Who Ought to Have Civil Engineers Contractors Insurance?
Civil contracting insurance is needed by all sorts of contractors – not just civil engineers themselves. This is because, due to the nature of the industry, many different sorts of disciplines – and, therefore, businesses – will be involved in delivering a typical civil engineering project. Without a proper civil engineering contractor's insurance policy that affords you full cover for the common problems faced on large-scale construction projects, you could place your entire organisation at risk. Indeed, risks can take many forms, such as being given false professional advice, on-site health and safety problems, sub-contractor litigation against you and the loss of tools and machinery.
Which sort of engineers require civil contracting insurance and what should it cover?
Engineering Disciplines
Civil engineering contracting insurance is sold to organisations and individuals working in the industry today. As such, policies have been developed for the entire range contracting civil engineers. You should obtain insurance if you work in the field of providing any type of survey or valuation work prior to a project getting the go ahead. Structural engineers who might do the number crunching on the forces structures are exposed to are also advised to obtain this form of insurance.
Civil engineers involved with soil mechanics and foundation work should also seek civil contracting insurance as should mechanical engineers who might be involved in civil projects, such as transportation infrastructure construction. In some cases, electrical engineers and those who design heating and ventilation systems for buildings would also be advised to have adequate coverage under a civil contracting insurance policy.
Types of Cover
If something goes wrong before, during or after a project, then you need to know you are fully covered for any eventualities. As mentioned above, many things can – and do – go wrong with civil engineering projects. For this reason, you should check that your current insurance covers you in four key areas.
Firstly, contracting insurance should provide you with a high level of public liability insurance. Since civil engineering projects are often in the public realm, knowing you are covered in the event of accidents occurring should offer you peace of mind. Secondly, civil contracting insurance should cover civil engineering firms employer's liability if they are employing engineering staff on their books. Thirdly, it should provide 'all risks' cover. This means damage from acts of God – for example, floods and storms – is included. Finally, individual engineers need personal indemnity and any civil contracting insurance worth its salt should provide this.
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