Employers' Liability Insurance
Protects employers against covered legal liability for employee injury, illness or death arising in the course of employment, including eligible compensation claims and legal expenses.
Get a Quote NowWhat's Covered
Legal Liability for Employee Injury
Cover for compensation the employer becomes legally liable to pay after an employee suffers bodily injury arising in the course of employment, as defined by the policy wording.
Illness & Occupational Disease Claims
Cover for eligible claims arising from illness or disease contracted in the course of employment, including conditions developed over time from exposure, repetitive work or workplace conditions.
Death & Dependency Claims
Cover for sums the employer is held liable to pay where an employee dies from an injury or disease arising in the course of employment, including awards made to dependants.
Claimant Legal Costs
Cover for the other side's legal costs that the employer is ordered to pay, together with settlements and awards — the bills that turn a manageable claim into a serious financial hit.
Defence Costs
Cover for the cost of defending the claim itself — advocates, court fees, expert reports and medical assessments — arranged and paid so the case is defended properly from day one.
Work Beyond the Premises
Extensions for liability arising from work carried away from your usual site, temporary or agency workers, and injury connected to employer-provided transport such as site shuttles and staff buses.
Why Employers' Liability Insurance Matters
Employee Claims Reach Your Balance Sheet
When an employee is injured or falls ill because of the work and the employer is held legally liable, the payout comes out of business money. Employers' liability is what contains that exposure.
Legal Defence Costs Add Up Fast
Advocates, expert witnesses, medical reports and court fees accumulate long before a case is decided. Cover for defence costs means you can fight a weak claim properly instead of settling cheaply.
Liability Does Not Stop at the Gate
Injuries on the commute, at a client's premises or while using employer-provided transport can still trigger a claim. Extensions keep you covered where work takes your people.
Labour-Intensive Work Concentrates the Risk
Farms, factories, security firms and construction sites handle people, machinery and heavy loads every day. One serious incident can generate a claim many times larger than a year's premium.
Limits Must Track Your Payroll
A limit that suited you at twenty staff may be far too low at two hundred. Reviewing your limit each time headcount or wage roll grows is the cheapest insurance against an uninsured shortfall.
Clients and Contracts Ask for Proof
Main contractors, landlords and corporate clients routinely ask for evidence of employer-related liability cover before awarding work or allowing teams on site.
How It Works
Assess Your Workforce
We review headcount, wage roll, job roles, locations and your claims history to understand the liability you actually carry day to day.
Set Limits & Extensions
You choose the limit of indemnity per claim and in the annual aggregate, plus extensions for work off site, temporary workers or employer transport.
Cover in Force
The policy runs annually. Report any incident or circumstance as soon as it happens so the insurer can investigate early and protect your position.
Claim Handling & Settlement
The insurer appoints legal representation, gathers evidence, and settles eligible awards, claimant costs and defence costs within the terms of the policy.
Types of Employers' Liability Cover
Choose the structure that fits your workforce and how far your people work from the office.
Standalone Employers' Liability
A dedicated policy covering the employer's legal liability to employees for injury, illness or death arising in the course of employment, with defence costs included.
- Legal liability for employee injury and disease
- Compensation awards and claimant costs
- Legal defence costs included
- Limits per claim and in the aggregate
- Extensions for off-site and temporary work
Combined Liability Package
Employers' liability bundled with public liability and, where needed, other liability lines under one package — convenient for businesses that face several kinds of third-party risk.
- Employers' liability plus public liability
- One renewal date and one set of documents
- Shared limit structure across the package
- Suitable for shops, clinics and service firms
- Often more cost-effective than separate policies
Extended Employers' Liability
Higher limits and broader endorsements for labour-intensive operations with workers on the move — sites, farms, estates, depots and client locations across the country.
