Professional Indemnity Insurance

[Delpeeps]

Good morning folks,
I am in the process of joining NAPIT and they are asking for professional indemnity insurance. However I work for a large laundry company and I am the sole electrician carrying out electrical work, appliance testing and fixed wire testing. However I am only doing this in our own properties and am not providing a service or offering advice to any other parties, yet the NAPIT person is insistent that we need the professional indemnity insurance as I am carrying out EICR's, even when their own insurance team will not provide cover as we are only doing internal work and this was confirmed also by our insurance broker. I cannot proceed with the application without the insurance. Any thoughts please?

 

[James]

In your circumstances, I don’t see what you gain by joining them.
Is there a particular reason why you want to join?

 

[snowhead]

I'd say this is how NAPIT are looking at it,

You are joining their scheme, just like any other electrical company or sole.
To them it makes no difference what properties you work on or say you are going to work on.
Unless they have a special scheme that only covers members' own properties then you have to comply with their general conditions.

 

[Delpeeps]

In your circumstances, I don’t see what you gain by joining them.
Is there a particular reason why you want to join?

As we have a fairly large factory and have to carry out EICR work every 3 years for the insurance. It also helps me keep my electrical qualifications up to date and officially sign off any electrical work carried out by myself in the factory and keeps me covered if anything was to go wrong.

 

[Delpeeps]

I'd say this is how NAPIT are looking at it,

You are joining their scheme, just like any other electrical company or sole.
To them it makes no difference what properties you work on or say you are going to work on.
Unless they have a special scheme that only covers members' own properties then you have to comply with their general conditions.

It is looking that way but if that is the case why won't their insurance department even offer insurance?

 

[loz2754]

I still don't see why you need to join a scheme for the work you do.
As long as you are competent to do so, you can produce the necessary certification without being a scheme member.
If you still want to go ahead, then professional indemnity insurance is not too expensive.

 

[Delpeeps]

I still don't see why you need to join a scheme for the work you do.
As long as you are competent to do so, you can produce the necessary certification without being a scheme member.
If you still want to go ahead, then professional indemnity insurance is not too expensive.

Yes I understand that but the insurance company want the EICR by a registered body. Looks like I'll just have to tell their insurance department that we do other work just to get the cover. Purely a tick box exercise.

 

[loz2754]

Yes I understand that but the insurance company want the EICR by a registered body. Looks like I'll just have to tell their insurance department that we do other work just to get the cover. Purely a tick box exercise.

I see, sorry I misunderstood.

 

[Baddegg]

Can’t see why you need a scheme but if you do just get the insurance, for what it costs it’s silly for most sparks not to have it, it can be had for £150-£200 a year....

 

[snowhead]

It is looking that way but if that is the case why won't their insurance department even offer insurance?

Missed that.

Are you employed by the Laundry company?
Are you applying to Napit in your own name or the company's name?

 

[Delpeeps]

Missed that.

Are you employed by the Laundry company?
Are you applying to Napit in your own name or the company's name?

I am employed by the laundry as an engineer/electrician and applying in the laundries name. If i was self employed this process would have been so much easier and would have been done and dusted by now.

 

[UNG]

Yes I understand that but the insurance company want the EICR by a registered body. Looks like I'll just have to tell their insurance department that we do other work just to get the cover. Purely a tick box exercise.

I think I would be talking to the insurance company and questioning their requirements most if not all will back down if challenged, if you have the qualifications and competence to carry out an EICR then why should you have to spend money on insurance and membership fees to a CPS so you can produce an EICR that will probably have more validity than bringing in a third party contractor
My advice would be call the insurance company and put them on the spot and play the discrimination card, tell them that you feel they are belittling your qualifications, ability and competence by insisting on a registered contractor and that you don't like restrictive practices that stop you earning a living