Glossary / Insurance, bonding and licensing
General liability insurance
Also called: GL, CGL, Public liability
Cover for damage or injury you cause to someone else or their property while working — the dropped tool through the skylight, the flood in the flat downstairs. What it generally does not cover is the quality of your own work: redoing the thing you did wrong is normally excluded, because that is a business risk rather than an accident. Customers and general contractors will ask to see it before they let you start.
Related terms
- Certificate of insuranceA one-page summary issued by your insurer showing what cover you hold, for how much, and until when.
- Additional insuredA request to have your customer, or the contractor who hired you, added to your liability policy so that your cover also answers a claim brought against them arising out of your work.
- Workers' compensationNo-fault cover that pays a worker who is injured on the job, funded by premiums on your payroll.
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