Mathilde Lacombe

If you are working in the engineering industry, you will probably supervise contractual site work in the future. This work carries a high level of risks like major damage or theft of equipment and other tools,often proving disastrous to your business. Moreover, inherent loss to expensive machinery is a catastrophe to your financial environment. So, how to recoup in such a business calamity? This is where the plant and equipment insurance sweeps in. 

Plant and equipment insurance Australia protect your business and equipment from losses against potential theft, damage or unprecedented damage. The policies cover various construction equipment such as portable tools, forklifts, and other heavy-duty pieces of machinery. However, there are certain limitations whilst determining whether your loss qualifies to be covered within the policies or not. 

We suggest choosing an insurance provider who issues scope for both fixed and mobile equipment and forfeits damage to indoor and outdoor plants. 

Coverage under the Plant and equipment Insurance 

Whether you operate a large-scale construction site or are a low-scale worker, the Insurance provides a wide spectrum of policies tailored to meet your needs and protect you against potential issues. Like most business insurance policies, a plant & Equipment policy is broken down into different categories, which include: 

a)Road Risk liability

b)Mobile Plant and equipment insurance 

c)Hired- in plant cover

d)Transit insurance

e)Agreed value cover

• Road Risk Liability

Under the public liability cover, the road risk liability is included in the policy if the insurer agrees to your particular line of work. A great way of reducing costs, the road risk liability will cover any road registered vehicles or machines. 

• Mobile plant and equipment insurance 

The mobile plant and equipment insurance main covers fall under a material damage section that covers physical damage to the insured machines and plant, including theft and malicious damage. The heavy equipment insurance protects loaders, cranes and other heavy equipment used in construction or other tasks. Without a heavy equipment cover, damage to machines can completely drain the finances of a company. 

• Hired-in plant cover

You can opt-in for hired-in plant coverage, which forfeits a blanket sum of hired-in equipment you use over time. A big cost-saver, the hired-in plant cover pays the hirer’s equipment impairment waiver each time. Furthermore, the insurance providers often allow you to wet and dry hire your equipment out, and this adds to the cover. 

The hired-in cover policies also includes assistance for diggers, JCBs, and other on-off site and storage equipment. Finally, if you require the necessary property reinstatement, the policy can also include architect and surveyor fees.  

• Transit insurance

Transit insurance covers your possessions if the belongings are vandalized, damaged or lost while transitioning from the pick-up to the destination, within Australia or overseas. However, the transit policies can differ following the domestic and international movements. 

• Agreed Value 

Insurers offer a section for financial loss or hire costs for hiring substitute machines in the event of vandalism or loss to the insured equipment. Furthermore, the insurers offer agreed Value on certain machines and vehicles. In addition, the additional certainty protects the financial interests of the people attached. 

If you hire equipment that poses a greater risk, you will be liable for the damage and hire costs for every day you hire the equipment. Choose a policy that arranges a comprehensive and machinery policy tailored to your specific requirements and provides coverage on an annual, short- term or contract basis, depending on your agreement, giving you the appropriate level of protection. 

We recommend you to choose an insurer that offers a full range of financial advisory and services from the start to the completion of the contract.