Bricklaying is one of the most hands-on trades in construction. You’re working with heavy materials, power tools, scaffolding, wet cement, dust, and constantly changing site conditions. One small mistake—an unstable stack of blocks, a dropped trowel from height, a poorly protected work area—can cause injury, property damage, or a claim that wipes out months of profit.
Bricklayer insurance (often arranged as a tailored construction trades package) is designed to protect you against the risks that come with masonry work, site liability, and the realities of subcontracting. It can cover third-party injury and damage, your tools, your van, your work in progress, and even legal costs.
This guide explains the key covers UK bricklayers typically need, what “site liability” really means, common exclusions, and how to get a policy that matches your contracts.
“Bricklayer insurance” isn’t usually one single product. It’s a combination of covers selected to match your trade, your turnover, and how you work (sole trader, limited company, labour-only subcontractor, or contractor taking on full jobs).
Most bricklayers build their insurance around:
Public liability (site liability)
Employers’ liability (if you employ anyone)
Tools and plant (portable equipment)
Contractors’ all risks (materials and work in progress)
Personal accident / income protection
Commercial vehicle (if you use a van for work)
Professional indemnity (less common, but relevant if you design/specify)
Public liability insurance is the backbone of bricklayer insurance. It protects you if your work causes:
Injury to a third party (e.g., a member of the public, client, or another contractor)
Damage to third-party property (e.g., a client’s wall, neighbouring property, or site structures)
In construction, you’ll often hear this referred to as “site liability” because claims commonly arise from site hazards.
A brick or block falls from height and injures someone below.
Wet mortar is left in a walkway area and someone slips.
Dust or debris damages a client’s finished surfaces.
You accidentally damage underground services while preparing a footing area.
A partially built wall collapses due to inadequate temporary support.
Many domestic clients are happy with £1m–£2m. Commercial sites, principal contractors, and local authority work often require £5m or £10m.
If you’re frequently on busy sites, working at height, or doing larger projects, higher limits are usually sensible.
Compensation payments
Legal defence costs (often in addition to the limit)
Cover for accidental damage and injury arising from your business activities
Insurers will rate your risk based on what you actually do. Be clear about:
The percentage of work at height
Use of scaffolding (and who erects it)
Any work involving structural alterations
Whether you do demolition, underpinning, or basement work
Whether you use heat (e.g., bitumen boilers) or hazardous substances
If your policy is set up for “general bricklaying” but you regularly do higher-risk work, you could face disputes at claim stage.
If you employ staff—full-time, part-time, temporary, labourers, apprentices—you generally must have employers’ liability insurance under UK law (with limited exceptions).
It covers claims from employees who are injured or become ill due to their work. On building sites, that can include:
Manual handling injuries
Falls from height
Cement burns and dermatitis
Eye injuries from cutting/grinding
Respiratory issues from silica dust exposure
Most policies provide £10m cover as standard.
This is a common grey area. If you control how someone works, provide tools, or treat them like an employee, you may still need employers’ liability. Many principal contractors will insist you have it anyway.
Bricklayers rely on tools daily—trowels, levels, mixers, grinders, cutters, lasers, and more. Tool theft is one of the most frequent claims in the trades.
Tools cover can protect against:
Theft from a locked van (subject to security conditions)
Theft from site (often requires locked container)
Accidental damage (drops, impact, water damage)
Fire and flood
Unattended vehicle exclusions: Many policies won’t pay if tools are left visible.
Security requirements: Deadlocks, alarms, trackers, or specific storage rules may apply.
Single item limits: High-value cutters or lasers may need to be specified.
Hired-in plant: If you hire equipment, you may need separate hired-in plant cover.
If you’re taking on jobs where you supply materials (bricks, blocks, lintels, ties, insulation, mortar), contractors’ all risks insurance can cover:
Materials on site
Work in progress
Sometimes materials in transit
This is especially relevant if you’re the contractor responsible for the build element, not just labour-only.
Bricks and blocks are stolen from site overnight.
A storm damages partially completed brickwork.
A vehicle reverses into a newly built wall.
CAR is often arranged by the main contractor on larger sites, but don’t assume. Always check the contract: if you’re responsible for materials, you may need your own cover.
A crucial point: insurance is not a warranty for poor work.
