A scaffolder builds a structure that other trades then live on for weeks, and the liability does not end when the crew drives away. A collapse, a fall from an incomplete lift, a board dropped onto a pavement or a tie that was removed by somebody else are all events that happen after the erection and attach to the firm that put it up. That continuing exposure is why scaffolding is rated near the top of the construction trades.
The liability continues while the scaffold stands
Public liability answers for injury and property damage to third parties, and on a scaffold that includes other trades using it and the public walking under it. The exposure runs from erection through the whole hire period to dismantling, which is a far longer window than most trades face, and the limit required reflects it: five million pounds is the normal minimum on any managed site and ten million appears on larger or public facing jobs.
Inspections are the defence
Scaffolds must be inspected by a competent person before first use and at regular intervals, and after anything that could affect stability. The record of those inspections is what a claim is defended with, and its absence is what makes an indefensible claim. It is also what distinguishes a firm whose scaffold was interfered with by another trade from a firm whose scaffold was never checked.
The materials, the yard and the hire
Tube, fittings, boards and system components are a large asset that spends its life on other people's sites, and they are covered by a plant and materials section rather than by liability. Theft from sites is routine. Hired in equipment remains the hire company's property and your contractual responsibility, and continuing hire charges after a loss are usually a specific extension rather than part of the damage cover.
Design, and where the professional line is
A scaffold outside a standard configuration needs a design, and producing or relying on one is a professional act. Firms that design, or that sign off a departure from a standard configuration, should ask about professional indemnity specifically, because a design failure causes financial loss and physical damage at the same time and the liability policy only answers for half of it.
Questions people ask about scaffolding insurance
How much public liability does a scaffolding firm need?
Five million pounds is the normal minimum on managed sites, with ten million required on larger or public facing jobs. The exposure runs for the whole hire period rather than only while the crew is on site.
Does the policy cover the scaffold after we leave?
The liability does continue while the structure stands, which is why the cover is rated as it is. What decides a claim is usually the inspection record and whether another trade interfered with the scaffold.
Are scaffold materials covered by liability insurance?
No. Tube, fittings and boards are your own property and belong on a plant and materials section, with its own limits and its own conditions about site security.
Do scaffolders need professional indemnity?
Where the firm designs scaffolds or signs off departures from standard configurations, yes: a design failure is a financial loss as well as a physical one, and public liability answers only for the physical half.