What does public liability exclude for your trade?

Why is your trade's exclusion on the schedule, not in the policy booklet?

Your trade's limits arrive as endorsements on your schedule, keyed to the trade you declare. Height for roofers, glaziers, cleaners and tree work. Depth and Dial Before You Dig for anyone who digs. Storeys for electricians and plumbers.

Inside or outside matters too. Cleaning a window from the inside at 10 storeys may be fine where cleaning the outside glass at that height is not. A broker schedule can spell out which side you are covered on. A direct policy can leave it unclear, and unclear is easier to decline.

Here is how it goes wrong. A plumber asks for cover as a plumber. The schedule comes back with a 2 m excavation limit he never notices. He trenches at 4 m. That trench is not covered, and he finds out at the claim.

What we check: Every restriction on your schedule, against the work you actually do. If we can't avoid a restriction, we explain it in plain English on your documents at new business, at every change, and at renewal.

Where do these trade terms come from?

Below are 24 trades, grouped by the work. Each line is a term printed on a real trade public liability schedule we hold. We read them in October 2026 and took out the client's and the insurer's names. Terms vary by insurer, by policy and by year.

A missing line means that client's schedule did not carry a relevant condition. Another insurer or your own disclosures can add terms or conditions not shown here. Your own schedule is the only answer for you.

What exclusions should roofing, cleaning and glazing trades check before buying?

For these four trades, the height line is about how you get to the work. Each schedule here excludes anyone lowered by abseiling, ropes or a suspended platform. The one standard the roofing schedule below names is for hot work: AS 1674.1 and AS 1674.2.

Roofer

• Height: No cover for anyone lowered by abseiling, ropes or a suspended platform
• Hot work: Covered only in strict compliance with AS 1674.1 and AS 1674.2
• Subcontractors: A $20,000 excess for injury to a subbie or labour hire, written on the basis that none are used

Cleaner

• Height: No cover for anyone lowered by abseiling, ropes or a suspended platform
• Hot work: Covered only in strict compliance with AS 1674.1 and AS 1674.2
• Subcontractors: A $20,000 excess for injury to a subbie or labour hire, written on the basis that none are used
• Other terms: Chemicals covered only if used as the manufacturer directs; a $2,500 excess for damage from carpet steam cleaning

Glazier

• Height: No cover for anyone lowered by abseiling, ropes or a suspended platform
• Hot work: Covered only in strict compliance with AS 1674.1-1997 and AS 1674.2-2007
• Subcontractors: A $20,000 excess for injury to a subbie or labour hire, written on the basis that none are used
• Other terms: No work on bridges, dams, tunnels or roads

Handyman

• Height: No cover for anyone lowered by abseiling, ropes or a suspended platform; no demolition of a commercial building over 1 storey unless it is part of an earthmoving contract at no extra charge, and none of a residential building over 2 storeys
• Depth and digging: No excavating, drilling, pile driving, digging or trenching over 2 m
• Hot work: Covered only in strict compliance with AS 1674.1 and AS 1674.2
• Other terms: No tree pruning or removal over 3 m; underground work covered only after a Dial Before You Dig search; no composite panels used in contravention of the National Construction Code on residential buildings of 2 storeys or more

What does public liability exclude for electricians, plumbers and welders?

Storeys matter here. On a strata building, water runs down a lot of floors. One electrician schedule below stops at 10 m or 3 storeys, whichever is lower.

The trade you declare brings endorsements that add cover as well as limit it. A Queensland electrician's policy carries an endorsement for the state's consumer protection requirement. Victoria has a matching one for plumbers. Do two trades and declare one, and you can end up covered for only the one you declared. What a second trade changes is on our contractor public liability insurance page.

Watch for whole industries being excluded. The welder schedule below rules out work for the aviation, defence, mining and utilities industries, among others. One job on the wrong site can be uninsured.

