Third-party liability for plant and machinery
- Compulsory on public roads
- Also during work
- Cables and pipes separately
A sweeper and scrubber on plant and machinery insurance
A sweeper or scrubber almost always works on a floor or street belonging to someone else, while the public walks through it as normal.
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A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
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In brief
Sweepers and scrubber-driers stand out among plant and machinery because of where they work. A scrubber-drier drives through shopping arcades, hospital corridors and production halls. A sweeper crosses parking decks, business sites and the public road. In both cases the area is not cordoned off and the people around you are not colleagues but visitors, patients or passers-by. Your liability there runs through Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code.
The second point is that the floor is the object of your work. The wrong pad, an aggressive cleaning agent or too much water in the joints damages a resin floor, a coated industrial floor or natural stone over a large area. Such damage to a thing you are working on falls under the care, custody and control exclusion and is not included in basic liability cover.
If the machine goes onto the public road, the insurance obligation under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM)also applies. For how the cover is built up in general, see the plant and machinery insurance.
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Sweeper and scrubber: 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?
- Replacement value including the battery pack. On ride-on machines the battery pack accounts for a substantial part of the value and belongs in the declaration.
- Pedestrian or ride-on and machine weight. A ride-on machine reaches higher speeds and carries more weight, and therefore presents a greater collision and injury risk.
- Working area. Your own premises, a publicly accessible space or the public road is decisive. Only in the last case does the insurance obligation under the WAM apply.
- Working hours in relation to the public. Cleaning outside opening hours or in a cordoned zone visibly reduces the injury risk compared with working among visitors.
- Care, custody and control cover for clients' floors. If you work in third-party premises, the extension chosen for care, custody and control and its limit account for a large part of the premium.
- Storage and charging point. Where the machine stands at night and whether charging takes place in a separate, fire-safe room weigh in the fire and theft assessment.
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 floor you are cleaning is a thing in your care
Streaks on a coating, an attacked resin floor, swollen joints in wood or dull patches on natural stone: that is damage to the thing you are working on, and it is excluded from the basic cover. Because a machine treats hundreds of square metres in a single pass, the repair bill is rarely small. Anyone cleaning for clients needs an extension for care, custody and control or for things being worked on.
Leaving a wet floor behind is a liability in its own right
If someone falls on a freshly scrubbed floor without signage, the first question is what measure you took. Warning signs, a cordoned walking route or working outside opening hours are that defence. The instruction to your employee should be recorded in writing. Your employee's mistake reaches you through Article 6:170 of the Dutch Civil Code, and the building owner who is held liable under Article 6:174 of the Dutch Civil Code will then recover his loss from you.
Outdoors you drive between parked cars and traffic
A sweeper manoeuvres in narrow streets, alongside parked vehicles and across event sites amid the public. Collisions while reversing and damaged mirrors or doors are the usual losses; injury is the serious one. On the public road the insurance obligation under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM)applies; on a closed business site it does not, but your liability remains. So state precisely where and at what times you drive.
Battery pack, charging point and the contents of the hopper
Many machines have a large traction or lithium battery pack that is charged indoors, often in an enclosed space. Fire while charging is usually covered, but not where you depart from the charging instructions or use an unsuitable charger. Loss of capacity and ageing of the battery fall outside all cover as wear, as do brushes, rubbers and squeegee blades. A smouldering cigarette end in the hopper is a sudden cause.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is damage to the floor I am scrubbing insured?
Not in the basic cover. The floor is the thing you are working on and therefore falls under the care, custody and control exclusion. That applies to chemical attack from the wrong product, to scratches from a pad that is too coarse and to water damage in joints. If you clean in clients' premises, have an extension for care, custody and control or things being worked on included with a suitable limit.
Who pays for a fall on a freshly scrubbed floor?
In principle you do, under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code, and for your employee's mistake under Article 6:170 DCC. If signage was missing, that is almost decisive. Even where the injured person first holds the building owner liable under Article 6:174 DCC, the loss still comes back to you along that route. So document your instructions and the placing of signs.
Does my sweeper need WAM insurance?
As soon as the machine uses the public road, yes: article 2 WAM requires it for motor vehicles, even where the top speed is low. If you work solely on a closed business site or inside a building, that obligation does not apply. Your liability for injury and property damage continues in full there, so cover is still needed.
Is fire while charging the battery covered?
Fire falls under own-damage cover, but there are two common restrictions. If you charge with a charger not specified by the manufacturer or depart from the charging instructions, the insurer can refuse cover. In addition, an inherent defect in the battery pack, such as loss of capacity or ageing, is not sudden damage and is therefore excluded from payment.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
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- A forklift truck on plant and machinery insuranceCertification, injury, inspection
- Insuring a ride-on mowerLow value, liability, objects thrown out
- A mower on the plant and machinery insuranceThrown debris, third parties, terrain
- A pallet truck on the plant and machinery insuranceIndoors, injury, goods
- Insuring a sweeper and scrubberCleaning, batteries, work at third parties' premises
- Insuring a wheel loader and shovel loaderSite work, loading damage, tyre damage
Read more
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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 (LinkedIn). Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.