Third-party liability for plant and machinery
- Compulsory on public roads
- Also during work
- Cables and pipes separately
An excavator on plant and machinery insurance
With an excavator the real risk lies not in the machine but in what you cannot see: cables, pipes and the consequential loss that follows.
- 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 activities
- 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
An excavator moves through ground whose contents you cannot see. If the bucket strikes a medium-voltage cable, a gas main or a fibre-optic route, repairing that one piece of cable is the smallest part of the bill. The network operator recovers the hours of outage, the emergency crew and the diversion, and connected businesses claim their downtime. That consequential loss makes cable damage the most expensive claim in this class of machine.
That is why everything turns on the excavation notification and the standards of care that go with it. A timely notification, located drawings on the machine and trial trenches when approaching a route together form your defence. If those are missing, liability under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code is virtually a given and, where the failure is repeated, the insurer will ask whether this can still be called an accident.
The second point is the machine itself. Tracks, teeth, cutting edges and blades are wearing parts and fall outside every cover. Only sudden damage is insured. If the machine overturns in a trench or on an embankment, the question is whether that was an accident or the predictable consequence of working on an unstable edge. We go through those points before we apply for your plant and machinery insurance.
Independent, personal, sorted quickly
We compare your plant and machinery insurance across dozens of insurers, explain where the real differences lie, and arrange the switch from start to finish — without you having to chase it yourself.
Plant and machinery insurancePhoto coming soon
ComparePhoto coming soon
Get coveredPhoto coming soon
Excavator: what is covered?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Own-damage cover
Damage to the machine, the body and the attachments.
- Fire and storm
- Theft from the site
- Overturning and collision
Extensions
What you add separately.
- Inherent defect and machinery breakdown
- Transport to the site
- Hired plant
What is covered
| Situation | Third-party liability for plant and machinery | Own-damage cover |
|---|---|---|
| Damage to a building or a parked car next to the site | Yes | No |
| Theft of the machine from the building site | No | Provided that |
| Fire and storm damage | No | Yes |
| Inherent defect in the hydraulics or the engine | No | Provided that |
| Damage to the item you are working on with the machine | No | No |
| Wear and deferred maintenance | No | No |
Mobile plant is a motor vehicle within the meaning of the WAM and needs third-party liability insurance on public roads; non-mobile plant does not. Damage to cables and pipes is generally only covered if the excavation notification has been made and the trial trenches have been dug. The item you work on with the machine falls under the care, custody and control exclusion.
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?
- Machine weight and class. A mini excavator in gardens is a different risk from a tracked excavator on an infrastructure project.
- Type of work and ground. Digging in built-up areas with dense cable routes weighs more heavily than earthmoving on open ground.
- Limit for cable and pipe damage. The level of this particular section determines a large part of the liability premium.
- Attachments declared. Breakers, grabs and quick couplers count in the insured value and in the own-damage risk.
- Security and storage on the building site. A tracking system and a locked site determine whether theft is taken into cover.
- Running hours and claims history. Intensive use and earlier excavation incidents weigh through in the premium and excess.
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.
The consequential loss exceeds the cable itself
A cable that is struck costs more in consequences than in repairs. The network operator charges for the emergency service, the repair and the diversion; affected businesses claim lost turnover from the interruption. So check that your liability limit is set for work in urban areas and not for a meadow. Note any sub-limit for cables and pipesas well, because that can be lower than your general sum insured.
Excavation notification, drawings and trial trenches
The notification in itself is not enough. You have to have the information received on the machine, locate the position and, when approaching a route, by hand or with trial trenches. Keep the confirmation, the drawings and photographs of the trial trench for each project. A claim where that file is missing is assessed as careless digging and that changes the discussion with the insurer entirely.
Wearing parts and deferred maintenance fall outside
Tracks, track pads, teeth, cutting edges and hoses wear through normal use and are covered nowhere; only sudden, externally caused damage is insured. deferred maintenance to hydraulics, slew ring or engine is an independent ground for exclusion as well. Keep a maintenance logbook with running hours for each machine. That is not only good management but determines your position as soon as an insurer asks about the cause.
Attachments and contaminated soil
Buckets, breakers, sorting grabs and quick couplers are separate items. If they do not appear on the policy with their value, they are not paid for after a theft or total loss. And if you hit an underground tank or asbestos-containing material, soil contamination is a separate risk that is restricted or excluded on many liability covers. Ask about that expressly for remediation work.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Am I insured if I strike a cable?
Yes, cable and pipe damage falls under the liability cover, provided you have met the standards of care. That means a timely excavation notification, the drawings with the machine and trial trenches when approaching a route. If those are missing, you remain liable but the cover is disputed. Note as well any separate limit for cables and pipes in your policy.
Does the insurer pay for the downtime of affected businesses too?
That is consequential loss from a pipe or cable that has been struck and falls in principle under the liability cover, within the insured limit. It is precisely that item that mounts up in built-up areas, because alongside the network operator, connected businesses claim their interruption as well. So set your sum insured to match the surroundings in which you work and not the value of your machine.
Are my bucket, breaker and quick coupler insured?
Not automatically. Attachments are separate items that you have to declare with their value. What is not on the policy is not paid for after a theft, fire or total loss. If you change tools regularly or hire one in, report that in advance. Cutting edges and teeth remain wearing parts in any event and never qualify for settlement.
Is damage from soil contamination covered?
Usually not without a separate arrangement. If you hit an underground tank or spread contaminated soil over a clean plot, this is environmental damage, which is restricted or excluded on many liability covers. If you work at locations where remediation or former industrial activity is involved, report that on the application so that this section is assessed expressly.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare plant and machinery insuranceThe main page
- Insuring an excavatorExcavation damage, KLIC notification, theft
- Insuring a shovel loader and mini loaderCompact, theft, transport
- A mower on the plant and machinery insuranceThrown debris, third parties, terrain
- Insuring soil cultivation machineryImplements, season, the soil
- Insuring harvesting machinerySeasonal peak, fire, downtime
- Insuring a wheel loader and shovel loaderSite work, loading damage, tyre damage
Read more
Within Werkmaterieelverzekering
Ready to compare?
Request a quote without obligation. We will look at which insurer best matches your activities and your risk.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
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.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
This page was compiled by Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.