Professional risks electricians need to know and how to safeguard against them

Electricians are exposed to some serious professional risks on every job. When you’re working with electricity you risk electrocution, burns, and even a risk of death.

On top of this, your customers and members of the public can face similar injury risks, as well as trip hazards and potential property damage should there be an electrical fire or power outage.

Therefore, it’s important to be aware of the risks and do what you can to protect your business, your staff, and your customers.

Professional risks to your electrical business 

When you’re self-employed it’s your responsibility to make sure your business, your customers, and your employees are protected should anything go wrong.

If you’re not careful you could quickly find yourselves having to deal with a claim, even if they believe they’ve done nothing wrong.

From a member of the public falling and injuring themselves, to your essential tools being stolen from your van, to an employee sustaining an injury in the course of their work. You can’t possibly keep an eye on everything, so it’s important to make sure you’re adequately insured so you can concentrate on your job.

Electricians are exposed to daily risks including:

• Allegations that you caused an injury to a member of the public or a customer.
• Theft of essential tools, equipment and trades materials.
• Slip, trip accidents from spilt plaster and tools and equipment left on the floor, or fall accidents from working at a height (up a ladder or scaffold).
• Unsatisfied customers making compensation claims.
• Inhaling dust from working in poorly ventilated rooms and buildings.
• Repetitive strain injuries (RSI) from repeated daily activities.
• Potential electrocution.

This is an indicative list of hazards an electrician faces, but how can you prepare so you can work without concern?

Personal health risks from working with electricity

Your personal health must be your top priority when you’re self-employed, because if you’re unable to work it can have a big impact on your business.

The most obvious risk you face is that working with electricity is dangerous even when the electrical supply is turned off. It only takes one small lapse in judgement or even human error on someone else’s part for an accident to occur, which could lead to personal injury and even hospitalisation.

There are liability risks in your profession that can cause injuries and damage to your health, so it is prudent to carry personal accident insurance just in case the worst happens and you fall ill or are injured in the course of your work.

How can electricians protect themselves?

Accidents will happen, so it’s prudent to look at how you can protect your business and your financials just in case.

It’s important to plan where you’re going to park your van so it’s easily and safely accessible as well as being safe from a potential break-in. Also, where you are going to safely deposit your debris so it does not become a liability risk to other people, and what safety measures you need to put in place if you need to work at a height… to mention but a few.

You’ll need adequate trades insurance cover in case something does go wrong. We highlight key insurance policies that can help you to look after yourself, your business, your employees, your customers, and members of the public.

1. Cover for your customers and members of the public – Any business that deals with members of the public benefits from holding an electrician’s public liability insurance (PL) policy as it will cover for the costs of defending injury claims, property damage claims, and medical expenses associated with a claim.

Examples of which could include someone falling over your tools or loose wiring and sustaining an injury as a result of their fall.

2. Caring for your employees – If you employ staff you’re responsible for their welfare whilst they are in your employment. What isn’t always clear is that you can also be held responsible for your previous employees, an example could be someone who becomes ill because of work they did for you and they make a claim, even though they have long-since moved on. If you employ staff you must hold Employers’ liability insurance as per the Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 (1).

The EL policy will cover the cost of defending or settling a claim from an employee who has suffered injury or disease because of the work they’ve done for you. Cover typically includes medical costs, legal fees, loss of income, and other related damages.

For every day that you do not carry EL insurance you can be fined up to £2,500. If you do not have a certificate of insurance that is accessible to view, or if you refuse to make your EL certificate available to HSE inspectors when they ask for it, you can be fined up to £1,000.

3. Protecting your work – Contract works insurance is an important type of cover for electricians and electrical contractors to consider. The policy covers work you have completed – whether temporary or permanent – if it is damaged on the site of the contract or in transit to or from the contract site.

The policy will cover the value of the permanent or temporary works at the time of the damage, or will cover the repair, restoration or replacement of the works or any part of the works that was damaged.

This could be vital if for example you are contracted to rewire a house and there is an electrical fire or a flood that means the wiring and circuit boards need replacing.

4. Cover for your essential equipment – You wake up one morning to discover your van has been broken into and some of your essential tools and other equipment have been taken. As a result you are forced to cancel your work for the day and replace your items. Our tradesman tools insurance provides cover from £1,000 up to £5,000 of value. In the event of a claim being made, the policy will pay you the amount needed to replace your lost equipment and quickly get you back ‘on the tools’.

To get a quote for your electricians insurance simply click the quote button

Sources:

1. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1969/57/contents

Tradesman insurance policy document.

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-fuse-box