in place you can keep on working with the peace of mind that you are financially protected.
Restrictions of Cover
Due to the risks involved in welding, almost all insurers in Australia have special conditions and restrictions on their public liability policies for boilermakers or anyone undertaking welding.
At a minimum, all welding must be done in compliance with Australian Standard AS1674 which covers welding and other hot works.
Some insurers have additional conditions when it comes to welding, such as the minimum distances between the welding work and any flammable substances or materials.
If your policy is specifically for a welder or boilermaker it will naturally have some level of coverage for welding, however there are some policies which completely exclude welding.
If your policy is for an electrician or plumber for example and you are doing some welding work, you need to check with your insurance broker that the policy does not exclude welding works.
Insurance Costs
The cost of public liability insurance for a welder or boilermaker will generally be higher than for other trades such as carpenters and painters.
For this reason it is important to shop around, as the premiums quoted by the various insurers can vary greatly, and it’s not uncommon to see differences of $1,000 or more for very similar cover.
Using an insurance broker is the best option for finding suitable cover at a competitive price, and for welders an even better option can be to use a broker who specialises in the trades as they will know which insurers are going to suit welders best.
To request a quote on your welding insurance please complete our online quote request or call our office on 1300 542 245 and we will put you in touch with a qualified expert.