General Insurance
5 min read • Updated October 2026
What does public liability insurance not cover?
Quick Answer / Executive Summary
Public liability insurance does not cover your own injuries, injuries to employees, financial loss from professional advice or mistakes, damage to your tools, or deliberate acts. Those need income protection, employers liability, professional indemnity and tools cover. Read the policy exclusions carefully, as set out in our sole trader insurance guide.
Key Takeaways at a Glance
- Public liability only pays third parties for injury or property damage caused by your business.
- Employee injuries need employers liability; advice errors need professional indemnity.
- Your own tools and stock need separate cover, see tool insurance.
- Deliberate acts, work outside your declared trade and some high-risk activities are common exclusions.
- Compare the two liability covers side by side in public liability vs professional indemnity.
Your Own Injuries and Income
If you hurt yourself or cannot work, public liability pays nothing. There is no statutory sick pay for the self-employed, so see income protection for the self-employed.
Employees and Casual Helpers
Staff injuries need employers liability. The two covers are compared in public liability vs employers liability.
Advice, Design and Financial Loss
If a client loses money because of your advice or an error, that is professional indemnity territory. The side-by-side is in public liability vs professional indemnity.
Tools, Stock, Vehicles and Data
Tools and stock are covered by equipment cover (tools). Vehicle damage sits with motor insurance (business car insurance), and data loss with cyber cover.
Common Exclusions to Read Before You Buy
Look for exclusions (see exclusion): work at height, heat, undeclared trades, deliberate damage, and contractual liabilities you accepted but the policy does not. Always describe the work accurately.
Real-Life Case Incident & Precedent
Precedent: Insurance Act 2015: cover responds to the risks described and accepted; the policy wording, not general expectation, decides what is paid.
The Dropped Camera
Scenario: A self-employed wedding photographer drops a venue's ÂŁ2,000 chandelier crystal and, separately, loses a couple's raw files so the album cannot be made.
Resolution & Judicial Outcome: Public liability pays for the chandelier. The lost files are professional indemnity and cyber territory, so that part is uninsured until she adds those covers.
Related Case Study Simulation:
Read Analysis
What You Should Do: Step-by-Step Action Plan
1
List your risks: injuries, property damage, advice, tools, data, income.
2
Match each to a cover.
3
Read the exclusions page of each policy.
4
Ask your broker about gaps.
5
Review when your work changes.
Critical Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming public liability covers everything.
- Not reading exclusions.
- Using an outdated trade description.
- Ignoring tools and income cover.