ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades DIY Disaster

It is not always the plodding diyer who is at fault. Some years ago, here in the North of Ireland, a plumber left his blow torch going and unattended above the suspended ceiling of a large, newly built shopping centre. Even with all the modern fire protection systems he succeded in razing the place to the ground.
This single incident was central to the call for increased liability indemnity in the UK. The firm he worked for dilligently carried one million pound cover. Unfortunately, the damage bill was well in excess of that!

The indemnity angle certainly raises some anomolies when it comes to insurance.

As most people in Britain will be aware, mandatory automotive insurance here provides for unlimited indemnity to third parties, whereas in the U.S. and many other countries you buy cover to whatever level you want (subject to a legal minimum -- I believe as low as $20,000 in some states).

So in Britain and most of Europe, if you crashed your van into the building and started a fire which razed it to the ground, you'd be covered for the whole amount, unlike the worker that Lyle mentioned with his £1 million cover.

Inconsistent? You bet!

Oh dear Lyle,
That doesn't sound too good, but things like this CAN and DO happen, I had a situation a few years ago, where I burnt a good sized hole in a customers carpet with a soldering iron, I went out to the van to get a few connectors and was talking to the nieghbour, meanwhile the iron had slipped offthe top of the wirestrippers that I had sat it on(the flex was all twisted up).
Brand new carpet too and out in the middle of the room.
Never going to be that stupid again!!.