How many security gates are there in the UK? We’d take a guess of at least a few million.
When you consider the range of different types of security gates out there, from home driveway gates, industrial gates, secure perimeter gates, traffic barriers and more, our estimate doesn’t seem too out there.
Security gate installation in the UK is a nice line of work, with excellent profits to be made once you’ve built up a solid reputation and secured the right client base. However, it’s a risky profession with a lot of scope for things to go badly wrong. You need to be wise to the wide array of different risks that come as part of this trade, including how to protect yourself if things do go belly-up. This is what we’re going to examine today, so it’s time to get comfortable with a brew before you join Rhino on this journey!
Despite their benefits in keeping places secure and managing traffic flow, automatic security gates have the potential to be seriously dangerous. That’s why, of course, it takes a skilled professional like you to install and maintain them. In the wrong hands, an automatically-powered gate can become a lethal weapon. Tragically, there have been several fatalities in the UK as a result of powered gate failure.
The somewhat terrifying hazards of automatic security gates may include:
According the the Door and Hardware Federation (DHF) – the big boys of promoting powered gate safety standards – the most common failure of automatic gates involves a gate coming out of its runner, with the second most common cause of gate failure being a gate falling off its hinges.
Any security gate installation professional knows how important risk assessment and testing is.
For example, comprehensive force testing must be carried out to ensure that if the gate’s mechanisms did fail, it could not harm a person or animal that strayed into its path. Further, risk assessments should be conducted before embarking on any trade job, and security gate installation is no exception. A risk assessment helps you identify hazards before you begin the job, which will then allow you to put mitigating measures in place to make sure the job can be completed safely.
When conducting a risk assessment, you should follow a specific formula. It’s not good enough to cast your eye over the area and say, “looks OK to me!”. Professional security gate installers should have a risk assessment form they whip out and fill in in advance of every job, which has been produced (or at least checked) by a Health & Safety professional in the security gate installation industry. As mentioned above, security gate installation can be a seriously dangerous business without the proper checks.
Your risk assessment form should draw your attention to specific areas of potential risk, and suggest mitigating actions to make things as safe as possible. For example, if you’re going to be working on a driveway or road, there’s a risk you can get hit by a car. To mitigate this, you should liaise with the premises department (or homeowner if it’s a private dwelling), cordoning off your work area and installing warning signage.
Other variables will effect the overall risk of your job, which should be included in the risk assessment. For example, if you’re installing a security gate in a private dwelling, the risk of unexpected traffic is reduced compared to if you’re working on a busy commercial building or school. Some risk assessments include a handy rating (such as a Red, Amber Green rating, known as a ‘RAG’ rating) to indicate how likely a risk is, and measure the severity of its impact.If you don’t currently use a risk assessment form, simply use the template provided on the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) website.
Doing your risk assessments properly have other benefits beyond the most important and obvious one – which is keeping you safe. A thorough risk assessment will also:
Risk assessments are a legal duty, according to the Health & Safety Executive. You may need to provide evidence that you are upholding this legal duty, so get those forms filled in! If you’re a future-facing tradesperson and you wish to embrace the new generation of business administration in the form of job management software, then super-easy tick-box digital risk assessment forms are often offered as part of the package.
After an accident on a job site, things can quickly get messy. A properly-filled out risk assessment form (whether a paper form or a digital version) will help make sure you can prove that you’ve done your part if something goes wrong. However, regardless of whose fault it was, legal liability for accidents on job sites will always fall on your shoulders. This is why the very best way to protect yourself financially from liability for accidents and damages on-site is by being covered by a good Public Liability Insurance policy. Rhino can sort yours today – give us a call on 0116 243 7904.
We’ve mentioned risk assessments and their importance in keeping people safe. Now it’s time to talk about protecting you. Enter Security Gate Installers Insurance, an exclusive insurance product from Rhino Trade Insurance, your friendly comprehensive trade insurance experts!
So, what types of insurance does your average security gate installer need?