Most policies will not cover:
The cost of redoing defective workmanship
The cost of replacing faulty materials you supplied
However, they may cover resulting damage caused by an insured event. For example, if a wall collapses due to an insured peril (like impact damage) and damages other property, that resulting damage may be covered—depending on the wording.
Many bricklayers don’t need professional indemnity (PI) because they’re not providing design advice. But PI can matter if you:
Provide specifications or structural recommendations
Offer design-and-build services
Sign off on technical details
Work as a contractor managing the build and advising clients
PI covers financial loss caused by negligent advice, design, or specification errors.
If you can’t work, your income often stops immediately. Personal accident cover can pay a weekly benefit if you’re injured and unable to work.
It can help with:
Short-term injury downtime (sprains, fractures)
Recovery periods after surgery
Serious injuries with longer-term impact
Some policies also include:
Fracture benefits
Hospitalisation payments
Lump sums for permanent disability
This is especially valuable for sole traders.
If you use a van for work, you’ll need the right class of use (typically “carriage of own goods” for tools and materials). Consider:
Comprehensive vs third party
Business mileage
Named drivers
Signwriting and racking modifications
If you carry materials regularly, make sure your vehicle policy and tools cover align—some tools policies exclude theft unless the vehicle is locked and secured.
Insurance is powerful, but it’s not unlimited. Common issues include:
Height limits: Some policies restrict work above a certain height unless declared.
Heat work exclusions: Any use of heat equipment may need to be declared.
Basement/underpinning exclusions: Often excluded unless specifically agreed.
Asbestos exclusions: Standard across most policies.
Pollution exclusions: Cement washout or contamination claims may be limited.
Contractual liability: If you accept liability beyond common law, cover may be restricted.
The best way to avoid surprises is to match your policy to your real work profile and keep your insurer updated as your jobs change.
Before you’re allowed on many sites, you may be asked to provide:
Public liability certificate (with the required limit)
Employers’ liability certificate (if applicable)
Proof of tools/plant cover (sometimes)
RAMS (risk assessments and method statements)
Evidence of competence (CSCS, qualifications)
Insurance is only one part of being “site ready,” but it’s often the first thing a principal contractor checks.
Costs vary based on:
Turnover and contract size
Claims history
Type of work (new build, extensions, repointing, structural work)
Work at height and scaffolding use
Number of employees/labour-only subcontractors
Tools value and storage security
Required liability limit (£1m vs £5m+)
As a rough guide, a sole trader doing standard domestic brickwork with £1m–£2m public liability may pay significantly less than a contractor working on commercial sites with £5m–£10m limits and multiple employees.
The goal isn’t to buy the cheapest policy—it’s to buy the policy that will actually respond when a claim lands.
Confirm your required public liability limit (from contracts).
Be honest about work at height, scaffolding, and any structural work.
If you employ anyone (even casually), arrange employers’ liability.
Add tools cover that matches how you store tools (van, site, home).
If you supply materials, consider contractors’ all risks.
If you advise on design/specs, consider professional indemnity.
Add personal accident if you rely on your own labour for income.
Public liability isn’t legally required in most cases, but many clients and principal contractors require it. It’s also one of the most important covers for protecting you against injury and property damage claims.
If you employ anyone, you generally need employers’ liability. For labour-only subcontractors, it depends on the working relationship and control. Many sites require it regardless.
Usually not. Insurance typically won’t pay to redo poor work. It may cover resulting damage caused by an insured event, depending on the policy.
Often yes, but only if you meet security requirements (locked vehicle, tools out of sight, sometimes alarms or deadlocks). Always check the policy conditions.
Yes, but it must be declared accurately. Some policies have height limits or conditions around who erects scaffolding.
You can insure multiple trades, but you must declare them. If your policy only lists bricklaying and you do roofing or demolition, you could be uninsured for those activities.
Bricklaying is skilled work, and your insurance should reflect that. The right combination of public liability (site liability), employers’ liability, tools, materials, and income protection helps you take on better jobs with confidence—and protects you if something goes wrong.
If you want, tell me:
Are you targeting sole traders, small firms, or larger brickwork contractors?
Do you want this written for domestic customers (homeowners) or for bricklayers searching on Google?
What liability limit do you want to position as “typical” (£2m or £5m)?
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