Do I Need Public Liability Or Professional Indemnity Insurance?

If you train clients and need specialist insurance, you’re probably wondering – do I need Public Liability or Professional Indemnity insurance? I’ve heard about them, but what are the differences between them? Let’s find out…

Public Liability

This covers you for injury to another person or damage to third party property. If someone in your care suffered a serious injury or accidentally damaged property and a claim was made against you, Public Liability would cover your legal fees if the claim ended up in court.

Public Liability is so important that most gyms or fitness centres won’t let you teach on their premises unless you can prove you have it – and it’s easy to see why this is the case.

Even if you conduct a risk assessment before and after every class or training session, you may not spot certain hazards or something unexpected could happen, which is why Public Liability is essential.

Here are some examples of what Public Liability covers you for:

• You’re a personal trainer and you’re using a resistance band with a client. The band snaps and hits them, causing a serious injury. They blame you for using faulty equipment.
• You’re a dance teacher holding a class. There is moisture/water on the studio floor, and someone slips over when executing a move and badly injures themselves. They blame you for not spotting the hazard earlier.
• You’re running a group fitness class. A client drops a weight or barbell, causing significant damage to the studio floor. You’re held responsible for the damage.
• You’re a martial arts instructor. A student is practising kicks and misses their target or mistimes a move, damaging a wall or door at the studio you’re renting. A claim is made against you.

If any of the above instances take place, Insure4Sport’s Public Liability will cover your legal liability up to £10 million.

Furthermore, this cover doesn’t just apply to coaches or instructors. Players and participants can also get Public Liability to cover themselves against similar scenarios to the above.

Professional Indemnity

This covers you if someone injures themselves or becomes seriously ill following advice you’ve given and claims it’s your fault.

While most people just get Public Liability, you need Professional Indemnity if you’re giving advice, or charging a fee for advice. This type of cover is therefore essential for coaches and instructors.

Here are some scenarios Professional Indemnity would cover you for:

• You instruct a client to perform some stretches before and/or after a session. They injure themselves performing the stretches and hold you responsible.
• You instruct a client to perform a certain exercise during a one-to-one session. They go away and perform the exercise and suffer a sprain or even a broken bone. They claim this was due to your bad advice.

If these things happen, Professional Indemnity covers you for claims made against you because of a negligent error or mistake in the advice you’ve given to customers or clients.

Which type of cover do I need?

Thankfully, with Insure4Sport, you don’t need to choose between the two. If you’re a coach or instructor, you’ll get £1m of free Professional Indemnity cover as standard when you take out Public Liability.

The aim of this article is simply to advise you which cover type you would claim under, depending on the situation. To summarise…

• If you’re held responsible for someone in your care injuring themselves or damaging third party property during a class or session, you would claim under Public Liability.
• If the claim relates to something that’s happened outside of the class or session based on advice you’ve given, it’s Professional Indemnity.

Now that you’re up to speed on the differences between the two, get an instant online quote with us and discover the value of peace of mind.