Australia has thousands of construction projects underway that vary in scale and size. Whether there are trucks, tractors, cranes or vehicles, the combination of moving machines and people has worked cohesively without time lost on a project or accidents occurring on-site. Construction companies do their best to adhere to safe work procedures and policies to ensure all operations will remain 100 per cent accident-free.
In such a variable environment with numerous operations to consider, however, accidents are inevitable.
Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses in AU
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, trade workers and technicians were among the occupation groups with the highest rates of work-related injuries and illnesses (72 out of 1000 employees). Drivers, labourers and machinery operators take the third spot with 57 per 1000 employees affected.
The most common types of illnesses or injuries were:
- Strain/sprains (28 per cent)
- Lifting, pulling or bending (24 per cent)
- Chronic muscle or joint condition (18 per cent)
- Hitting or being hit by vehicles or an object (18 per cent)
- Cut/open wounds (16 per cent)
Accidents are inevitable, which is why you must still protect your business by taking caution and think about understanding Public Liability Insurance
Having proper insurance is mandatory for people who work in construction, especially tradesmen. Tradies work for themselves, and any problems that involve their business could affect their income. Because of the nature of their job, tradies may find themselves in environments they have no control over, which increases their risk for compensation claims for injury or damage.
Public liability is a must-have insurance for tradies, covering the cost of claims due to activities connected with their business operations. It includes personal injuries, damage or loss of property and death.
Public liability insurance covers the following:
- Bodily injury. PLI protects tradies from injuries occurring within the business premises. It often includes areas outside the property, such as parking lots and walkways.
- Property damage. PLI protects the business and its employees from damage to someone’s property while they are carrying out work on that property. For example, if your carpenter breaks the window of your customer’s home, the insurance will cover the damage.
- Legal expenses. PLI covers the cost of hiring a lawyer to represent their business during a lawsuit.
Two factors mainly influence the cost of public liability: type of trade and business size (in terms of staffing and revenue). If your team works in hazardous locations, such as airports and mine sites, their premiums will also be affected.
Like any other types of insurance, the potential risk you pose also determines your public liability cost. If your business’s operations fall under the ‘high-risk’ category, you’ll be charged with a higher premium.
No matter the size of your business, public liability claims can be expensive. Even if it was found that your company was not responsible for the damage, you could still incur high legal costs from defending your business against the claim. Protect your business from inevitable accident claims with public liability insurance. Get in touch with Imar today to learn more.
To the extent that any material on this page may be considered advice, it does not take into account your objectives, needs or financial situation. You should consider whether the advice is appropriate for you and review any relevant Product Disclosure Statement and policy wording before taking out an insurance policy.
