Why choose Hensure?
Personal Service
Our business is not a call centre, but instead provides a personal service and dedicated team to assist with your queries.
Experienced Team
Our team has a wealth of experience and knowledge to help you and your business get the most appropriate cover for your needs.
Online System
Our full 24/7 quote and buy facility allows you to run a personalised quotation, at a time that suits you and your business.
Why professional indemnity insurance for Consulting Engineers should be considered.
Engineering encompasses any type of activity which aims to either solve a problem or complete a task related to the definition, design and specification of a product.
There are many variations of engineering disciplines which require their own specific consulting engineer’s insurance. There are also many engineering practices which will encompass more than one discipline. Variations include: chemical, structural, civil, mechanical, electrical, soil & geotechnical. Each has its own institute or trading body.
These activities expose you to many potential risks, and Professional Indemnity cover will provide you with peace of mind, should somebody make a claim that you have been negligent in your work.
As an Engineer, you should also consider other covers that your business might need to be protected. Public Liability Insurance provides cover for claims of physical damage to both property and people, whilst not at your usual place of work, or if a visitor comes to your site. If you have employees, you will also need Employers’ Liability Insurance. If an employee suffers an injury or becomes ill whilst they are working for you, they could sue you and your business. Employers Liability is a legal requirement for UK businesses who have employees.
If you require more information or advice on professional indemnity insurance for consulting engineers then please do not hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team today.
Things we look for
- Company Size – this is the gross annual income of the company & the number of partners/directors/employees.
- Qualifications and experience – as with all professions, insurers will want to see a CV that shows how an engineer is suitably qualified and/or experienced to carry out the work undertaken on behalf of their client.
- Type of work carried out – underwriters will be particularly interested in finding out if the engineer is involved in any high-risk exposures, such as work on safety critical systems/ work on bridges/ mines/ tunnels/ underpinning or piling contracts as an example.
- Civil Engineering – Civil engineers are involved in all aspects of the design and supervision of the construction of roads, drainage, airports, tunnels, bridges, water supply and sewage systems. They employ the latest concepts in computer-aided design (CAD), construction project scheduling and cost control. This is considered as medium to high-risk work by Professional Indemnity underwriters.
- Structural engineering – Structural engineers are involved in designing and making buildings, bridges and frameworks or structures, so that they can resist the forces to which they may be subjected. The role of a structural engineer today involves a significant understanding of both static and dynamic loading, and the structures that are available to resist them. This is considered as high-risk work by Professional Indemnity underwriters who will charge what they see as a proportionately higher premium for the risk.
- Mechanical engineering – the work of mechanical engineers varies by industry and function. Large numbers of mechanical engineers do research, test and design work, while others work in maintenance, technical sales and production operations. Anything that is mechanical or must interact with another machine or a human being is within the broad scope of the mechanical engineer. This is often seen as lower hazard work by Professional Indemnity insurers.
- Geotechnical engineering (soil and foundation work) – Geotechnical engineering is the brand of civil engineering concerned with the engineering behaviour of earth materials. Geotechnical engineering is important civil engineering, but is also used by, military, mining and petroleum or any other engineering concerned with construction on or in the ground. This work is considered very high risk by Professional Indemnity underwriters as the potential for consequential loss has produced some very large claim pay outs in this particular field of engineering.
- Electrical engineers – Electrical engineers design new products, write performance requirements and develop maintenance schedules. They also test equipment, solve operating problems and estimate the time and cost of projects. This is seen as a moderately low risk discipline by Professional Indemnity underwriters.
- Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning engineering (HVAC) – Heating ventilation and air conditioning system design is seen as a relatively low risk discipline by Professional Indemnity underwriters.
- Contract sizes – there is a direct relationship between the size and complexity of the job and the exposure.
- Claims experience – a poor claims experience is often a reflection of the quality of the company’s work, experience, staff & internal risk management. The premium for such a risk is likely to be heavily loaded by an underwriter when considering terms for such a risk.
- Retroactive exposure – does the business have an exposure to claims arising from past work, whether in the current business or a previous company.
- Overseas exposure – does the practice carry out work for overseas clients.
Policy coverage
A typical Professional Indemnity Insurance policy for Consulting Engineers will normally cover the following areas:
- Breach of Civil liability
- Negligent act, error or omission
- Unintentional intellectual property rights infringement (other than patents)
- Unintentional breach of confidentiality
- Unintentional defamation
- Loss of third-party documents or data
- Computer virus transmission
- Negligence of sub-contractors
- Collateral warranties (limited to 2 assignments)
- Adjudications under the Housing Grants Construction & Regeneration Act
- Irrecoverable fees
- Bodily injury or property damage arising from breach of professional duty
- Defence costs
- Court attendance costs
- Breach of health & safety legislation
Insurance types
Professional Indemnity
- Professional Indemnity provides cover for claims that arise as a result of the work you have completed or advice you have given.
Public Liability
- Public Liability provides cover should members of the public receive an injury or property damage due to your work. This protects your business should a compensation claim be made, also covering any legal costs that result from this.
Employers’ Liability
- Employers’ Liability provides cover for compensation claims and associated legal costs, arising from employee injury or work-related illness.
Cyber Insurance
- Cyber Insurance provides support in the event of cyber-crime and unintentional data breaches, offering cover against the cost of revenue and fines.
Directors and Officers
- Directors and Officers insurance policies protect you financially against any claims that are made against you personally in your position as a director, partner or officer of your business.
Legal expenses insurance
- If you were involved in a legal battle, knowing that any money you spend on legal bills would be reimbursed could make all the difference. Legal expenses insurance does just that. It ensures that your business remains financially stable after a legal case by helping to compensate the business for incurred costs.
Contact us to find out more about the right cover for your business.
