Public Liability Insurance

Hi i know there are a few threads about this (iv read most of them) it just tells you where to find the insurance etc i was wondering if anyone could help me out with how much am i advised to get?

Get whatever you can afford really. If memory serves me it's either £1m £2m or £5m cover depending how much you spend on your policy. Which could be anything from £120 (if you're lucky) to £400+ (if you're not)

I have to carry PLI for my work as a freelance stage lighting technician and most of my colleagues use one of three insurance brokers in the UK who specialise in entertainments...

Robertson Taylor in London
Torribles in Bristol and Exeter
Arthur Doodsons in Manchester (can't find a website, but try +44 (0)161 225 9060)

I get mine from Torribles and it costs about £350 a year... and that doesn't include waving fire around. I went there from Robertson Taylor, who had become too expensive, because the "all-in" package they offered was too inflexible; Torribles were able to break things up into smaller, more affordable "items". In the end you will probably wind up paying the same price one way or another, wherever you go, because the above companies are just brokers who put packages together; the actual policy terms and premiums are dictated by some names at Lloyds.

Be aware that having PLI is only half the story and it is far from being a Get Out Of Jail Free card. If the unthinkable happens, somebody makes a claim and the insurers decide you've broken any H&S rules or conditions of the policy, they may sue you back for any payouts

And if you're going to get £2,000,000 of cover (which most events organisers and suppliers insist on as an absolute minimum), you might as well get £5,000,000 - it won't actually cost that much more

Further to the above: I was chatting with someone on another forum about this and they mentioned somebody called Roy Musk at www.theinsurancexperts.com.

Apparently they are quite "adventurous" for brokers, in the risks they are prepared to cover and are keen to take on the competition in areas like working at height, pyro and firework displays.

I used Country Mutual last time I had some. Very cheap and very useful seeing as they're about 1/2 a mile away. Not that that makes any difference to you, unless you're moving to my house

Just a point to note - the level of cover you need depends on where you are. In UK and Northern Ireland, cover up to £1.2 million is usually accepted (i think?). In Ireland, nothing less than cover up to €6.5 million will do. This goes for both events and performers. Although seeing as no company in Ireland currently provides performers public liability for fire performance, it's a bit of a moot point.