Civil Engineering Insurance

What is Civil Engineering Insurance?

Civil engineering insurance is business insurance designed to cover the unique perils of those working in the civil engineering sector. In South Africa, insurers often combine different types of insurance to find a package that best covers your business risks. When you get a Civil Engineering Completed Risks (CECR) solution with a trusted South African insurance company, you can enjoy peace of mind that your business operations will continue despite risks and perils.

How Does Civil Engineering Insurance Work?

Engineers can choose to purchase several individual policies to cover a wide range of occupational risks related to their business, or they can get a customised solution. These solutions often make up a portfolio of cover types, such as a liability policy, electronic equipment cover, and more.

Are Civil Engineers Personally Liable?

Yes. In South Africa, civil engineers can be held personally liable for errors or omissions in their professional capacity. This is why many engineers are required to present a certificate of insurance before being employed for a construction project.

What Does Civil Engineering Insurance Cover?

The extent of your cover will be dependent on the insurer you choose and what they offer. Civil engineering insurance can cover third-party injuries, material damage, malicious damage, repair costs, medical expenses, electronic equipment, accidents, workplace injuries, fires, explosions, natural disasters, and much more.

What Type of Insurance Does an Engineer Need?

As a civil engineer, you can benefit from specialised engineering cover tailored to suit your unique needs. From construction projects to machinery breakdown, certain perils will be more relevant to your operations. It’s important to choose a policy that will give you all the cover you need.

Often civil engineering completed risks insurance portfolios include several types of cover. An insurance expert from a reliable insurer can help you navigate these insurance types to choose your ultimate package. Companies like Santam offer excellent service and customised cover options to a business owner in the engineering industry.

Public Liability Insurance

If your business operations cause damage to property or damage to infrastructure, members of the public can institute claims against you. Public liability cover will protect you from such claims for damages, bodily injury, or losses by third parties.

Professional Indemnity Insurance

Professional indemnity insurance is also known as errors and omissions insurance. It protects the insured from third-party claims because of mistakes they may make in their professional capacity. Seeing that you can be held personally liable for such errors, this type of cover is important. Client lawsuits can lead to extensive costs without this cover.

COIDA

The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act prescribes statutory insurance that most South African employers must acquire for their employees. It is more commonly known as workmen’s compensation.

This type of cover will benefit civil engineers and any of their employees. It protects the engineer from injury claims while covering the employee if they get an occupational illness or become injured on duty.

The only employee an engineer doesn’t need to sign up to COIDA is a contractor. The COIDA act stops employees from instituting civil claims against their employers for injury on duty, death, or occupational illness. Without this type of cover, you may have to foot massive medical bills and legal costs.

Other types of cover that you can include in your engineer’s insurance:

• Business Vehicle Insurance
• Cyber Insurance
• Electronic Equipment
• Machinery Insurance
• Personal Accident Insurance

Why is Civil Engineer’s Insurance Important?

The most important reason to get civil engineer insurance is because it provides an economic safeguard. Any risks you encounter during contract implementation or execution have the potential to bankrupt your engineering firm.

Without cover for liabilities such as electronic equipment breakdown, there is no buffer to protect your business from accidents and perils. Civil engineering accidents are not planned, yet due to the complex nature of your work, they are a massive risk. It is better to pay a small fee for insurance than to lose your business if something unplanned happens.

Where to Get the Best Civil Engineering Cover in South Africa?

Make sure you’re covered and get a quote for the best civil engineer insurance in South Africa the easy way. You don’t need to contact different insurers and struggle with an application form or explain your unique risks. Just fill in the form at the top of this page, and our advanced system will match you with the ideal insurer for your needs.