Electrician

• Height: No cover building, erecting or demolishing over 10 m, or working externally at 10 m or more; or no cover working externally above 10 m or 3 storeys, whichever is lower
• Depth and digging: No excavation over 10 m; or damage to buried services covered only if Dial Before You Dig plans were obtained first
• Hot work: Covered only in strict compliance with the Australian Standard for welding fire precautions; or with AS 1674
• Subcontractors: Subcontractors extension, with the schedule's contractor excess; or a $10,000 excess for injury to anyone engaged to work for you who is not your employee
• Other terms: Queensland electrician consumer protection endorsement; a principal noted as an interested party; no work on high voltage powerlines or substations

Plumber and gas fitter

• Height: No cover building, erecting or demolishing anything over 10 m
• Depth and digging: No excavation over 10 m
• Hot work: Covered only in strict compliance with the Australian Standard for welding fire precautions
• Subcontractors: Subcontractors extension, with a $2,500 contractors, subcontractors and labour hire excess
• Other terms: Victorian plumbers consumer protection extension; damage to underground services covered only with written information from the owner

Air conditioning

• Height: No cover building, erecting or demolishing anything over 10 m; no cover working externally at 10 m or more
• Depth and digging: No cover for excavation over 10 m
• Hot work: Covered only in strict compliance with the Australian Standard for welding fire precautions; or with AS 1674.1 and/or AS 1674.2
• Subcontractors: Subcontractors extension, with the schedule's contractor excess for injury to a subbie; or a $100,000 excess for injury to contractors or subcontractors, and the same for labour hire
• Other terms: Queensland electrical contractor endorsement and Victorian plumbers warranty endorsement, each with consumer protection to $50,000

Welder and steel erector

• Height: No demolition over 10 m
• Hot work: Covered only in strict compliance with the relevant laws, codes and Standards Australia standards
• Subcontractors: A $10,000 excess for injury to contractors, subcontractors and labour hire, and worker-to-worker claims
• Other terms: A $500 property damage excess; no work for the aviation, defence, marine, mining, oil and gas, petrochemical, power generation, rail or utilities industries

What does public liability exclude for builders, carpenters and concreters?

The builder and concreter schedules below both print no demolition over 10 m and no excavation over 3.5 m. Watch for a silica exclusion too. Some schedules also say your products must meet Australian standards. That condition is about the products you supply, not your workmanship.

Builder

• Height: No demolition over 10 m; a safety programme condition that no work is done above 10 m
• Depth and digging: No excavation over 3.5 m
• Other terms: No tree felling or lopping over 3.5 m; your products must meet Australian standards

Carpenter

• Height: No cover working externally above 10 m or 3 storeys, whichever is lower; or no demolition over 10 m
• Hot work: Covered only in strict compliance with the relevant laws, codes and Standards Australia standards
• Other terms: Rip and tear exclusion (removing defective concrete) and silica exclusion; a $500 property damage excess

Concreter

• Height: No demolition over 10 m; a safety programme condition that no work is done above 10 m
• Depth and digging: No excavation over 3.5 m
• Other terms: Silica exclusion; your products must meet Australian standards

Bricklayer

• Depth and digging: No digging over 5 m or on public roads; a $5,000 excess on digging under 5 m
• Other terms: Silica dust exclusion for injury; buried pipes and cables covered only if located through the authorities first

Shopfitter

• Height: No cover building, erecting or demolishing over 10 m, or working externally at 10 m or more
• Depth and digging: No excavation over 10 m
• Hot work: Covered only in strict compliance with the Australian Standard for welding fire precautions
• Subcontractors: Subcontractors extension, with the schedule's contractor excess
• Other terms: Damage to underground services covered only with written information from the owner

What does public liability exclude for landscapers, earthmovers and anyone who digs?

Depth is the line here. On these schedules it runs from 2 m to 5 m, and some charge a $2,000 or $5,000 excess on shallower digging. Buried pipes and cables are the other line. Some schedules cover them only if you got the authority's advice, or ran a Dial Before You Dig search, before you started.

