Nearly every organisation, however small or low-key its activities, is likely to need insurance – otherwise the people who run that organisation could find themselves, their homes and their finances at personal risk. IWA has public liability and many other insurances in place. The purpose of public liability insurance is to provide protection against claims from third parties for negligence that have resulted in injury to people or damage to their property.

If you are running events, you may need to have a copy of our insurance certificate with your paperwork.

• A copy of our public liability insurance certificate can be downloaded here. 

Some activities, such as hiring in plant and equipment, using chainsaws and running festivals may have additional requirements so please contact Neil Edwards before proceeding with any work or activities if you are unsure. 

IWA’s role in arranging insurance

IWA arranges insurance for nearly 200 IWA corporate members, in most cases covering all their insurance needs, including an annual review of their requirements, assisting in claims management, and providing advice on insurance matters. This is undertaken through our brokers, Griffiths & Armour, who collect premiums, issue policy documentation, prepare and issue insurance certificates and prepare and issue schedules of insurance. Corporate members covered by this arrangement include nearly every waterway society of substance in the country, many boat clubs, community boating organisations, smaller navigation authorities, national waterway user groups, and a range of other educational and heritage organisations, event organisers and museums. IWA is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for this purpose. For more details please contact Neil Edwards. 

Legal Liability

IWA officers at national and local level may worry from time-to-time what would happen if something they were responsible for were to go wrong, resulting in a claim against them personally from an aggrieved party.  This may be particularly pertinent for event and work-party organisers, for example.

Almost all claims that might arise from a mishap at an event or work party are likely to be covered by IWA’s public liability insurance.  The public liability insurance is designed primarily to pick up claims against the Association, and its constituent parts, resulting from any alleged negligence of those acting on the Association’s (and its subsidiaries’) behalf.  This insurance extends to include claims made against individuals (rather than just against IWA or its subsidiary companies as corporate bodies) so long as the individual was working for the Association and under its direction – i.e. it would not extend to contractors, whether paid or not.

Whilst no insurance is perfect, IWA has worked with its insurance brokers to try to close off all possible loopholes (not just for IWA and its subsidiaries, but also for the nearly 200 corporate members that IWA arranges insurance for).  

IWA has in place, and has had for some years, Trustee Indemnity Insurance (which is the equivalent to Director’s Liability Insurance for charities) a part of a Management Liability policy, and this insurance extends beyond the Association’s trustees to cover all officers (not just directors) of the Association and its subsidiary companies.  This is further enhanced by Professional Risk Insurance, which extends the cover to include those providing advice and services for the Association with the benefit of their professional experience. 

Whilst we believe we have comprehensively covered civil liabilities, what insurance cannot provide cover against is criminal liability.  However, evidence from those who have suffered incidents that have resulted in Health & Safety Executive investigations, appears to indicate that criminal prosecutions are only mounted against individuals where there is clear and obvious negligence that people were aware of and yet ignored it, and that the vast majority of prosecutions are only against the corporate body, resulting in a fine.  

One of the most important preparations for any activity is to ensure that likely risks associated with that activity are properly considered, and appropriate mitigations put in place.  The recording of such risk assessment, and adherence to it, is one the best defences against any accusation of negligence if something does go wrong.  The essence of risk assessment is to consider all the potential risks of each activity, and then to show that all reasonable mitigations against that risk have been put in place, or that the remaining risk is sufficiently small or manageable that it is reasonable for that risk to remain.  It is an essential part of risk management that those undertaking work that might create such risks understand those risks and the management of them, that they do undertake mitigating actions identified under the assessment, and that managers both oversee that this happens and provide the resources so that it can happen.  Those undertaking activities being assessed and responsible for them are likely to be best placed to understand the activities and their implications, and should be the people preparing and writing up such risk assessments.

A certificate evidencing IWA’s Employer’s Liability Insurance is available to download.

A certificate that can be provided to Plant Hire Companies to evidence insurance for hired in plant is available to download.