A carpenter's or locksmith's work lives in three places: the workshop, the installation site – and the product, which starts a life of its own once it leaves the workshop. Each of the three carries its own liability question, and good cover addresses all three. This article puts that trio together.
The antique cabinet taken in for repair, the gate brought in for restoration, the custom material a client supplies – other people's property is routinely present in the workshop. Damage to these items (burnt, cracked, lost) typically falls outside general cover and calls for a property being worked on, handled, or taken in extension (extensions). Size the limit to the value of what you take in: for a restoration carpenter, this can be the single largest item.
On-site work is the classic public liability claims pattern: a banister scratched while carrying a cabinet up the stairs, a window broken while hoisting something in, flooring damaged during demolition, a client tripping over a tool. The same logic described in the plumber and painter articles applies here: a limit sized to the value of the surroundings, careful covering and securing, and documentation at handover (loss prevention).
An installed staircase, a welded railing, a custom piece of furniture keeps carrying its maker's work long after handover. If the structure later causes damage because of a fault – a step gives way, a shelf tears loose, a gate closes on something – damage occurring after handover falls, depending on the contract and the policy terms, under product liability or under “completed work / product supplied” liability – the two are separate cover elements, so both need to be named when you take out the policy. This is a separate cover element that trade policies often lack – even though it's a natural feature of carpentry and locksmith work (product liability article).
During the activity assessment (article), it's worth clarifying the balance between the three settings: for a carpenter who mostly works in the workshop and hands over finished products, the property-being-worked-on and product elements matter most; for a locksmith who mostly fits things on site, it's the public liability core. Taking on employees brings in the employer's-liability question too (article). Cover always reflects the actual profile of the business – so there's little point insuring under a generic “tradesperson” label when reality can be described far more precisely. To assess your own trio: free consultation.
A locksmith builds a custom steel staircase: fabricates it in the workshop, fits it on site, hands it over. The staircase has three “lives,” and each carries a different liability situation. During fabrication: special railing pieces the client brought in are sitting in the workshop – someone else's property taken in for work. During fitting: a freshly plastered wall can get damaged while the piece is hoisted into place – a classic public liability claim. After handover: if a weld gives way years later and someone is injured – a product liability question. Same staircase, three layers of cover. Insure only one of them, and you leave two-thirds of the staircase's life unprotected – which is why underwriting a trade policy should always start with the question: “Tell me how a job of yours comes together, from start to finish.”
A question tailored to your own trade? Book a free 20-minute consultation →
Free of charge, no obligation – at the end, you'll see exactly your options and the next step.
