The BGA urges all grooms to check that their employers have liability insurance.

Following a recent legal case where a groom had a life-changing injury and had to settle on a reduced amount of £75,000, the British Grooms Association (BGA) is urging everyone to check that their employers have Employer’s Liability Insurance.

Employer’s Liability Insurance is a legal requirement and protects both the employer and the employee in case of an accident in the workplace.

Lucy Katan, Executive Director of the British Grooms Association said, “if the employer doesn’t have Employer’s Liability Insurance, and the employee has an accident – particularly if it was life-changing. The solicitor would be reliant on recovering damages directly from the employer. As the settlement would be taken from the employer’s personal funds, the amount could be significantly smaller than one resolved by an insurance company.

This creates both a risk to the employee of not having a proper recourse to recover damages for an injury at work and a risk to the employer as they could be sued personally rather than being indemnified by an insurer.

This is why Employers Liability Insurance is a legal requirement, and the minimum amount of cover is £5million.”

The BGA also asks grooms to be aware of their employment status. False self-employment, which is when one is told they are self-employed but in fact they are an employee, is often a mechanism used to avoid purchasing Employer’s Liability Insurance. This is illegal and grooms should be aware that this means they are vulnerable.

It is very easy to convince yourself that an accident won’t happen, but in a high-risk industry it is important to know that the financial support is there if you need it.

Freelance grooms should also ensure that they have their own liability insurance to protect themselves in the event of an accident occurring when clients’ horses are in their care.”

For further information for freelancers go to: britishgrooms.org.uk/Freelance-groom-liability-insurance. For information for employers go to: https://equestrianemployers.org.uk/discounted-insurance.