What does Public Liability Insurance for Nail Technicians cover?

Nail technicians need public liability insurance to protect them and their businesses, but not many of them know what this type of insurance covers and how a standard public liability insurance policy differs from a public liability insurance policy that is designed to cover a nail technician’s particular cover requirements.

So, what cover is provided by a public liability insurance policy, and how does insurance for nail technicians differ from standard public liability insurance policies?

What a public liability insurance policy covers

Public liability insurance covers you in the event of a compensation claim being made against you by someone who alleges that something you have done or failed to do has resulted in them been injured or their property being damaged.

In addition to covering any compensation awarded, this insurance also covers any associated costs and expenses as well as any loss of income if the claimant was unable to work due to their injury.

Your public liability insurer will have a dedicated claims team that has been trained to deal with compensation claims and the complex legal arguments that can be involved so you don’t have to worry about dealing with the legal arguments yourself. The legal fees of both sides are also covered.

A public liability insurance policy will also include products liability insurance cover. This means that you are covered if a compensation claim is made against you because someone has been injured or had their property damaged as a result of a defect in a product that you have sold or supplied.

What sort of claims are covered?

There are a number of things that can lead to compensation claims. Some will lead to relatively minor claims, but where an injury is involved the claims can be extremely costly to settle.

Public liability insurance will cover you if someone claims compensation from alleging that something you have done has caused them to be injured or resulted in their property being damaged. Examples could be spilling nail varnish and staining a client’s clothing or property, or someone could have tripped over something that you have left in a walkway.

You’re also covered if the claimant alleges that something you have failed to do has resulted in their loss.

If you fail to warn people that the floor is wet after you have cleaned it and someone slips, a compensation claim for the resultant injury would be covered.

Although a compensation claim for the cleaning or replacement of an item of clothing that has been stained will generally not cost much to settle, a compensation claim for a serious injury could cost in excess of £250,000.

Another thing to bear in mind is that you’re covered even if the compensation claim made against you isn’t valid. This is important because even if someone is “trying it on” in a situation where you aren’t legally liable, your insurer will still handle the claim for you and your legal costs will be covered.

How is public liability insurance for nail technicians different?

There are two important areas where insurance for nail technicians differs from standard public liability insurance. This is why relying on a standard public liability insurance policy is dangerous, because if you do that you could find yourself uninsured if a compensation claim is made against you.

The first is the treatment risk. Standard public liability insurance does not cover compensation claims arising out of any professional activities which means that claims arising out of the provision of nail services would not be covered. The treatment risk cover extension in a nail technician’s public liability insurance policy addresses this gap in cover.

The second gap in cover in a standard public liability insurance policy is cover for purely economic losses. A standard insurance policy will only cover compensation claims which involve injuries or property damage.  The financial loss cover extension in a nail technician’s public liability insurance policy

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Dean Laming

Dean Laming is a Chartered Insurance Broker with more than 25 years insurance experience. Through various underwriting, operational and management roles, Dean has built up extensive knowledge of the hair and beauty sector and is now Managing Director of Salon Saver, part of the wider Henry Seymour Group.

All articles by Dean Laming