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ON-SITE INSTALLATION & ERECTION COVER THAT PROTECTS YOUR CONTRACTS
Why On-Site Installation & Erection Risk Insurance Matters
Metal fabrication businesses often start as “workshop-only” operations, but many quickly move into supply and install. Installing steelwork, balustrades, staircases, platforms, mezzanines, gates, railings, ducting, guards, cladding supports or bespoke assemblies exposes you to a very different risk profile than fabrication alone.
On site you may be working in occupied premises, alongside other contractors, near the public, around high-value finishes, and often under time pressure. You may also need hot works (welding, grinding, cutting), access equipment (MEWPs, scaffolds), lifting operations, and hired-in plant. A single incident - dropped sections, a fire from hot works, damage to glazing, a trip hazard, or damage to client property - can create costs far beyond the value of the job.
Insure24 arranges insurance packages built for real-world installation risk. We help you present your work properly to insurers and structure cover for public liability, employers’ liability, contract works, tools, hired-in plant exposure and business interruption, so your policy matches your contract commitments.
Public Liability for Installation, Erection & Site Activities
Public liability insurance is the foundation of on-site risk cover. It protects your business if your installation activities cause injury to a third party (including members of the public) or damage to their property. For metal fabricators, this can include damage during delivery, moving sections into place, drilling/fixing, welding, or working alongside other trades.
Installation environments range from domestic properties to commercial sites, retail spaces, schools, leisure facilities, industrial plants and active construction sites. Each has different exposures: public footfall, restricted access, hot works permits, complex lifting plans, and contractual requirements for liability limits.
Many contracts specify minimum limits such as £2m, £5m or £10m public liability. Where you work in high-footfall or public-facing settings, or where the contract value and downstream risk is high, selecting the right limit is essential.
- Third-party injury and property damage caused by your on-site activities
- Legal defence costs and associated claims handling support
- Suitable for supply-and-fit metalwork, steelwork and bespoke installations
- Limits aligned to principal contractor and client requirements
- Extensions for working away from premises (subject to policy terms)
Contract Works / Installation Works Cover (Damage to the Job in Progress)
Public liability covers damage you cause to third parties, but it doesn’t automatically protect the value of the works you’re installing. If a fabricated assembly is damaged on site before handover - for example during lifting, positioning, drilling, or due to accidental impact - the cost can fall on you unless you have appropriate contract works/installation works cover (or you are relying on another party’s policy).
Installation works cover is especially useful for: fabricated sections awaiting installation, items stored on site, staged deliveries, and projects where you remain responsible for the works until completion. In some contracts, the “risk” remains with the contractor until practical completion, even if the item is physically on site.
Common scenarios include: a newly installed balustrade being damaged by another trade, a stair section being dropped, coated finishes being scratched beyond repair, or parts being stolen from site before sign-off. The right policy structure can prevent a painful “we made it, we delivered it, we lost it” outcome.
- Cover for damage to contract works / items being installed (subject to terms)
- Options for materials stored on site awaiting installation
- Useful for staged deliveries and extended installation programmes
- Helps protect coated and finished metalwork from accidental damage
- Supports contractual “responsibility until completion” obligations
Hot Works Risk: Welding, Cutting, Grinding & Fire Exposure
Hot works are one of the biggest drivers of claims and policy restrictions in fabrication and installation. Welding, cutting, grinding, and torch work increases the probability of fire, smoke damage, and costly business interruption for the site owner. A small ignition event can become a major claim if it spreads into voids, insulation, roof spaces, or stored materials.
Insurers and principal contractors often require documented hot works controls such as permits, fire watches, appropriate extinguishers, housekeeping, removal of combustibles, and post-work monitoring. Where you frequently use hot works on site, it is critical to disclose this correctly and ensure your policy terms align with your operational reality.
We help metal fabricators present hot works exposure properly, reduce avoidable coverage gaps, and structure cover alongside strong risk controls. Good hot works procedures can also improve insurer confidence and pricing.
- Hot works disclosure aligned to welding/cutting/grinding on site
- Supports compliance with permit-to-work and fire watch requirements
- Reduces risk of policy disputes due to non-disclosure or conditions
- Important for fit-outs, refurbishments, industrial sites and roof-level works
- Helps protect against catastrophic fire and smoke damage claims
Work at Height, Access Equipment & Lifting Operations
Installation and erection often involves working at height: fitting balconies, installing mezzanines, fixing handrails, erecting frames, attaching brackets, or positioning steel sections above ground level. The risk is not only falls - it is also dropped objects, unstable loads, and accidental damage during access and positioning.
Your insurance should reflect your reality: do you use ladders for minor tasks only? Do you use mobile towers, scaffolding, MEWPs, or cranes? Do you carry out lifts as part of your scope? Underwriters will want clarity because different methods create different exposure.
