Liability insurance rules to change

News | HSP
12.08.2008

Employers will be allowed to display their employers' liability certificates in electronic format from 1 October this year, provided that all employees can access them.

Under current legislation, employers must display at least one copy of their certificate at each place of business; typically in communal areas such as the kitchen. The Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 amend the original 1998 Regulations to allow companies to make the certificate available in electronic format.

The new Regulations also remove the requirement for employers to keep certificates for 40 years - a measure that was introduced to make it easier for workers to raise claims for "long-tail" industrial diseases, such as mesothelioma, which can take many years to develop.

The changes are part of the Department for Work and Pensions' drive to reduce the administrative burden on businesses by 25%.

Companies can continue to display certificates in hard format if this is more cost-effective, for example in small firms with one site.

The Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 can be viewed here.