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Civil liability insurance for companies
A large company entails great responsibility. For this reason, it is essential to be aware of current risks that may cause harm or damage to third parties. Protecting your company means protecting those around you.
In short
What is civil liability insurance
Liability insurance covers the compensation the company must pay for damages caused to third parties in the course of its activity, plus legal defence costs and bonds. It is not a single cover but a set: operational, product, post-completion, employer's and premises liability respond to different events, and a company may have one contracted and be completely uncovered in another.
Advantages
Advantages of civil liability insurance
RC is, for many clients and administrations, the requirement that decides if you work with them.
Requirement to enter large accounts
Becoming an approved supplier for a multinational or an administration involves proving specific RC limits. Without them, you do not reach the offer stage.
Legal defence comes first
Lawyer and expert fees are advanced during the procedure, which can last years. Without a policy, that cost is advanced by the company even if it ends up winning.
A known cap to the unknown
A claim for personal injury has no natural limit. The policy turns an open and impossible-to-provision contingency into a closed annual premium.
You export to demanding markets
With the expanded geographical scope, you can sell to the United States or Canada. Without it, your distributor there does not accept you as a supplier.
Profile
Who we work for
Industry and manufacturers
Companies that place products on the market and are liable for them even if the damage appears years after the sale.
Installers and service companies
Activities where the damage manifests after the work is completed and operational liability no longer applies.
Companies with their own staff
Organisations exposed to claims from workers for occupational accidents beyond Social Security benefits.
Distributors and importers
Profiles that are liable as manufacturers to the consumer for third-party products they introduce into the EU.
Technical criteria
The most common gaps
Liability is the branch where a superficial reading of the policy wording is more costly, because the problem only appears when the claim is on the table.
Uncontracted post-completion liability
The installation is delivered correctly and fails eight months later. Operational liability does not cover this damage: post-completion cover is needed.
Employer's liability with a ridiculous sub-limit
A claim for a serious accident with permanent consequences easily exceeds €600,000. Many policies have an employer's sub-limit of €150,000 per victim.
Short geographical scope
The company exports to the United States and its policy excludes the USA and Canada, which is precisely where the liability regime is most severe.
Product recall excluded
The cost of withdrawing a batch from the market usually multiplies the damage itself, and is not included unless expressly contracted.
Scope
Main covers of civil liability insurance
- Operational liability for damages caused during the course of activity
- Product and post-completion liability, with cover after delivery or commissioning
- Employer's liability against claims from own workers for occupational accidents
- Premises, cross and contractor's and subcontractor's subsidiary liability
- Legal defence costs, civil and criminal bonds, and provision of guarantees
- Specific covers: accidental pollution, product recall and pure financial losses
The definitive scope depends on the wording of each insurer. We review it with you before recommending anything.
The JORI& method
Cómo trabajamos
El mismo método en cualquier solución: entender la exposición real antes de mirar una prima.
Análisis del riesgo
Estudiamos la actividad, el patrimonio y los escenarios plausibles. Sin ese diagnóstico, comparar pólizas es comparar precios de cosas distintas.
Diseño del programa
Definimos coberturas, límites, franquicias y exclusiones aceptables. Decidimos qué se transfiere al asegurador y qué se retiene de forma consciente.
Negociación con el mercado
Presentamos el riesgo a las aseguradoras con las que trabajamos y negociamos condiciones. Somos independientes: no pertenecemos a ninguna compañía.
Acompañamiento y siniestros
Revisamos el programa cada renovación y, cuando ocurre el siniestro, actuamos como tu parte técnica frente al asegurador hasta el cobro.
Frequent doubts
Lo que más nos preguntan sobre civil liability insurance
What RC limit does my company need?
It depends on the activity, turnover, target market, and the worst reasonable scenario. In industries with products on the market, starting from €1.5M is common, and staying there is usually insufficient if exporting. The correct question is not how much it costs to raise the limit, but how much the claim that doesn't fit within it would cost.
What is the difference between occurrence and claims-made?
In occurrence basis, the policy in force when the damage occurred responds; in claims-made basis, the one in force when the claim is made responds. The second is cheaper but leaves a dangerous gap when changing insurer or ceasing activity, unless a retroactive discovery period is contracted.
Does employer's liability replace the surcharge on benefits?
No. The surcharge on benefits for lack of safety measures is a penalty and the law prohibits insuring it. Employer's liability covers the complementary civil compensation that the worker claims, which is a different and perfectly insurable concept.
Does my policy cover damages in countries where I export?
Only if the geographical scope includes it. The United States and Canada are excluded by default in almost the entire European market and require express extension, with differentiated premium and conditions.
What is cross liability and why do we always request it?
It allows insured parties under the same policy to claim against each other, something essential when contractor and subcontractors coexist. Without it, damage caused by one subcontractor to another is not covered despite both being insured.
Can pollution be insured?
Accidental and sudden pollution can be, within general RC with a sublimit. Gradual pollution requires a specific environmental liability policy, which is also mandatory for certain activities in Annex III of Law 26/2007.
Liability
The sublimits that will decide a future claim
We analyse your actual activity, your target markets, and your current policy wording, and point out the sublimits that would not withstand a serious claim.
- Independent broker: we do not belong to any insurer
- The specialist in the field you consulted answers you
- The review is delivered in writing, policy by policy
Insights
Ver el tema public and product liability What we have written about this
Nota técnica
Product liability and recall expenses: two covers that are confused daily
One covers the damage caused by the product. The other pays for the operation of removing it from the market before it causes damage. They are not the same guarantee.
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European AI Regulation: what changes for the liability of those who implement it
The regulation classifies systems by risk and imposes obligations on both the provider and the company that uses them. Insurance is still lagging behind.
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