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EMPLOYERS’ LIABILITY THAT HELPS YOU TAKE OFF
Employers’ Liability (EL) Insurance Explained for PCB Manufacturing
If you employ staff in the UK, employers’ liability insurance is typically a legal requirement. For PCB manufacturers and PCB assembly businesses, EL isn’t just a “tick-box policy” — your operational environment includes machinery, manual handling, soldering and fumes, chemicals, extraction systems, ESD controls and (often) contractors and visitors moving around production areas.
Employers’ liability is designed to respond if an employee alleges they have suffered injury or illness arising out of their work and you are legally liable, subject to policy terms and conditions. It commonly provides legal defence costs and compensation amounts where due. In practice, EL is as much about demonstrating good management and maintaining insurer confidence as it is about having a certificate on file.
Insure24 arranges EL as part of a broader PCB manufacturing insurance programme — aligned to your premises, processes and workforce profile — so you have cover that makes sense alongside public/products liability, property, business interruption, and equipment breakdown (where relevant).
Who Needs Employers’ Liability Insurance in PCB Manufacturing?
EL is usually required if you have employees, including part-time staff, apprentices, and often labour-only subcontractors. It can also be expected by customers and landlords, and it supports your overall compliance position. PCB businesses also commonly use contractors for machine servicing, extraction systems and building maintenance, which makes onsite control and documentation even more important.
- PCB fabrication sites – production staff, QA inspectors, warehouse teams, engineers and office staff
- PCB assembly / SMT operations – line operators, rework technicians, test engineers, logistics and stores staff
- Contract electronics manufacturing – mixed teams, multi-skill environments, high changeover frequency
- Prototype houses – specialist technicians, soldering and rework, lab-like environments
- Box-build operations – cable assembly, mechanical build, packing and dispatch teams
- Businesses using labour-only subcontractors – where the legal position can trigger EL obligations
Common Employers’ Liability Hazards in PCB Manufacturing
EL claims often arise from predictable hazard categories: slips/trips/falls, manual handling injuries, machinery incidents, and occupational exposure (for example, fumes and chemicals). PCB manufacturing has some distinctive patterns due to soldering operations, extraction reliance, small components and repetitive tasks, and sometimes shift patterns.
Insurers will often ask you to demonstrate practical controls: training, PPE, documented procedures, risk assessments, maintenance routines and incident reporting. Strong controls reduce incident frequency and can help maintain stable premiums.
Physical Injury Hazards
- Manual handling injuries (boxes of boards/components, reels, pallets, packing materials)
- Slips/trips/falls (cables, packaging, wet floors, poor housekeeping, loading bays)
- Machinery injuries (conveyors, presses, cutters, drilling/routing, panel depaneling)
- Forklift and vehicle movements (segregation, pedestrian routes, loading activities)
- Working at height (maintenance, racking access, building maintenance)
- Hand tool injuries and repetitive strain (rework stations, assembly benches)
Exposure & Occupational Health Hazards
- Solder fumes and flux exposure (extraction effectiveness, PPE, workstation controls)
- Chemical exposure (cleaners/solvents, resins, coatings, adhesives where used)
- Dust/fume from routing/depaneling (extraction maintenance and filter changes)
- Noise exposure in production areas (compressors, extraction, routing equipment)
- Skin irritation and dermatitis risks (chemicals, cleaning agents, repeated glove use)
- Fatigue risks (shift patterns, overtime) impacting incident probability
What Does Employers’ Liability Insurance Typically Cover?
Employers’ liability is designed to cover your legal liability for injury or illness suffered by employees arising out of their employment, subject to the policy terms, conditions and exclusions. It typically includes legal defence costs and compensation amounts where you are found liable.
In manufacturing, EL is often arranged alongside other covers (public/products liability, property, BI). The key is making sure the programme is aligned: employee activities, contractor arrangements and multiple sites should be declared correctly so there is no mismatch between how you operate and how the policy is structured.
Typical EL Features
- Covers employee injury/illness claims where the employer is legally liable (subject to policy terms)
- Includes legal defence costs for covered claims
- Can respond to claims from past employees (long-tail exposure) where policy is triggered
- Covers activities at declared premises and (often) employees working temporarily elsewhere (subject to wording)
- Supports contractual and compliance expectations with valid documentation
Common Areas That Need Care
- Labour-only subcontractors and agency staff (clarify status and responsibilities)
- Multiple sites and off-site work (installations, field work, visits to customer sites)
- High-risk tasks: hot works, machinery maintenance, electrical work, working at height
- Documentation: training records, risk assessments, PPE issuance and incident logs
- Changes in headcount and operations (new machinery, new processes, new chemicals)
Employers’ Liability Checklist for PCB Businesses
This is the information that typically helps insurers quote EL accurately and avoid delays. It also helps you identify practical improvements that reduce claim frequency.
Workforce & Operations
- Total headcount, split by roles (production, QA, engineers, warehouse, office)
- Use of temps/agency labour and labour-only subcontractors
- Shift patterns and overtime frequency
- Onsite contractors (machine servicing, electrical contractors, facilities maintenance)
- Training programme (induction, refresher training, task-specific competence)
Controls & Documentation
- Risk assessments and method statements for key tasks
- PPE arrangements and records
- Machine guarding checks and maintenance logs
- Extraction system maintenance and filter change records
- Accident/near-miss reporting and corrective action process
- Manual handling training and mechanical aids (trolleys, lifts, pallet trucks)
We had a mix of operators, engineers and contractors on site. Insure24 helped us present our controls and documentation clearly so EL and the wider programme matched our real operation.
HSE Lead, UK PCB Assembly BusinessPROTECT YOURSELF
- Meet statutory obligations for UK employers (where applicable)
- Align cover to real hazards: solder fumes, chemicals, machinery, vehicles and manual handling
- Support claims defence with clear policy structure and documentation expectations
- Integrate EL with your wider PCB manufacturing programme (PL/products, property, BI)
- Reduce insurer uncertainty with a clear presentation of controls and risk management
- Access advice on improving terms by strengthening practical safety controls
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Is employers’ liability insurance legally required in the UK?
In most cases, UK businesses that employ staff are required to have employers’ liability insurance, subject to certain exemptions.
If you have employees, apprentices or certain types of labour-only subcontractors, you should assume EL is required unless you have specialist advice confirming otherwise.
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Does EL cover agency staff or labour-only subcontractors?
It depends on their legal status and the policy wording. Many businesses use a mix of employees, temps and contractors.
We’ll help you clarify your arrangements and ensure insurers understand the reality so EL is structured appropriately.
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What are the most common EL risks in PCB assembly?
Common risks include slips/trips, manual handling injuries, repetitive strain at benches, machinery injuries, forklift movements,
and occupational exposure such as solder fumes or chemical irritation. Good housekeeping, training, guarding and extraction maintenance are key controls.
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Will EL cover historic claims from past employees?
Employers’ liability can involve long-tail claims, for example occupational illness allegations. How cover responds depends on the policy trigger,
the dates of exposure and policy terms. Maintaining continuous cover and good record-keeping is important.
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What information do insurers need to quote employers’ liability?
Headcount and wage roll, role split (production vs office), claims history, any high-risk work (working at height, hot works, electrical work),
use of subcontractors/agency labour, and key controls such as training, guarding, extraction maintenance and accident reporting.
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Can EL be combined with other PCB manufacturing covers?
Yes. EL is commonly arranged within a combined manufacturing programme alongside public/products liability, property/stock, business interruption
and (where relevant) equipment breakdown and cyber. Combining covers can reduce gaps and simplify administration, subject to underwriting.