An employers’ liability policy should cover staff wherever they’re working, including in their own homes. Most insurers will include home-working cover, but you should always check the policy wording to make sure.

The latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that in 2020/21 there were 441,000 people injured while at work. In total, there are 1.7 million people suffering from work-related illnesses or injuries, which can range from stress to musculoskeletal disorders.

There are broadly three types of claims that are covered by an employers’ liability policy:

• Third party injury
• Third party property damage
• Employee illness or injury

This can vary between insurers, but it’s important that your policy covers all of your employees in all working environments. This includes at your business premises, on other sites, at home, and any other places they carry out work duties.

This will depend upon the insurer and your circumstances. One thing to always bear in mind is that you should set the excess at a level that you can reasonably afford to pay. Although having a higher excess can sometimes bring down the cost of your policy, you could find yourself in difficulty if a claim is made and you can’t afford to pay the excess.

Employers' liability insurance covers you against damage claims made by your employees, while public liability insurance covers you against damage claims made by members of the public. Another difference is that while employers’ liability is a legal requirement if you have one or more people working for you, you don’t need to have public liability cover by law.

When taking out insurance, it’s important you include cover to protect against the biggest risks to your business. Here are some other types of business insurance that could be useful:

• Business equipment insurance
• Business interruption insurance
• Commercial property insurance
• Public liability insurance
• Legal expenses insurance
• Product liability insurance
• Professional indemnity insurance
• Property maintenance insurance
• Stock insurance
• Tradesperson insurance
• Workshop insurance

No. You will only need employers’ liability insurance if you employ staff. If you are self-employed or work on your own, you won't need this type of insurance. However, you might need other types of insurance, like public liability, product liability or professional indemnity insurance, depending on what your business does and the activities it carries out.