Fieldwork · respondent data · reports
Liability insurance for a self-employed survey agency
Research work rarely produces physical damage, but it does carry two other risks: what you do with respondent data and what the client does with your findings. Both fall outside this policy.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Aansprakelijkheidsverzekering voor een zelfstandig enquêtebureau.
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.
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- 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
Public and employers' liability insurance covers the physical side of your work: injury and damage to property that you cause to others. For fieldwork that is very concrete. You cross people's thresholds at home, you set up an interview stand in a shopping centre, you walk through a production hall with a tablet. A display cabinet knocked over, a damaged floor, a respondent tripping over your tripod: those are the claims this policy is intended for, and the reason clients require it in their purchasing conditions.
The main risk of research work falls outside it. A sample that is not representative, a weighting factor mixed up, a finding interpreted wrongly on which a client bases a decision: that costs money without anything breaking or anyone being injured. That pure financial loss belongs on a professional indemnity insurance, together with claims about late delivery and about breaches of confidentiality.
The second risk is the data. You process names, addresses, recordings and sometimes special category personal data about health or political preference. If that file leaks, the costs of investigation, notification and putting matters right are not a liability loss but a cyber risk; see cyber insurance. Administrative fines from the Dutch data protection authority are penalties and are not insured under any policy.
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 where you are and are not covered in research and fieldwork.
Fieldwork in people's homes
Home visits account for most of the claims picture: a cupboard knocked, a mug spilt over a laptop, a damaged door frame. State on your application that you work in people's homes and not solely at a desk, because the description of your business activity determines whether such a claim falls within cover.
The client's equipment
Tablets, recording equipment or a laptop lent to you are property that you have in your care and fall under the care, custody and control exclusion. If you accept liability for that equipment in your contract, arrange separate care, custody and control cover or have the provision struck out before you sign.
What this policy does not cover
Outside cover are: loss caused by an incorrect report or a wrong analysis, fines and penalty payments, the costs of a data breach, claims about copyright or the use of third parties' questionnaires, and damage caused by intent under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. A client who does not pay your invoice is not an insured risk either.
Working outside the Netherlands
If you carry out fieldwork or online research for clients abroad, check the territorial scope. Many policies cover Europe and exclude the United States and Canada, even where the claim is brought there. An unreported extension can, under Articles 7:928 and 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code affect the payout.
What does your premium depend on?
- Annual turnover: the usual basis for a sole trader
- Share of fieldwork: home visits and street interviews weigh more heavily than online panels
- Type of clients: government, healthcare and market research each have their own requirements
- Processing of special category personal data: relevant to additional cyber cover
- Area of cover: the Netherlands, Europe or worldwide with exceptions
- Sum insured and excess: per claim and per insurance year
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | AVB | BAV |
|---|---|---|
| On a company visit you run your sack truck into a glass partition in the entrance hall | Yes | No |
| A gust of wind blows your parasol into a respondent's head during a street interview | Yes | No |
| The client has to repeat the fieldwork because you approached the wrong target group | No | Yes |
| You deliver the report two weeks late and the client misses a grant deadline as a result | No | Yes |
| Your own tablet slips out of your hands during a home visit and cannot be repaired | No | No |
| A participant demands the promised fee after you stopped the panel early | No | No |
The physical side of fieldwork is on this policy. The content of your research is not.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
My research turned out not to be representative. Is that claim covered?
Not under public and employers' liability insurance. A client who says he took a wrong decision on the strength of your findings is claiming financial loss without injury or damaged property. That belongs on professional indemnity insurance, which covers the cost of defence as well as the loss. Set out in your quotation which method and which confidence margin were agreed.
Why does a client ask for this on online research?
The purchasing conditions of local authorities, care institutions and larger companies usually require liability insurance from every party engaged as a matter of course, whether or not the work is physical. They do not want to bear the cost of damage you cause on their premises themselves. Ask what minimum sum insured they require and whether they want the policy schedule in advance.
A respondent feels harmed by the publication. What then?
Claims about unlawful publication, damage to reputation or breach of confidentiality concern financial loss and non-material loss and fall outside this policy. Anonymise results, record consent and agree with the client who is responsible for publication. For the legal dispute itself, legal expenses insurance for self-employed professionals is more suitable.
When do I have to report a claim?
As soon as you are reasonably aware of it. Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires timely notification and allows the insurer to reduce the payment if late notification has harmed his interests. When a claim is brought, do not admit liability and do not promise any payment; leave the assessment to the insurer.
Read more
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