- Work away from your registered premises
- Temporary, casual and agency workers
- Employer-provided transport exposure
- Higher per-claim and aggregate limits
- Risk management and site safety advice
Who Is This For
Employers of Any Size
From a five-person shop to a company with hundreds of staff, any business that employs people can be exposed to legal liability and should consider this cover.
Farms, Factories & Workshops
Machinery, chemicals, heavy lifting and long hours raise both the frequency and severity of employee injury claims in these environments.
Security & Service Firms
Guards, cleaners, drivers and field staff work away from the office and at unsociable hours, which widens the liability an employer carries.
Construction & Contractors
Building and civil contractors combine hazardous work with temporary labour and multiple sites — a profile that makes liability cover essential.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Thinking statutory cover alone covers everything
Work injury benefits for employees are handled under the statutory framework. Employers' liability responds to legal liability and claims as defined in its own wording, including legal costs. Carrying both is the careful approach.
Ignoring legal defence costs
A claim can be defended and still cost a fortune in advocates, reports and court fees. If your wording excludes defence costs or caps them, you will pay that bill yourself.
Not reviewing limits as payroll grows
Limits bought for a small team rarely suit a larger one. As headcount and wage roll rise, so does the potential size of a claim — increase the limit before an incident exposes the gap.
Leaving temporary workers out
Agency staff, casual labourers and apprentices may still generate liability for the business that directs their work. Confirm how they are treated under the wording and endorse them if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is employers' liability different from WIBA?
WIBA is the statutory regime that provides benefits to employees for work-related injuries and diseases. Employers' liability is a separate policy that responds to the employer's legal liability and eligible claims as defined in the policy wording, and it includes legal defence costs. The two are complementary rather than interchangeable.
Are legal defence costs covered?
Yes, under a typical employers' liability wording the cost of defending the claim — advocates, court fees, expert and medical reports — is covered within the limit of indemnity, in addition to any award or settlement paid to the employee.
Does it cover injuries during commuting?
It depends on the wording. Liability arising from journeys in the course of employment, including employer-provided transport, can be covered by extension. Tell us how your teams travel and we will make sure the right provisions are in the policy.
Are casual and temporary staff included?
Many wordings extend to temporary, casual and agency workers, but this is not automatic everywhere. We recommend naming your labour arrangements explicitly at inception so there is no argument later about who was covered.
What limit of indemnity should I choose?
Limits are usually set per claim and in the annual aggregate. A common approach is to size them against your maximum realistic exposure — the number of staff, the nature of the work and the potential severity of an injury — and to revisit the figure whenever payroll grows.
Do I need this if I already have WIBA?
Statutory benefits and legal liability are different things. Employers' liability covers the liability and claims defined by the policy, including defence costs, and gives you professional handling of any legal action. Most prudent employers carry both.
What information do you need for a quote?
Headcount and wage roll, a description of duties and sites, whether workers travel or work off site, your use of temporary labour, and claims history for the past few years. With that we can approach suitable insurers quickly.
Does this cover harm to the public?
No. Injury to employees is what employers' liability addresses. Harm to customers, visitors or passers-by falls under public liability, which can be bought separately or as part of a combined liability package with this cover.
Real Talk
A loader loses a finger in a machine. A guard collapses on night duty. A driver is hit while ferrying staff to the site. Whether or not the claim succeeds, you will need lawyers, reports and time to deal with it — and all of that costs money.
Employers who only think in terms of statutory benefits get a nasty surprise when the legal bills start. The policy that covers your liability and defends the case is the one that keeps the business trading while the matter is resolved.
Defend the claim properly, not just pay the bill.
Employers' liability products are offered by licensed insurance companies. Coverage, limits, exclusions and premiums vary by insurer, industry, wage roll and claims history. The information on this page is for general guidance only, does not reflect legal advice, and does not constitute a quotation or binding offer. Please contact us for personalised quotes and advice tailored to your specific workforce.
Stand Behind Your Team, Properly
From a small workshop to a national workforce, get employers' liability cover in place and face every claim with legal support behind you.
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