worker's accidents in your home

Our window cleaner now has to have another person with him to sit on the bottom of his ladder, when he is cleaning the upper floor windows, his Insurance Company insists on it in the small print of his policy.

We were very worried a couple of years ago when we had a sloping roof built over our porch.
The first time the window cleaner came afterwards he walked up the slope to clean the bedroom windows and slipped, came clattering down and had a spiral fracture of his ankle which had him in hospital for about 3 weeks and off work for 3 months.
We made our inquiries but were told he was in breach of health and safety, he shouldn't have been up there without scaffolding and could not sue.
It was still a salutary lesson and we have made sure that we were covered by our house insurance or whoever was working were following the correct procedure or were covered by their own insurance.
He still cleans our windows except the front bedroom.

Http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/a-darker-side-to-loaning-tools/

How many of us let neighbours use our electrical tools?
If the tool is faulty and an accident happens who do you think will get the blame?
If you let others use the tools you will have to prove that they were safe.
It’s no defence to say that it looked ok and worked fine last time it was used. The person you lend it to has an expectation that the tools are safe. In this case the user wasn’t in the OPs home.

Oopsadaisy PAT isn't for households, how many of you have got any of your electrical goods tested?

fennel you shouldn’t let a neighbour (or anyone else) borrow your tools, ( especially electrical equipment)

If anything goes wrong you are likely to get the blame as the Insurance company will try to blame your tools and you won’t be covered.

Are your electrical tools PAT tested!

If you do lend tools get the neighbour to sign a waiver .

Crazy eh?

Thanks all.
I asked because my husband has allowed our neighbour (new, we moved in a month ago) to use his power tools, bench saws etc, to repair the joint fence.
An elderly man, very keen to be busy and finish the job, but not familiar with the tools and a bit excitable.
Anyway they've stopped now.
Must look at our household insurance policy.

I think it may be in your household insurance cover but am uncertain. Perhaps you could ring up your insurance provider and enquire. I would certainly do so in your shoes and, even though accidents can happen with the simplest thing like a friend changing a light bulb you can't reach, I would be particularly concerned if a friend was doing something complex which might take some time.

Possibly the question of whether or not you pay the person is very relevant.

I think it's in your household insurance cover - up to something silly like £2,000,000.

Bah! Ignore my last comments. I'm a bit hot and overwrought!

I think the worker should have public liability insurance, but I have no idea if that would cover an accident in someone's home.

I think your house insurance should cover it?