Earthmover

• Height: Demolition only: no commercial building over 1 storey unless it is part of the earthmoving contract at no extra charge, and no residential building over 2 storeys
• Depth and digging: No excavating, drilling, pile driving, digging or trenching over 2 m
• Hot work: Covered only in strict compliance with AS 1674.1 and AS 1674.2
• Subcontractors: A $20,000 excess for injury to a subbie or labour hire, written on the basis that none are used
• Other terms: No blasting; no work on bridges, dams, tunnels or roads; no cover acting as the licensed builder or head contractor

Landscaper

• Height: No demolition over 10 m
• Depth and digging: No digging over 2 m or on public roads, and a $2,000 excess on digging under 2 m; or no excavation over 3.5 m
• Hot work: Covered only if the fire precautions in AS 1674.1-1997 are followed
• Other terms: No tree felling or lopping over 5 m; or over 3.5 m, and no stump removal; silica dust exclusion

Fencer

• Height: No cover working externally at 10 m or more
• Depth and digging: No digging over 5 m or on public roads; a $5,000 excess on digging under 5 m
• Hot work: Covered only if the fire precautions in AS 1674.1-1997 are followed
• Subcontractors: Subcontractors extension, with the schedule's contractor excess
• Other terms: Pool fencing excluded; external spray painting excluded

Gardener

• Hot work: Covered only in strict compliance with the relevant laws, codes and Standards Australia standards
• Other terms: No pruning, lopping, felling or removal of trees over 5 m; work near underground services covered only with printed advice from the authority

Pool builder

• Height: No demolition over 10 m
• Hot work: Covered only in strict compliance with the relevant laws, codes and Standards Australia standards
• Other terms: A $500 property damage excess; work near underground services covered only with printed advice from the authority

Tree and vine pruning

• Other terms: No electricity line clearance contracts

What does public liability exclude for painters, plasterers, tilers and flooring?

Spray painting is the one to watch. Some schedules charge a $1,000 excess for spray paint damage. Others exclude external spray painting outright. Painters, plasterers and signwriters can also carry a safety programme condition that no work is done above 10 m.

Painter

• Height: A safety programme condition that no work is done above 10 m
• Depth and digging: No digging over 2 m or on public roads; a $2,000 excess on digging under 2 m
• Hot work: Covered only if the fire precautions in AS 1674.1-1997 are followed
• Other terms: A $1,000 excess for spray paint damage; or external spray painting excluded, and a silica dust exclusion

Plasterer

• Height: A safety programme condition that no work is done above 10 m
• Other terms: Your products must meet Australian standards

Tiler

• Hot work: Covered only if the fire precautions in AS 1674.1-1997 are followed
• Other terms: Silica exclusion; your products must meet Australian standards

Flooring

• Depth and digging: No digging over 5 m or on public roads; a $5,000 excess on digging under 5 m
• Hot work: Covered only if the fire precautions in AS 1674.1-1997 are followed
• Other terms: Silica dust exclusion for injury

Signwriter

• Height: No cover building, erecting or demolishing over 10 m, or working externally at 10 m or more; or a safety programme condition that no work is done above 10 m
• Depth and digging: No excavation over 10 m
• Hot work: Covered only in strict compliance with the Australian Standard for welding fire precautions
• Subcontractors: Subcontractors extension, with the schedule's contractor excess
• Other terms: A $1,000 excess for spray paint damage

What standards does the hot work condition hold you to?

On every schedule above that mentions hot work, it is a condition, not an outright exclusion. You are covered only if you follow the rules it points to. Usually that is the Australian Standard for welding fire precautions, AS 1674.1, and on some schedules AS 1674.2 as well.

That Standard calls for a fire watch after the work. Your schedule does not print how long it lasts. Leave before the window ends and the claim can be declined. A claim we have seen: a flare-up about an hour after the work finished. Another: relying on the site's own extinguishers, then not being able to find or reach them.

A wording that says nothing about hot work does not mean there is no limit. Where hot work is a big part of the trade, a hot work endorsement goes on the schedule. A trade that only does it now and then, a handyman say, may be better on a wording with no hot work condition.

Who pays when a subbie is hurt on your job?

On the schedules above, a hurt subbie is handled by an excess, not an exclusion. On several of them that excess is $20,000, written on the basis that you use none. So no exclusion does not mean no cost.

For every contractor who tells us they pay subcontractors, we make sure the policy has no exclusion for injury to subcontractors. We have not yet had a client we could not place that way, and we will not offer a policy that lacks it.

Whether you can be held liable in the first place is its own question: if a subcontractor is hurt on your job, can you be held liable?

Want your schedule read against your trade?

Tell us your trade, any second trade, and the work you take on: how high, how deep, any hot work, and whether you pay subbies. We will read your schedule against it, line by line.

Talk to a broker on 07 3292 1111

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