Bricklaying happens on other people's sites, usually at height, in dust, building something that belongs to somebody else the moment it is finished and to nobody clearly until then. The liability cover answers for what the work does to third parties; the wall itself, half built and exposed to weather, is a different section entirely, and it is the one small firms most often lack.
Height, scaffolds and somebody else's structure
Most brickwork above the first lift happens from a scaffold erected by another firm, and the Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply to everybody organising work at height, not only to whoever built the platform. Insurers ask what height you work to and whether you erect any access yourself. Dropping a brick or a tool from a lift is the routine third party claim, and edge protection and toe boards are what the defence rests on.
The wall in progress
A newly built wall exposed to wind or frost before it cures, or knocked before it is tied in, is damage to the works rather than to a third party. Public liability does not answer for it; contract works or contractors' all risks does, and it also covers the materials stacked on site. For a firm that lays and leaves, the question is who carries that risk under the contract and until when.
Silica, and the claim that arrives late
Cutting and grinding masonry produces respirable crystalline silica, a recognised cause of serious lung disease, and the resulting employers' liability claims surface many years after the exposure. The policy that answers is the one in force at the time, which is why those records are kept for decades and why dust control, water suppression and extraction matter to the claim as well as to the person.
Labour only, and who employs whom
Bricklaying gangs frequently work labour only for a main contractor, and labour only subcontractors are generally treated as employees for employers' liability purposes. Which side of that line a gang sits on changes who must hold the compulsory cover, and it is the question insurers ask first because it changes the premium and the answer at claim.
Questions people ask about bricklayers insurance
How much public liability do bricklayers need?
Five million pounds is the usual requirement on managed sites and for main contractor work, with one or two million for small domestic jobs. The site induction or the contract names it.
Is the wall we are building covered?
Not by public liability. Damage to the works in progress and to materials on site is contract works or contractors' all risks, and the building contract says who carries it.
Does the policy cover dust related illness?
Employers' liability answers for work related disease in employees, and the policy in force at the time of exposure is the one that responds, which can be decades before the claim.
Are labour only gangs employees?
Generally yes for employers' liability purposes, where they work under your direction. That makes the compulsory cover yours rather than theirs, and it is the first question an insurer asks.