Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Liability Insurance

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is worn in order to provide protection for the user against potential health or safety risks. The types of wearable equipment that typically fall within this category are safety helmets, high-visibility clothing, eye protection, gas masks, etc. More recently, there has been a surge in the need for surgical masks, gloves, face shields and other PPE to protect against airborne pathogens.

Some industries have always been required by the labour code to provide adequate PPE for their workers, such as in construction, manufacturing, medicine, and other similar fields. In cases when a disease becomes prevalent over an area, a country, or across the globe, added measures are put in place to make sure that ‘business as usual’ will not result in further spreading the disease. PPE would be required for most (if not all) industries in such a scenario.

Failure to provide suitable PPE is considered to be negligence and if injury, illness, or death arises in cases insufficient PPE was used, there can be serious consequences for the business. There are always three key players when it comes to PPE: the manufacturers, retail/wholesale sellers, and the businesses that purchase the required PPE for their workers. All three can face liability if personal protective equipment fails and causes illness, injury, or harm. That’s where PPE product liability insurance comes in.

At KASE Insurance, we can help you get the coverage you need so that your business is protected from legal and financial risks in the event that personal protective equipment fails. If you ship PPE products, even this can be included in the policy. With the right insurance in place, you can have peace of mind and focus on maintaining and growing your business.

What Is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Liability Insurance?

In any business’s daily operations, the health and safety of their workers should always come first. This is why businesses have the legal duty to provide the required personal protective equipment for their industry in accordance with current hazards. Should there be a disease or pollutant that can put their workers in harm’s way, the right PPE should be provided.

On the other side of the coin, the manufacturers and sellers of PPE also have the responsibility to ensure that their products conform to industry standards regulations. Moreover, they have the responsibility to make sure that their shipped PPE products arrive in excellent and usable condition.

PPE Insurance is a comprehensive insurance policy that provides the needed coverage for the manufacturers/sellers of PPE, as well as the businesses that have the responsibility to provide PPE for their workers. Like all of our policies, we make sure that this insurance coverage is customized for your businesses’ specific needs and in accordance with the demands of the times.

Why Is PPE Liability Insurance so Important?

When it comes to personal protective equipment, both the businesses that provide workers with PPE and the sellers/manufacturers of PPE face financial and legal risks—although in different ways.

For the Businesses That Provide PPE to Their Workers

Mostly, businesses face legal risks if they are proven to be negligent in providing the required PPE to their employees. If the negligence results in the injury, illness, or the death of a staff member, this can result in a lawsuit. Moreover, the business would be liable to provide worker’s compensation.

Another risk that businesses face is when the negligence towards providing PPE results in harm to third-party individuals. This is particularly common in instances when the lack of PPE, substandard PPE, or damaged PPE results in spreading a harmful pathogen. This can result in legal and medical costs.

Though it may seem like PPE failure is a remote chance, there are numerous scenarios that can cause it. This includes:

• Incorrect storage of PPE (leading to damage or contamination)
• Incorrectly worn or wrongly-sized PPE (rendering it less or not at all effective)
• Incompatible or inappropriate PPE
• Acquiring uncertified PPE

For the Sellers and Manufacturers of PPE

Defective PPE products can be the result of design defects, manufacturing flaws, damage during transit, defective instructions, and so on. Defective PPE products can cause a wide array of bodily injury or even property damage and when this happens, liability can fall on the sellers or manufacturers of the PPE products.

Yet another financial risk is when PPE products are lost or damaged during shipping. When PPE products are transported in bulk and this happens, the losses can negatively impact the businesses’ bottom line.

What Does Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Liability Insurance Cover?

As we’ve talked about in previous sections, businesses that are required to provide PPE for their employees and the manufacturers/sellers of PPE face different financial and legal risks. In this section, we’ll talk about the typical coverages that these businesses will get with PPE liability insurance:

For the Businesses That Provide PPE to Their Workers

1. Worker’s Compensation Liability Insurance

When PPE fails, this can directly harm the employee/s. They might suffer from cuts, burns, and the like. They might also be infected with a harmful pathogen. You’ll never know when such unforeseen events can creep up and cause you grave financial loss.

In such cases, your business will be liable to give worker’s compensation which includes missed wages during recovery and medical expenses. Your worker’s compensation coverage can be set up to include incidents related to PPE—if it is not yet included.

2. General Liability Insurance

General liability is the legal responsibility of a business in the event that injury, property damage, or financial loss is inflicted on a third-party (e.g. a customer). If a customer picks up a harmful pathogen and falls ill due to proven defective or substandard PPE worn by your staff, your business could be liable. We can set up your general liability coverage to protect your business against financial and legal risks in such cases.

For the Sellers and Manufacturers of PPE

1. PPE Product Liability

PPE product liability will cover you against claims relating to any damage caused by defective PPE that you have manufactured or sold. Coverage typically includes bodily injury, property damage, compensation costs, and legal expenses.

2. PPE Shipping Insurance

If you ship your PPE products, you can suffer significant loss if the PPE is lost, damaged, or stolen during transit. Cargo insurance coverage can protect you by reimbursing the lost amount.

Who Needs Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Liability Insurance Insurance?

As we’ve touched on in previous sections, the PPE liability insurance is able to adapt to the coverage needs of both businesses that provide PPE to workers as well as the sellers/manufacturers of PPE. So if your business falls within these categories, PPE liability insurance can protect you from legal and financial risks connected to PPE.

Why Choose KASE Insurance?

As one of the top insurance providers of PPE Insurance in Ontario and the rest of Canada, KASE Insurance is your partner in protecting your business from PPE-related legal and financial risks and losses. We have always made it a point to innovate and adapt to the times, offering insurance policies that are tailor-fit to the needs of the businesses that we serve.

We are proud to have numerous clients from various industries. And through the years, we have gathered awards and industry recognition which just shows that with KASE Insurance, you are in good hands.

If you have any questions on how we can help you, there’s always someone available to answer. Contact us today and let’s get started!