Access requirement · ATEX · recovery along the chain
Liability insurance for self-employed people in petrochemicals
You do not get onto a chemical site without a policy schedule. That paperwork is also the moment when it becomes clear whether your insurance covers the work you actually do there.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Aansprakelijkheidsverzekering voor zzp'ers in de petrochemie.
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.
In brief
Self-employed people at refineries, tank farms and chemical plants almost never work directly for the site. You stand at the bottom of a chain: client, main contractor, subcontractor, you. If you cause damage, the site holds its contracting party liable, and that party passes the claim down to you. What the public and employers' liability insurance picks up is third-party liability for injury and property damage under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code. What you accepted on top of that when signing — an indemnity, an insurance obligation, a penalty clause — falls outside it.
The description of your work on the policy schedule matters more here than at any other site. Sites hire in specific disciplines: insulation, scaffolding, valve work, instrumentation and control, industrial cleaning, inspection. Each has a risk profile of its own, and insurers do not accept them automatically under one heading. If you do something alongside it — a small lift, cleaning with high pressure, a temporary electrical connection — check whether that falls within your business activity. More about the liability chain on sites of this kind is set out under liability in the petrochemical industry.
Three types of cost stay with you. Putting your own work right is performance of the contract, not a loss. Your own injury does not fall under liability cover. If you work under someone else's direction, he can under Article 7:658(4) of the Dutch Civil Code may be liable, but your income is only secured by a disability insurance. And administrative fines, after a breach of the safety rules for instance, are excluded on almost every policy because they are a punishment and not compensation.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare public and employers' liability insurance (AVB).
What to look out for
Four points that determine on a chemical site whether a loss falls inside or outside your policy.
Working in a zone with an explosion risk
In a classified zone there are requirements about tools, lighting, clothing and static discharge. If you use non-spark-free equipment or carry on working without a valid gas test, that is not only a breach of the site rules. Insurers attach clauses to it, and knowingly departing from them can fall outside cover under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code as reckless conduct.
The installation you are working on
A valve, pump set, section of pipe or instrument is in your hands without being your property. That is care, custody and control and excluded on the standard policy. If the damage spreads to adjacent parts or an employee of another contractor is injured, that is damage to third parties and fits within cover.
Downtime is not property damage
If a unit has to be taken out of service because your work has to be done again, the client loses production. Such a claim concerns money with nothing damaged and is called pure financial loss; it falls outside the AVB. Limit your liability in the order confirmation, therefore, because what you do not exclude by contract you carry personally.
What the site has you supply in advance
Alongside a safety certificate and a medical examination, the gate asks for a valid policy schedule with a minimum sum insured per claim. Check whether your policy reaches that amount, whether it applies per claim or per year, and whether the working area is right. A policy that does not meet that point costs you the job and not just the cover.
What does your premium depend on?
- Your discipline: insulation, scaffolding, valve work or inspection weigh differently
- Annual turnover or number of days worked: the usual measure for a one-person business
- Working during shutdowns and turnarounds: tight programmes and many parties side by side increase the risk
- Sum insured per claim: usually driven by the site's contractual requirement
- Certification and safety passport: demonstrable training counts towards acceptance
- Run-off period chosen: for claims that only arise after the policy has ended
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | AVB | BAV |
|---|---|---|
| You drop a spanner off the scaffold onto the cable tray of an adjacent unit | Yes | No |
| An employee of another company suffers burns because you opened a valve too soon | Provided that | No |
| While removing a valve you damage the insulation of the pipe beside it | Yes | No |
| You recommend a cheaper sealing material that turns out not to withstand the medium | No | Yes |
| The main contractor sets off the penalty he received from the site against your final invoice | No | No |
| Your tool box disappears from the work container on the site | No | No |
What you accept on top when signing, in indemnities and penalties, is on neither policy.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
The main contractor says I am included on his policy. Is that right?
Usually not. His insurance covers his own liability. You are covered on it at most if that is stated expressly on his policy schedule. If something happens, he is held liable and then recovers from you under your agreement. Ask for written confirmation if he says you are covered, and keep your own cover in place as well.
I work alone. What do I need liability insurance for?
For damage to others: injury to another contractor's staff, fire in an adjacent unit, or damaged equipment belonging to the site. Even without staff that risk is large on a chemical site, because the consequences of a small mistake reach far. In addition, a valid policy schedule is in practice a condition of being allowed onto the site.
Is soil pollution covered if I let product escape?
Only to a limited extent. Most policies cover only sudden and unforeseen pollution connected with covered damage and exclude gradually occurring pollution. Clean-up costs on the site itself usually fall under environmental damage insurance. Ask for each project which policy applies to that and who maintains it.
Do I have to report an incident if the site says it has been dealt with?
Yes. Internal handling says nothing about a later claim, and Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to report the event as soon as you are reasonably aware of possible damage. Do not admit liability, record the situation with photographs and keep the work permit, release and measurement reports. Those documents determine your position later.
Read more
Within Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering
- Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekeringthe main page
- Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering lasser petrochemie zzp
- Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering procesoperator zzp
- Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering offshore zzp
- Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering petrochemie lasbedrijf
- Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering pijpfitter zzp
- Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering flensmonteur zzp
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