We can help you structure cover to fit your operations, and ensure your declarations align with how you manage height work and lifting. Where lifting operations are significant, risk management controls (competent lifting plans, LOLER compliance, and trained operators) can also support better underwriting outcomes.
- Cover structured for on-site erection and installation work at height
- Disclosure support for ladders, towers, scaffolds, MEWPs and cranes
- Protection for third-party claims arising from height and lifting activities
- Options to address hired-in plant exposure (where applicable)
- Supports contract compliance and principal contractor onboarding
Tools, Plant, Hired-In Equipment & Site Storage
Installation teams rely on portable tools and equipment: drills, grinders, torque tools, fixings systems, welders, generators, and sometimes specialised kit for anchoring, core drilling, or finishing. Tools can be stolen from site or vehicles, damaged during transit, or lost during busy multi-trade programmes.
Your policy can be structured to cover tools on and off site, with conditions around storage, vehicle security, and unattended equipment. If you hire in plant - for example MEWPs, telehandlers, mini cranes, or lifting accessories - you may also be responsible for damage under the hire agreement. This “hired-in plant” exposure can be significant and should be declared and arranged correctly.
We help you match cover to your working patterns: how often tools are left on site, whether you store materials at the client’s premises, and whether you use hired-in access and lifting equipment.
- Portable tools cover for installation teams (on/off premises)
- Options for theft from locked vehicles (subject to strict conditions)
- Cover for tools and small plant stored temporarily on site
- Hired-in plant responsibility cover (where you sign hire agreements)
- Helps avoid job delays due to theft, loss or accidental tool damage
Accidental Damage to Client Property & High-Value Finishes
One of the most common installation claims is accidental damage to client property: scratched floors, chipped stone, damaged glazing, punctured membranes, broken tiles, damaged doors, or penetrations that cause leaks. These incidents can occur during delivery, manoeuvring sections into place, drilling/fixing, or grinding and finishing work.
Public liability may respond where you are legally liable for the damage, but the right approach is to reduce the likelihood of claims through good method statements, protection measures, and clear site controls - and to ensure your insurance declarations and limits match the environments you work in.
If you work in sensitive environments (occupied buildings, healthcare, schools, retail), insurer appetite can vary - but a well-presented risk with strong controls can still achieve competitive terms.
- Protection against third-party property damage claims caused by your work
- Relevant for occupied premises, refurbishment works and high-value finishes
- Supports method statements, RAMS and site controls used by principals
- Useful for architectural installations where aesthetics matter
- Helps protect cashflow from “small but frequent” damage incidents
Employers’ Liability for Site Teams & Fabrication Staff
If you employ staff in the UK, employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement (subject to limited exceptions). Installation work can increase EL exposure because staff are working at height, handling loads, using power tools, and operating in dynamic environments with other contractors and site hazards.
EL covers compensation and legal costs if an employee is injured or becomes ill due to work. Common installation-related incidents include: slips/trips, manual handling injuries, cuts, burns, eye injuries from grinding, falls, and incidents involving lifting operations. Strong training, PPE, supervision, and safe systems of work are critical - and they also support better insurance outcomes.
If you use labour-only subcontractors or bring in temporary site labour, it’s important to disclose how they are engaged and supervised, because this can affect how EL and PL are structured.
- Legal requirement for UK employers (subject to exceptions)
- Protects against employee injury/illness claims linked to site work
- Relevant for work at height, lifting, hot works and power tool use
- Supports onboarding requirements for principal contractors
- Can be structured to reflect workforce model (employees, apprentices, labour-only)
Typical Installation & Erection Risks for Metal Fabricators
The risks below are common across metalwork installation, whether you’re fitting architectural features, erecting frames, installing platforms, placing staircases, fixing handrails, or assembling bespoke metal structures. Insurance should be built around these real exposures rather than generic trade labels.
On site, losses are often driven by a combination of factors: time pressure, changing site conditions, interaction with other trades, incomplete information, and the physical challenge of moving and positioning heavy or awkward items. Good risk management reduces claims, but insurance protects cashflow when incidents happen.
- Dropped items and damage during lifting, positioning and fixing
- Accidental damage to client property and high-value finishes
- Fire/smoke damage from hot works (welding, cutting, grinding)
- Theft of tools and stored materials from site
- Work at height incidents and dropped objects
- Damage to fabricated items before completion/handover
- Transit damage during delivery to site
- Contractual disputes and “who is responsible” arguments after an incident
How to Get On-Site Installation & Erection Risk Cover
Insurers price installation risk based on the work you do and how you manage it. The difference between “fit balustrades in homes” and “erect steel frames using cranes on live construction sites” is significant - and the way you describe your work influences both insurer appetite and the terms offered.
