Third-party liability for plant and machinery
- Compulsory on public roads
- Also during work
- Cables and pipes separately
Insuring an excavator
With excavation work the risk lies not above the machine but beneath it: in the cables, pipes and contamination you only see once the bucket has already gone through them.
- 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
You insure an excavator with own-damage cover for the machine and with liability cover for what you hit with it. That second side is decisive in excavation work. A fibre-optic bundle or medium-pressure main that is struck rarely costs much to repair in itself. The money is in the consequential loss: data centres out of action, streets evacuated, production halted. That loss mounts up by the hour and bears no relation to the value of your machine.
Against that stands a duty of care. Before breaking ground you are required to make an excavation notification, to have the location data received available on site and to dig trial trenches where necessary. If you do that demonstrably, a strike is an accident. If you do not, it is careless conduct within the meaning of Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code and the discussion shifts from cover to culpability.
The third point is the ground itself. If you come across asbestos-containing material, an old tank or contaminated soil, a remediation obligation arises that no own-damage cover will pay for. If you work regularly in ground with an unknown history, have it checked expressly what your environmental liability covers and what the client places on you by contract.
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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?
- Weight class of the machine. A mini excavator in garden construction and a thirty-tonne tracked excavator in road building are different risks.
- Type of groundwork. Demolition, sewer replacement and cable routes weigh more heavily than earthmoving on an empty site.
- Sum insured for liability. The limit has to match the consequential loss of the infrastructure you are digging in, not the value of the machine.
- Attached parts. Sorting grabs, breakers, quick-coupler systems and tilt attachments have to be declared separately with their value.
- Storage and security. Unguarded building sites call for track and trace or an immobiliser. This weighs through in the own-damage premium.
- Claims history. Earlier excavation claims weigh more heavily on this type of machine than own-damage claims, because they say something about working methods.
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 excavation notification is your evidence, not a formality
Keep the notification, the location data received, the date and photographs of the trial trenches for each job. After a strike, the network operator's first question is whether you had the data and whether you acted on it. A notification that was made but was not on the machine will not help you. This file determines whether you made an insured mistake or an avoidable one.
The consequential loss is the real figure
Repairing a cable that has been pulled through is manageable. Liability for the business interruption of everyone who was behind that cable is not. So look not only at the sum insured but also at whether pure financial loss without damage to property is insured. If you work in urban areas or along major infrastructure, this is the item on which you set the cover.
Contamination and asbestos fall outside the policy
If you hit an old fuel tank or spread asbestos-containing rubble across the work site, a remediation order follows. Soil remediation and the cost of tracing contamination are usually excluded or severely limited on plant and machinery and liability policies. Ask in advance for the client's soil survey and record what you did and did not find, before the excavator takes its first bucketful.
What own-damage cover does not pay
Teeth, cutting edges, tracks and tyres are wearing parts and are covered nowhere. Only sudden damage counts. Damage caused by deferred maintenance is a ground for exclusion, as is continuing to work with a known defect. If the machine overturns on an embankment or in a trench without a proper batter, own-damage cover usually stays in play, but on the liability side the question is whether the risk was foreseeable.
Theft and trackers
Earthmoving machines are a sought-after target. At higher values insurers require a tracker and sometimes an immobiliser.
Wearing parts remain excluded everywhere
Tracks, tyres, blades, teeth and cutting edges are wear parts and are not insured anywhere; only sudden damage is covered. Deferred maintenance is also a ground for exclusion. A demonstrable maintenance regime with a logbook is therefore not only good management but also strengthens your position in a claim.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is excavation damage to cables and pipes covered?
Yes, under the liability section, provided you can demonstrate that you worked carefully. The excavation notification, the location data on site and locating by trial trench form the evidence. Without that file the insurer can argue that the damage was foreseeable and reduce or reject the claim. The machine itself usually suffers no damage in such a strike.
What if I come across asbestos or contaminated soil?
You stop work and report it to the client. Remediation costs and tracing soil contamination are usually excluded on these policies or subject to a low limit. If you then spread the material across the site, the remediation becomes larger and the share attributed to your actions is the problem.
My excavator only goes on our own site. Do I have to do anything?
The insurance obligation under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) does not then apply, but your liability is unchanged. There are pipes and cables on private sites too, and injury to an employee walking beside the machine falls under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code. Own-damage and liability cover therefore remain worthwhile, even without a statutory obligation.
Are my attachments insured?
Not automatically. Buckets, sorting grabs, breakers and quick-coupler systems have to be declared with their value. On an excavator those parts often represent a substantial share of the total and they are stolen separately from the machine. So list them individually with their serial number, so that no argument arises about insurable interest after a theft.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare plant and machinery insuranceThe main page
- Insuring a wheel loader and shovel loaderSite work, loading damage, tyre damage
- An excavator on plant and machinery insuranceCable damage, theft, tracks
- Insuring an aerial work platformWorking at height, inspection, overturning
- Insuring a telehandlerLifting and hoisting, attachments, inspection
- Insuring a scissor liftWorking at height, inspection, ground conditions
- Insuring a forklift truckInternal transport, inspection, collisions
- Insuring a mobile craneLifting liability, lift plan, certification
Read more
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.