Reasons to take out carpenters insurance

As any carpenter will tell you, carpentry can be an unpredictable occupation and no amount of risk assessment or training can stop the occasional accident from happening. That's why having carpenters insurance to safeguard yourself, your business and your employees is a must.

Here are just some of the reasons you need carpenters insurance if you don't already have it. 

You're covered if you injure another person or damage property

Carpentry is a rewarding but unpredictable trade. Carpenters use sharp, high-powered machinery for a range of tasks, on sites across the UK with different frameworks and structures. Using such high risk machinery, and working to tight technical specifications with little margin for error, means that there is a risk of causing damage or injuring someone.

If you're a carpenter and your machinery or work injures another person, you may face an expensive compensation claim. For example, your saw could slip and cut through a wooden beam, striking a person and causing them injury. It could be that the saw slips and doesn't strike anyone, but damages a surface at the property you're working in. If either of these things happen, you or one of your contractors could be held responsible.

As such, Public and Products Liability is a critical part of carpenters insurance. This covers your legal liability if claims are made against you or your business because of injury to another person or damage to property. At Ripe Insurance for Small Business, you can set your Public and Products Liability insurance limit up to £1m, £2m or £5m, depending on the level of cover you need.

You're safeguarded from claims made by employees

Due to the high-risk nature of your industry, there's a good chance your employees could claim for work-related injuries caused whilst working for you.

For instance, if someone you employ falls off a ladder which they feel is unstable and injures themselves, you may be liable for a compensation claim.

It's no wonder, therefore, that Employers' Liability is a legal requirement for all carpenters who have employees. Employers' Liability insurance covers costs and legal expenses you could incur if one of your current or former employees makes an injury-related claim against you. 

Ripe Insurance for Small Business offers £10 million of cover on all Employers' Liability policies as standard. This way, you can rest easy in the knowledge that you and your staff are covered for unforeseen scenarios. 

You also have the option to extend your Employers' Liability cover to include Fixed Woodworking Machinery cover, if your employees have exposure to fixed woodworking machinery at work.

You can protect your tools and machinery

It's not just you or your employees you need to think about protecting. After all, carpenters work with a range of tools, some of which cost a lot of money - and without them, you can't do your job. If they were lost, damaged or stolen, it could not only prevent you completing a project, but even put you out of work for longer than you can afford.

From reports of thieves breaking into a locked vehicle and stealing machinery, to tools going missing because someone has misplaced them, or being accidentally damaged on the building site - all manner of things can happen to your equipment.

To protect you against instances like these, Ripe Insurance for Small Business has created specialist Tools cover of up to £5,000. You can add this to your policy to cover your equipment from theft, loss or accidental damage. With our Tools cover, you can minimise disruption to your business and continue carrying out the profession you love.

What's more, if you use your own, or hired-in plant equipment and machinery, it's definitely worth adding extra cover in case of damage or theft to provide you with that added peace of mind. We offer up to £50,000 of specialist own plant and hired-in plant insurance, which covers plant and machinery owned by you and/or plant and machinery hired-in by you under contract.

You don't have to fork out big sums to re-do a project

As you'll know only too well, a carpentry project isn't over until it's over. For all the hours of hard work you put in to complete a project on time, certain incidents beyond your control could bring it screeching to a halt – such as fires, floods, storms, vandalism, theft, or damage to materials.

If one of the above instances has destroyed the work you've carried out, you need Contract Works insurance. This covers the cost to re-do any temporary or permanent work carried out as part of a contract.  

Ripe Insurance for Small Business offers up to £500,000 of Contract Works insurance , which covers the cost of tools, materials and labour to put right any damage caused.

You're prepared for the worst-case scenarios

Finally, as much as you'll have extensive measures in place to prevent serious accidents, there's always a chance that such accidents could still happen.

That's why we provide Accidental Death cover of £10,000, free of charge with every business policy.

At Ripe Insurance for Small Business, we've created carpenters insurance which is quick and easy to buy. We don't believe in long forms, jargon or expensive premiums, we believe in giving you exactly the cover you need at the best possible price. Our Lowest Price Guarantee means we won't be beaten on cost, so get an instant online quote today and make sure you're protected.