Insurance for Electricians

Electrical work carries consequences out of all proportion to the size of the job. A connection that was not quite right can start a fire months later, a cable caught in a wall can shut a site down for a day, and a fault traced back to your name brings questions long after the invoice was paid.

We arrange insurance for electrical contractors, from sole operators to companies running several crews across domestic, commercial and industrial work. We take the time to understand the jobs you take on and the contracts you sign, so your cover fits the way you work.

Key covers to consider

• Public and Products Liability: injury or property damage caused by your work, including damage that shows up after you have left site
• Business Pack: your premises, contents, stock and test equipment
• General Property and Tools: test and tag equipment, meters, cable pullers and power tools away from your premises. Cover can often extend to tools stolen from a locked vehicle or job site, which is worth checking in your wording before you rely on it.
• Contract Works / Construction: the installation while it is under way, including materials on site, up to handover
• Commercial Motor: vans, utes and trailers, and the elevated work platforms and generators you tow
• Professional Indemnity: where you design, specify, test or certify as well as install
• Workers Compensation: compulsory cover for businesses with employees and apprentices
• Management Liability: employment disputes, OH&S, and claims against the business and its owners and managers for alleged mismanagement
• Cyber Liability: job management, invoicing and payment systems, and the client details you hold

Common questions

Does public liability cover faulty or defective work?

Public liability covers injury, and damage your work causes to other property, such as a fire that damages a client's building. The cost of going back and redoing your own faulty or defective work is usually excluded. This is commonly known as the Faulty Workmanship exclusion, and knowing where that line sits is part of what we talk through when we set the policy up.

Are my tools covered if they are stolen from the van overnight?

Only if you hold tools or general property cover, and most policies set conditions about where the vehicle is kept and whether it was locked. Tell us how and where you store your tools and we will check the wording says what you think it says.

Do I need Home Warranty / Home Building Compensation cover?

This applies to residential work you contract directly with the owner above your state's threshold, such as extensions, garages, fences or retaining walls. It must be in place before work starts. It is compulsory for any residential building or renovation work valued over $20,000 (including GST) in New South Wales.

Do I have to use Dial Before You Dig?

Almost all policies include an exclusion for the damage to pipes and cables when you do not seek appropriate evidence or check that there are pipes or cables below. You should always check before you dig.

Do I Need Professional Indemnity insurance?

Trades industries are becoming more regulated. When a tradesman provides reports, surveys, designs, testing, or certifications, you may leave yourself exposed should a problem arise following your advice. You should always consider your services provided.

How Much Public & Products Liability Cover Do I Need?

It depends on the work you do and who you do it for. Many head contractors, councils, property managers and commercial sites set a minimum amount in their contracts before you can start. If you lease your premises, your lease will usually set a minimum level of public liability you must hold as a tenant, and often asks for the landlord to be noted on your policy. So check your contracts, your lease and any tender or site requirements first. Also think about the worst injury or property damage your work could realistically cause.

Cover level	When it's usually needed
$5 million	Small or hobby-sized businesses with lower-risk work, few or no visitors to their premises, and no lease or contract asking for more.
$10 million	Suits most trades and businesses working on client premises or dealing with the public. Often the minimum set by commercial leases, markets and event organisers, and many subcontract agreements.
$20 million	Suits higher-risk work such as specialist trades, construction, mining, transport operators, or working at heights. Often required by head contractors, government bodies, councils, shopping centres, mine sites and larger commercial clients.

We'll look at your contracts, your lease and your work, and help you choose a limit that fits.

Talk to a broker who knows electrical work

Tell us about your business and we'll do the comparing, the paperwork and the advocating.

Request a quote for your electrical business