Every single security gate installer needs Public Liability Insurance. It’s Rhino’s #1 best-selling policy for good reason, and it’s what we offer as core cover within our Security Gate Installers bundle. Beyond that, you can add more policies to suit you and your unique business needs – check these out below.
As we mentioned, this is our core cover for security gate installers. This policy will cover you for accidental injury caused to a member of the public (including a customer or a total stranger), as well as for accidental damage to their property. With Public Liability Insurance, you will have your costs covered (up to your chosen indemnity limit) for compensation payouts and any costs associated with a third party claim.
Employer’s Liability Insurance
If you’re a one-man-band security gate installer, you won’t need this policy. But most gate installers don’t work alone, so you’re also likely to need it. Employer’s Liability Insurance will step in with financial assistance if one of your employee is harmed or has any of their property damaged while on the job. It’s the law in the UK to have Employer’s Liability Insurance of at least £5m if you employ anyone. Luckily, Rhino make it easy for you to choose this policy as an add-on at a low cost.
This one is pretty self-explanatory. An accident that leaves you unable to work for a time = no income for that period. Security gate installation is a high-risk game and one that requires you to be fighting fit. If you’re struck by a falling gate, break your wrist carrying some heavy timber or even get concussion at the weekend playing with your kids, then Personal Accident Insurance will help by paying out a lump sum to smooth things over until you’re able to return to work.
This policy is similar to Personal Accident Insurance, except that instead of paying you a lump sum should you get injured, it gives you a regular monthly amount designed to cover your basic costs of living while you recover. Many security gate installers add this policy to their Security Gate Installers bundle for extra assurance that if they do get hurt, they won’t have to spend a moment worrying about how they’re going to pay their bills while they’re not earning.
Professional Indemnity Insurance
According to the HSE, issues with powered gates can arise many years after installation. A security gate needs to hold up under all sorts of environmental and other stressors, from hailstorms to children climbing them. Something going wrong with the gate down the line may come back to bite you, and the customer can sue you for negligence or breach of duty for a gate failure that happens long after you’ve packed up your tools and left. Professional Indemnity Insurance is an absolutely invaluable policy which can protect you from claims for compensation from financial loss, which can come long after you’ve done the job.
Yet another useful policy to add to your Security Gate Installers bundle, tools insurance will safeguard your tools and equipment from loss, theft or damage. You probably know how common tool theft is these days, with tools stolen on average every 23 minutes in the UK. And those are just the ones reported to the police! In reality, it’s likely you’ll fall victim to this infuriating crime at some point, so the best thing to do is protect yourself by adding this policy to your bundle.
So, you’re a security gate installer with the good sense to protect yourself with insurance. But how much should you get?
Your business is a different size and shape to any other business. Plus, the types of jobs you take on may set you apart from other firms in terms of risk. This means that the level of cover you will need will differ from that of the security gate installation firm the next town over and there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
You can give our online insurance quote generator a whirl. By entering a few details about your business, The only way to truly know the amount of cover your business will need is to speak to an expert, such as the guys and girls at Rhino. We will ask you a few questions about your business and its activities, and give you our best advice.
It’s worth noting that there are legal stipulations with some insurance cover amounts, such as Employer’s Liability Insurance which should be at least £5million. Also, there may be contractual terms which set out a minimum level of cover you need, for example it’s common for contracts to stipulate at least £100,000 in Public Liability Insurance in a works contract.
To ensure that your insurance adequately covers the current state of your business, a regular review is essential. If you hire new employees, increase the scope of your services or significantly increase your turnover, your insurer needs to know about it. Under-insurance is a big problem in the trades industry, with many tradespeople not realising they’re not properly covered until it’s too late. The helpful team at Rhino can keep you on track by ensuring your insurance coverage is adjusted to align with your business’s current risk profile and project scope.
Rhino Trade Insurance are the experts in trade insurance solutions for security gate installers in the UK. Our experienced team can guide you in developing a personalised bundle of insurance which caters to your specific business.
Give us a call today on 0116 243 7904 to discover Security Gate Installers Insurance… without the faff!
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