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
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
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.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Liability
Third-party liability for plant and machinery
Damage you cause to others with the machine.
Compulsory on public roads
Also during work
Cables and pipes separately
The machine itself
Own-damage cover
Damage to the machine, the body and the attachments.
Fire and storm
Theft from the site
Overturning and collision
Extensions
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
