Insurance for Heating Engineers

Heating engineers face numerous daily risks on each job. The very nature of working with plumbing and heating systems makes it a potentially hazardous profession with a risk of accident and injury or damage to property.

The risks can also include potential exposure to old and/or unsafe pipes (both water and gas) with potentially unidentified leaks. All of the hazards involved also create high risk of property damage should there be a water leak or a gas leak.

These are just some examples of why comprehensive insurance is important for ensuring your business and your customer’s premises are protected if something goes wrong.

Heating engineers often work alongside gas engineers carrying out as much work as possible on a heating system that does not require working with gas. Heating engineers are typically the next step up from a plumber, but may undertake plumbing work also.

Public Liability Insurance (PL)

Public liability insurance is viewed as the most important cover for trades professionals and will cover claims arising as a result of accidental injury or property damage to members of the public.

Even if you feel you have done nothing wrong, you could still face legal proceedings if you are alleged to be at fault for someone being hurt or killed, or if you’re blamed for damaging someone else’s property during your work.

Employers’ Liability Insurance (EL)

Many heating engineers are self-employed and work on their own or are contracted to work for larger companies.

In some instances you require assistance and look to employ staff, including apprentices. If you have employees you are required by law to carry Employers’ Liability insurance, with a minimum of £5 million of cover. It is an offence not to hold EL insurance as an employer and you can be fined £2,500 for every day you are not insured.

Personal Accident Insurance

Occupational personal accident insurance provides cover for injuries sustained during your work which stop you working. The policy can provide a weekly benefit if you are temporarily unable to work or it can provide a lump sum if your injury is more serious and permanently stops you from doing your job.

Insurance for Tools, Equipment and Trades Materials

Tools insurance provides cover for the cost of repairing or replacing your equipment if it is lost, damaged or stolen. The policy includes cover for power tools as well as your handheld kit.

Cover ranges from £1,000 to £10,000 depending on how much you need. If you need to make a claim, we will pay you the amount required to replace your equipment, which will help eliminate stress and get back ‘on the tools’ quicker.

Goods in Transit Insurance

This type of cover is for goods that are lost or damaged while they are being transported in your own vehicle, or on your behalf by a third-party. The policy provides cover for theft of items whilst in transit, damage to goods caused by an accident during transit, loss of items during transit, damage caused to items during transit.

Product Liability Insurance

Product liability insurance is offered as an extension to the public liability policy and can provide cover for your legal liability and damages awarded to the claimant if a product you supply or install injures a person or causes loss or damage to property.

Product failure can take many forms and isn’t only due to the product itself. It can occur if the product isn’t installed properly, which can result in extensive property damage and could potentially cause an accident to another person.

Contract Works Insurance

Sometimes referred to as contractors all risks, this policy provides cover for costs incurred in having to re-do existing work be destroyed by fire, flood, or theft, including the cost of the tools, materials and the labour required.

Professional Indemnity Insurance

Mistakes happen due to human nature and can be from tiredness and/or a loss of concentration due to a distraction. As a heating engineer, any mistake you make could cause damage to property, an accident that result in a serious injury, or it could simply cause a significant loss of money, such as from a leak that results in increased bills.

Professional indemnity cover is an important form of business insurance as it will cover your legal costs and compensation awards if you need to defend a negligence claim, even if you feel you’ve done nothing wrong.

Quick Quote for Heating Engineers from Markel Direct