Public liability insurance is financial protection for your business should you be found liable for an injury or loss to a third party as a result of carrying out your occupation.
Although public liability insurance is not legally required in Ireland, you or your business will need public liability insurance in place.
To protect your business against the unexpected, speak to Compare Insurance about Business insurance options available to you.
Table of Content
What is public liability insurance?
Public liability insurance is financial protection from claims made by a third party or member of the public who claims that they were injured or their property was damaged by the operation of your business or by you carrying out your occupation.
Public liability insurance is usually offered to businesses as part of wider insurance policy with tailored cover specific to the business’s needs. This may include cover for your business premises (if the building is owned by you), your contents and/ or stock, business interruption or consequential loss cover, cover for equipment or machinery, money cover, as required by your individual business.
The principle of indemnity means that when you take out a public liability insurance policy, the obligation to compensate another person who is injured or suffers a loss by you carrying out your business or occupation is assumed by the insurer up to the limits of the policy.
This means that the insurer pays should the third party receive compensation for their injury, and for legal costs and medical expenses, should you or your business be found liable for their injury or loss.
Types of Public Liability Policies
Public liability cover comprises protection from the following claims:
Public Liability Insurance
Where a member of the public, supplier, or visitor could claim that they were injured, or they suffered a loss as a result of you carrying out your occupation or business.
Product Liability Insurance
Product liability insurance covers a business in the event of a product that you have sold, serviced, altered, repaired, or manufactured has caused injury, death, or damage to property of another person due to defect.
Employer’s Liability Insurance
Where an employee is injured or suffers a loss in the course of their employment.
Insurers typically offer a combination of these types of cover, depending on what is necessary to your individual business or occupation.
The limits of public liability cover are usually between €2.6 million and €6.5 million. How much cover you require will depend on the nature of your business.
Factors Affecting your Premium
Several factors can affect the price of your premium such as:
How Compare Insurance Works
We compare all insurance options so you can be sure you’re always getting the best deal.
1. Select Your Product
Simply select the insurance product you need a quote for e.g. life, home or health insurance.
2. Online Quote Form
Fill out one of our simple online assessments with your insurance details.
3. Free Quote Consultation
A qualified financial advisor will call you back for your free insurance quotation.
Who needs public liability insurance?
Anyone who is involved in a business, trade, or whose occupation involves members of the public, or dealing directly with clients or customers should have public liability insurance.
Insurers offer specific business insurance policies for:
Public liability insurance is not a legal requirement in Ireland, but it is strongly advised.
While the introduction of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board in Ireland has meant that compensation claims can now be dealt with without resorting to costly litigation, public liability claims still account for a large proportion of business claims in Ireland.
For peace of mind, and to protect you from potentially financially devastating consequences, it it wise to arrange appropriate public, product, and/or employer’s liability cover.
Who offers public liability insurance in Ireland?
What does public liability insurance cover?
Public liability insurance offers cover against claims made by members of the public or other third parties who have been injured or their property damaged by your business.
It covers the business for awards made to successful claimants, legal expenses associated with their claims, as well as their medical expenses.
Product liability insurance covers products made or supplied by a business or company should they cause injury or property damage to a third party.
Employer’s liability insurance covers employers against claims made by employees who are injured as a result of their work in the business or company.
Potential Public Liability Claims
There are many reasons for a business having to make a compensation claim for public liability insurance. The most common of these include:
Slips, Trips, and Falls
A customer who, for example, slips on water spilled on a shop floor where there was not adequate signage may claim for physical injury as a result of their fall.
Property Damage
Keep fit instructor damages a client’s mobile when carrying out demonstration.
Product liability claims eg. lawnmowers and power tools causing injury due to defect.
Workplace Safety
An employee is injured as a result of poorly maintained safety equipment, eg. manual handling claims, poorly maintained equipment.
Free Service
All information is provided free of charge to the public, we do our best to keep all the information up to date and accurate.
Unbiased Information
Our information is provided free of charge and without any bias. Unlike other comparison sites we do not have preferential deals with any particular insurance company.
Vetted Insurance Partners
Our Central bank regulated insurance partners are vetted for customer service and expertise, so you know you’re always getting the best advice possible.
Public Liability Insurance FAQ’s
Public Liability Insurance Ireland – Get a quote today!
Make an enquiry to see how public liability insurance can benefit your business.
Compare insurance are the leading comparison website for Public Liability Insurance Ireland.
Take our online assessment for a FREE Quote today.
