TreeSurgery.com

It is vital that a tree surgeon has insurance. Tree Surgery is a dangerous and skilled profession. Accidents do happen so it critical to have the appropriate insurance if you are a company and required if you are asked to supply specific documents for a job.

It is essential to read through your policy carefully.There are different types of insurance that a tree surgeon should have. It is almost impossible to be fully covered without liability insurance to cover you for potential damage to property AND employers liability insurance.

A tree surgeon’s insurance should include:

Professional Indemnity Insurance

Professional Indemnity Insurance covers your advice rather than your actions. Many professional people will have a minimal risk of claims arising due to their actions, but may be liable if their customers suffer loss due to their giving bad advice.

Public Liability Insurance

Public Liability Insurance covers a tree surgeon for accidents involving members of the public, clients or customers.

Public Liability insurance will cover a tree surgeon if someone is accidentally injured by you or your business operation.

It will also cover you if you damage third party property while on business.The cover should include any legal fees and expenses which result from any claim by a third party.This type of insurance will only cover third party claims (i.e. not your own employees - you need Employers Liability Insurance for your own employees).

TreeSurgery.com's Example

I am sure that most tree surgeons have done some minor damage to property in their careers so here is an example of why tree surgery insurance is so important:

Only recently I was working with a new tree surgeon colleagu who was climbing a large leylandii next to a school building stairwell and he was taking it off in chunks- one large chunk deflected off a branch and hit the window in the stairwell – the glass was cracked.  This guy had virtually every arboricultural certificate available but just lacked a little experience which would have made him a little more careful and avoided the accident.  Thankfully we were insured.

Employers Liability Insurance

Employers Liability Insurance covers your business if an employee is injured or falls ill at work.

All employers must take out this type of insurance, although there are a few exemptions (such as if you are the sole employee of your limited company, and also own at least 50% of the share capital in the company).

If you are a sole trader and do not employ anyone (or you only employ close family members), you should also be exempt.

However, if you occasionally hire staff or use temps or seasonal workers, you must take out insurance.

Employers' Liability Insurance will meet the cost of compensation for injuries sustained to your employees (or illnesses), whether caused on or off site. It should be noted that this type of insurance only covers your employees.

If you are required to take out employers' liability insurance, you must be covered for at least £5m.

TreeSurgery.com's Example

A tree surgeon with 26 years experience had an accident recently up a tree. He was climbing a thin, tall silver birch tree and cutting chunks off and throwing them to the ground. His spikes slipped and he accidently cut himself with the chainsaw above his elbow. He had to be rescued and a helicopter had to take him to the hospital to repair his arm.

If trees are being climbed and an aerial rescue has to be performed two climbers are essential. Consequently, an arborist / tree surgeon cannot work alone. Often people use subcontracting climbers but if they do, check they are insured?

Sole trading tree surgeons may have public liability with a built in clause enabling them to work with sub contractors, but if an insurance company has to pay out for damage done to a property or person it will investigate that everything was done according to law and the small print of the contract.

e.g. one has to work with loler checked equipment

What happens if tree surgeons mix and match their equipment to do a job and a piece of lowering equipment fails and causes damage or a winch rope breaks under tension and the tree falls the wrong way? Insurance companies are entitled to withdraw compensation if it finds the equipment is not up to scratch.

Essential Information about Insurance

You must always ensure that your insurance knows the type of business you run and given the dangerous nature of Tree Surgery, treesurgery.com recommends specialist tree surgery insurance.

You should always inform your Insurer if your circumstances change, as this may affect your policy.