This guide provides information on:
- why employers need insurance against liability for disease or injury to their employees arising out of their employment
- where to obtain it
If your business has employees you will probably need employers’ liability insurance.
If an employee is injured or becomes ill as a result of the work they do for you, they may claim compensation from you. Employers’ liability insurance will enable you to meet the cost of any compensation for your employees’ injuries or illness.
Only a few businesses are not required to have employers’ liability insurance. If you have no employees, or are a family business and all employees are closely related to you, you may not need it. To find out more, download Employer’s Liability (Defective Equipment and Compulsory Insurance) (Northern Ireland) Order 1972 guidance from the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) website (PDF, 122K).
How do you get employers’ liability insurance?
You can buy employers’ liability insurance through insurers or intermediaries like brokers or trade associations. You may find that it often comes as part of an insurance package designed to cover a range of business needs.
Your policy must be with an authorised insurer and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has a list of these. You can check the FSA Register on the FSA website or phone the FSA Helpline on Tel 0845 606 1234.
Further reading
For more information, see nibusinessinfo‘s guides on:
