Liability
- Cables and pipes
- Damage to buildings
- Injury to bystanders
Insuring a Case
With a backhoe loader you dig into ground where other people's cables and pipes run, and with this type of plant that is the risk that produces the largest bills.
- several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
This page in another language: Nederlands
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert.nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
In brief
Case supplies backhoe loaders, wheeled loaders and excavators that mainly work for contractors and agricultural contractors: shallow groundworks, sewer connections, cable trenches, site preparation. That is precisely the work in which your bucket enters a route where cables, gas and water pipes run. Striking a medium-voltage cable or a gas pipe costs the repair, but also the consequential loss of businesses left without power, and that item is usually the largest.
The law imposes a concrete duty here. Before mechanical groundworks, an excavation notification must be made and the position of services must be checked on site. Insurers follow suit: they usually do cover excavation damage, but with a separate sub-limit and on condition that the information was requested and present on site. If it was not, the shortfall lands on your plate.
A second feature of this make is that it rarely stands alone. A mixed fleet with a backhoe loader, a wheeled loader and a mini excavator lends itself to a single plant policy with a schedule, rather than separate policies per machine. See also the plant and machinery insurance.
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Case: what is covered?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Own-damage cover
Damage to and theft of the machine, including inherent defect.
- Theft and vandalism
- Fire and storm
- Inherent defect and operating error
Downtime and transport
What comes into play with breakdown and transport.
- Business interruption during downtime
- Transport to the site
- Hired plant
What is covered
| Situation | Covered |
|---|---|
| Theft from the building site | Sometimes |
| Fire and storm damage | Yes |
| Inherent defect in the hydraulics | Sometimes |
| Damage to cables and pipes | Sometimes |
| Normal wear and tracks | No |
| Damage due to deferred maintenance | No |
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
What does your premium depend on?
- Composition of the machinery fleet. Backhoe loader, wheeled loader or excavator, and how many appear on the schedule.
- Share of excavation work in cable routes. Work near underground infrastructure weighs more heavily than earthmoving at a depot.
- Sub-limit for damage to cables and pipes. How high this separate limit is and whether consequential loss is included.
- Working method around excavation notifications. Demonstrably requesting the position of services and having it available on site.
- Year of manufacture and operating hours. Older plant moves towards more limited forms of cover and higher excesses.
- Use of subcontractors. If you work with third parties you engage, that widens the circle of liability.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
- We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
- You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
- We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Why arrange it through Finass Verzekert?
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
Independent
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
One fixed adviser
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
Switching without hassle
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
9.5New policy
9.8Claims handling
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Excavation damage is covered, but not without limit
In most policies, damage to underground infrastructure sits under a separate sub-limit, apart from the general liability limit. That sub-limit usually covers the repair of the cable comfortably, but the consequential loss suffered by third parties caused by the outage runs higher. Ask explicitly how high that sub-limit is and whether consequential loss falls within it. Damage caused by digging without having requested the position of services is treated by insurers as culpable and refused.
Two machines in one, with two kinds of damage
A backhoe loader loads at the front and digs at the back, often within the same hour. On the loading side, damage occurs to paving, fences and parked vehicles; on the digging side, the risk is below ground. Insurers assess those risks differently. So declare what you actually do: a machine that only loads at a depot is a different risk from the same machine working in cable routes alongside the road.
Subcontractors dig in your name
If you subcontract groundworks, you can still be held liable under Article 6:171 DCC for damage the subcontractor causes, if the work was carried out for your business. The client comes knocking at your door. So check whether your liability cover includes the work of third parties you engage and whether those third parties are insured themselves. Damage between parties working on the same job is often dealt with separately or excluded.
Several machines on one policy, with one schedule
With a mixed fleet the pitfall is administrative. A machine you have sold but which stays on the schedule produces premium without any insurable interest. A newly bought machine that is not on it is not covered. Work with a plant schedule that you update at every change, with type, year of manufacture, serial number and value. Damage to a machine that does not appear on the schedule is not paid, even if the rest is insured.
Repairs and parts
Parts are reasonably available through the European network.
Acceptance differs per insurer
Not every company applies the same policy for this make. With unusual versions, the question is not what it costs but who will accept it.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is damage to a gas pipe or power cable covered?
Usually, yes, but under a separate sub-limit and subject to conditions. The insurer wants to see that the position of services was requested in advance and was present on site, and that digging near the marked routes was done carefully. If that was not the case, the damage is treated as culpable and refusal is likely.
What if the network operator's customers claim for losses caused by the power cut?
That is consequential loss, and it often runs higher than repairing the cable itself. Not every policy includes consequential loss under the sub-limit for underground infrastructure. Ask about this explicitly before you take on work in routes with business connections; otherwise the difference between the limit and the claim is for your own account.
Am I liable for damage caused by my subcontractor?
You may be. Article 6:171 DCC makes the client of a non-employee liable where the work forms part of that client's business. The injured party then often chooses the party best able to pay. Check whether your policy covers the work of third parties you engage and record that they hold their own liability insurance.
Can I put several machines on one policy?
Yes, with a plant schedule showing the type, year of manufacture, serial number and value of each machine. That only works if you update the schedule at every purchase or sale. A machine that is not on it is not insured, and for a machine you have sold but which remains on it you pay premium without any insurable interest.
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About our service
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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This page was compiled by Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.