Exclusions differ from one insurer to another, and checking them is part of our work before we recommend a policy to you.
A worker falls from scaffolding and suffers a leg fracture with lasting consequences. The policy pays the hospital daily benefit, the daily benefit for the period of sick leave and, once treatment ends, a sum for the assessed percentage of permanent disability. That payment goes to the employee and does not depend on whether the employer was at fault for the injury.
An office employee breaks an arm falling on ice on a Saturday morning. Under a policy that covers injuries at work only there is no payment, while under 24 hour cover the claim is reported and the benefit is paid. This is the most common case in practice and the most common source of disappointment when the narrower cover was bought.
A client asks for proof that the workers are insured against injury at work before they are allowed on site. The group personal accident policy, with the list of employees and a confirmation from the insurer, is attached to the bid. We speed up the issuing of that confirmation, because these deadlines are usually measured in days.
The examples are illustrative and show how the cover works in practice.
For higher risk work the obligation to insure employees against injury at work follows from the occupational safety and health rules, and it can also be imposed by a collective agreement or by the terms of a client. For other employers the policy is voluntary, although it is often bought as a benefit. If you are not sure which group you fall into, we will look at your risk assessment document together with you.
Cover at work applies while the work is being done and usually on the journey to and from work, while 24 hour cover applies at any moment, on holiday and at home. Most injuries happen outside working hours, so the narrower cover leaves a wide gap. We price both options so you can see how big the difference really is.
The benefit goes to the employee, and in the event of death to the person the employee has named or to the legal heirs. The employer pays the premium but is not the beneficiary. That is why this policy is experienced as a benefit rather than as protection for the assets of the company.
Group policies are usually written on an unnamed basis, where the headcount and the activity are declared instead of a list of names. New joiners are covered from the day their employment starts, and the difference in premium is settled at the end of the period or at renewal. On policies with a named list, changes have to be notified, so a reporting schedule is agreed.
No. Personal accident insurance pays a fixed sum, which means benefits from several policies are paid independently of one another. An employee can claim under the group policy of the employer and under a personal one, if the conditions of both are met. This is an important difference from property insurance, where a loss is indemnified only once.
Send us a short enquiry. We collect offers from every insurer that covers this risk and explain the differences before you sign anything.
