Why do I need Public Liability Insurance?

There are plenty of things to worry about as a small business owner or tradie. Whether it’s organising site visits or meeting delivery deadlines, a busy schedule leaves little room for thinking about the administrative side of things. But if an accident happens on your premises, or something goes wrong out on site, do you have adequate protection against a claim?

Public liability is a duty of care that business or property owners have to the public. And businesses may be liable for any injury that a person sustains on their property or as a result of everyday business operations. Having adequate Public Liability Insurance can help cover your business from the unintended and unexpected.

Below we explore the benefits of Public Liability Insurance and why it’s important to get the right cover to suit your business’s needs.   

Get a Public Liability Insurance quote online

Cover your business with Public Liability Insurance

All manner of events can result in public liability claims, such as slips and trips on site, in the office, or on the road. For example, if a plumber visits a client and during the course of repairs the client accidently slips on a wet floor and injures themselves – how does the plumber cover potentially large out-of-pocket expenses?

Public Liability Insurance policies usually cover anyone you interact with as part of your business, except for employees. Regardless of whether you have a legal obligation to hold a Public Liability Insurance policy or not, many industries and businesses have some form of liability cover, especially those in trade, construction and retail sectors, because of their heightened interaction with members of the public.

Public Liability Insurance can be useful for any business that interacts with the public, either directly or indirectly, including subcontractors and sole traders. For example, you might consider Public liability for:

• Tradies
• Retailers
• Professionals
• Café owners and restaurateurs.

It may also be beneficial for a business if they’re looking to take on more work and bigger contracts from governmental and public organisations. Without it, businesses might risk losing lucrative contracts – as sometimes clients require proof of insurance.

What happens if you don’t have Public Liability Insurance?

As a business owner or contractor, you will have lots of different responsibilities and it’s easy to put your public liability obligations aside. However, if an accident does happen in your workplace, and you’re not prepared, you might incur significant expenses. It may only take one minor accident and claim, and you could be significantly out of pocket. It’s when the worst happens that you want to know you’re covered, not just think you are.

Why go with GIO? We offer insurance cover to over 200 types of businesses and include Public and Products Liability Insurance in each of our Business Insurance packages. Get a quote online or call us now on 13 10 10 (check our contact hours) for more information.

Insurance issued by AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 trading as GIO. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement before making a decision about this insurance. This advice has been prepared without taking into account your particular objectives, financial situations or needs, so you should consider whether it is appropriate for you before acting on it.