Fire and radiant heat
- Fire in a hall or installation
- Smoke and soot damage
- Business standstill as consequential loss
- Prevention requirements in the policy
Naked flames · care, custody and control · consequential loss
Public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) for welders
Welding means working with naked flames at other people's premises. The damage is rarely limited to the workpiece, and it is precisely that workpiece that is often not insured.
- several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Bedrijfsaansprakelijkheidsverzekering voor lassers.
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
A welder's liability arises along two lines. The first is direct: through sparks, heat or arc welding a fire starts or the surroundings are damaged. The second is indirect: an unsound welded joint gives way later and causes leakage, breakdown or collapse. Both fall under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code once you have made a mistake, and both are insured by the public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) — but not in the same way.
The AVB covers property damage and personal injury to third parties and the consequential loss arising from it, such as business interruption after a fire in a production hall. What the AVB does not cover is the cost of your own work: rewelding a failing joint is a business risk. The damage that joint causes to other property may well be covered. In this trade, that distinction is the most important thing to take from the conditions.
For insurers, working with naked flames is an underwriting question, not a detail. Prevention requirements often apply: a work permit for fire-hazardous activities, extinguishers within reach, screening off the surroundings and a fire watch after hot work. If you do not meet them, the insurer may reduce the payment. See also the quotation for welders.
Where the damage comes from
Three types of loss that most often lead to a claim in welding work.
Failing welded joint
A weld that gives way and causes consequential loss at the client.
- Leakage or collapse
- Repair of own work excluded
- Consequential loss often covered
- Quality control is evidence
Property being worked on
The object you are working on and the equipment you have borrowed.
- Falls under the care, custody and control exclusion
- Excluded as standard
- Sometimes can be included to a limited extent
- Excess per event
What is covered
| Situation | Basic AVB | With extension |
|---|---|---|
| Fire in the client's hall caused by sparks | Yes | Yes |
| Injury to an employee of the client | Yes | Yes |
| Water damage from a burst weld | Yes | Yes |
| Redoing your own welding work | No | No |
| Damage to the workpiece you had in hand | No | Provided that |
| A fine for breaching the work permit | No | No |
What is actually covered, including exclusions, the sum insured and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) you receive before you take out cover.
What determines the cover
Four points that make the difference in welding work between a payment and a rejection.
Fire-hazardous activities have conditions of their own
Insurers almost always attach prevention clausesto welding, cutting and grinding. The usual ones are: a work permit for fire-hazardous work, removing or screening off flammable material in the surrounding area, extinguishers within reach and a fire watch after hot work for a period stated in the conditions. If you depart from that and a fire breaks out, the insurer may reduce or refuse the payment. Record that you have complied.
Own work versus consequential loss
The AVB is not a guarantee policy. If your weld turns out to be unsound, you pay for the repair or replacement of that jointyourself. What the defective weld causes to other property — water damage, an installation going down, business interruption — may well be covered as consequential loss. If you work on large structures, consider whether product liability cover is needed for damage after completion.
What else is not included
Besides your own work, the following are structurally excluded: damage to property you had in your care (care, custody and control), pure financial loss such as delay costs without any damage, and intent and wilful recklessness under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. Fines and penalty payments are uninsurable, while damage involving a motor vehicle or a forklift runs through that vehicle's own insurance, and on the road on the basis of Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM).
Report what you do and where you work
Underwriting is based on what you state about your activities and your work locations. Working in the petrochemical industry, on installations that are in operation, at height or on tanks and pipework with residual product is a different risk from work in your own workshop. State this in full. The duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code applies when the policy is taken out, and a breach can reduce the payout or cause it to lapse (Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code).
What does your premium depend on?
- The nature of the welding work: workshop or on site
- Annual turnover: the basis for the premium
- Sector of the clients: construction, industry or petrochemicals
- Sum insured: per event and per year
- Care, custody and control and products: the extensions chosen
- Staff and hired-in labour: payroll and number of workers
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, risk and 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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is fire damage at the client covered?
Yes, a fire you cause at a third party's premises by welding or cutting is the core of the AVB, including consequential loss such as business interruption. Prevention requirements for fire-hazardous activities almost always apply, though. If you have not complied with them, for example no fire watch afterwards or no screening, the insurer may reduce or refuse the payment.
Does the insurer pay for rewelding my own work?
No. The cost of repairing or redoing your own work is excluded. That is a business risk and not a liability loss. What the defective weld does to other property may well be covered. So if a pipe bursts, you pay for the weld yourself, while the water damage to the floor and the machinery may fall under the policy.
What is care, custody and control and why does it affect welders so often?
Care, custody and control concerns property you had in your care: borrowed, hired or being worked on. In welding, the workpiece is by definition being worked on, so damage to it falls outside the cover as standard. Some insurers offer care, custody and control cover with a sum insured and an excess of its own. If you work on valuable installations, ask for that extension to be quoted expressly.
Do I need product liability as well?
If you supply structures or components that could cause damage after completion, that cover is worth considering. The ordinary AVB is aimed at damage during the work; product liability covers damage caused by goods supplied after the work has been handed over. With series welding work or components for third parties, that is a real risk.
I work as a self-employed welder through an agency arrangement. What applies then?
As a self-employed professional you are not a subordinate and you can be held liable yourself for mistakes in your work. Almost every hirer also requires by contract a valid AVB with a minimum sum insured. Make sure the description of the activities on your policy matches what you actually do, including working with naked flames on site.
Read more
Within Aansprakelijkheidsverzekering
- Aansprakelijkheidsverzekeringthe main page
- Rigger hijsbegeleider aansprakelijkheidsverzekering
- Lasser petrochemie bedrijfs aansprakelijkheidsverzekering
- Zakelijk offerte petrochemie bedrijfs aansprakelijkheidsverzekering
- Aansprakelijkheidsverzekering montage
- Zakelijk offerte lasser bedrijfs aansprakelijkheidsverzekering
- Aansprakelijkheidsverzekering lasser zzp
Similar pages
- Public and employers' liability for railway safety officers
- Public and employers' liability for work on railways and tracks
- Public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) for the petrochemical industry
- Liability insurance for a welding company
- Liability insurance for a self-employed welder
- Public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) through De Goudse
- Liability insurance for a roofing company
- Public and employers' liability insurance (AVB) for safety experts
Also relevant
Welding work properly insured?
Request a quotation without obligation. We compare prevention requirements, care, custody and control cover and the sum insured.
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 written and checked by an adviser at Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.