To achieve strong cover at a fair price, we focus on the underwriting information that matters: your typical installation types, whether you do hot works on site, how often you work at height, the access methods you use, whether you hire plant, your site control processes (RAMS, permits), your workforce model, and your claims history.
If you also need workshop/property cover, products liability, goods in transit, business interruption, and professional indemnity (where you provide drawings/design), we can arrange a combined programme so your insurance is consistent across your entire operation.
- 1. Tell us what you install and where you work (domestic, commercial, construction sites)
- 2. Confirm hot works, height work and lifting requirements
- 3. Select liability limits and any contract-specific requirements
- 4. Add tools, contract works and hired-in plant cover where needed
- 5. Receive documents for onboarding, tenders and start-on-site compliance
We moved from supply-only into supply-and-fit. Insure24 helped us structure the right cover for site work, tools and contract works - and the policy wording finally matched how we actually operate.
Director, UK Metal Fabrication & Installation FirmPROTECT YOURSELF
- Third-party claims if your installation causes injury or property damage
- Damage to the works in progress before completion and handover (where arranged)
- Hot works risk exposures aligned to real permit-to-work requirements
- Tools, portable equipment and site storage losses
- Hired-in plant responsibility where you sign hire agreements
Compliance, RAMS & Contract Requirements for On-Site Metalwork
Principal contractors and clients often require proof of insurance before site access is granted. They may also require evidence of RAMS (risk assessments and method statements), hot works procedures, competence, and safe systems for lifting and work at height.
Your insurance is part of that compliance picture. We help you structure cover to meet onboarding requirements while avoiding unnecessary add-ons. Common requirements include higher public liability limits, evidence of employers’ liability, and in some cases contract works cover.
If you’re asked to sign contract terms that push excessive responsibility onto you (for example, “you are responsible for any loss, however caused”), it’s important to review this carefully. Insurance covers many risks - but it doesn’t turn unlimited contractual obligations into guaranteed coverage. We can help you spot common red flags and structure your policy around realistic liabilities.
- Public liability limits commonly required: £2m / £5m / £10m
- Employers’ liability required for UK employers (subject to exceptions)
- Hot works procedures, permits and fire watch requirements
- Work at height controls and access equipment competence
- Clear documentation for onboarding, tenders and compliance portals
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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What is on-site installation & erection risk insurance for metal fabricators?
It’s insurance designed for metal fabrication businesses that deliver, install, fit or erect metalwork on site. It typically centres on public liability
(third-party injury/property damage), employers’ liability (if you employ staff), and can include contract works/installation works, tools, hired-in plant,
and extensions to reflect hot works, work at height and site-based operations.
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Does public liability cover damage to the item I’m installing?
Not automatically. Public liability is primarily for damage to third-party property or injury to third parties. Damage to your own works in progress
(for example, a fabricated section dropped or damaged before handover) may require contract works/installation works cover, or reliance on a project policy.
We’ll help you structure the right approach based on your contracts and responsibilities.
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Is hot works (welding/grinding) covered on site?
It can be, but hot works must be disclosed correctly and is often subject to strict policy conditions and site permit-to-work rules.
Insurers may expect fire watches, suitable extinguishers, housekeeping and post-work monitoring. We’ll make sure hot works exposure is presented properly
so cover aligns with your real operations and contract requirements.
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What about work at height and lifting operations?
Work at height and lifting should be declared so insurers understand your methods (ladders, towers, scaffolds, MEWPs, cranes).
Your policy can be arranged to reflect your operations, but you must also follow safe systems of work, training and site rules.
If you hire access equipment or lifting kit, hired-in plant responsibility may also be relevant.
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Can I insure tools and equipment taken to site?
Yes. Tool cover can be arranged for portable equipment used on site, often with conditions around locked storage, vehicle security and unattended tools.
Because theft from vehicles and sites is common, we’ll help you set sensible sums insured and ensure policy terms match your storage practices.
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What liability limits do clients usually require?
Many clients and principal contractors require £2m, £5m or £10m public liability, and employers’ liability for businesses with employees.
Requirements vary by sector and site type. We can help you choose limits that satisfy typical contract expectations without overinsuring where it’s not needed.
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What is not typically covered?
Cover varies by insurer, but common exclusions can include wear and tear, faulty workmanship “making good” where no third-party damage occurs,
and losses arising from non-compliance with policy conditions (for example hot works procedures). Contractual penalties may not be covered unless linked to insured damage
and specific extensions. We’ll highlight key exclusions and help you avoid common gaps.
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How much does installation risk insurance cost?
Premiums depend on turnover, site work frequency, hot works and height exposure, claims history, tools/plant values, and the type of environments you work in.
Small supply-and-fit businesses may start from a few hundred pounds per year for core liability covers, while higher-risk erection work and higher limits can cost more.
Insure24 helps you present risk controls properly to achieve strong terms.