Public liability insurance

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Neil Graham
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Public liability insurance

Post by Neil Graham » Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:03 pm

Forum members might recall details of a National Chess Day organised by David Levens.

Notts Chess Association have been trying to organise something in one of the main shopping complexes in the city. It's fallen through as the firm who own the centre have demanded that we have £5,000,000 public liability insurance saying " we have to treat you in the same way as we treat all our contractors ie. If you were coming in the knock down a wall in the centre" .... "I have guidelines that I need to stick to due to the nature of the venue."

I'd be interested in hearing any comments!

Jonathan Bryant
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Re: Public liability insurance

Post by Jonathan Bryant » Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:45 pm

Not massively surprised. Out of interest Is it - the shopping centre - local authority owned or a private company?

Neil Graham
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Re: Public liability insurance

Post by Neil Graham » Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:56 pm

Jonathan Bryant wrote:Not massively surprised. Out of interest Is it - the shopping centre - local authority owned or a private company?
Private.

Stewart Reuben
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Re: Public liability insurance

Post by Stewart Reuben » Thu Aug 27, 2015 8:58 pm

It doesn't cost much via the ECF.

Mike Truran
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Re: Public liability insurance

Post by Mike Truran » Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:00 pm

Insurance for the annual Ducklington Village Big Lunch doesn't break the bank either (£104 or so).

Neil Graham
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Re: Public liability insurance

Post by Neil Graham » Thu Aug 27, 2015 11:59 pm

Stewart Reuben wrote:It doesn't cost much via the ECF.
It would have cost an extra £75 - we already have £1 million public liability insurance. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has actually claimed damages against a chess organisation.

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John Upham
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Re: Public liability insurance

Post by John Upham » Fri Aug 28, 2015 10:33 am

Neil Graham wrote:
Stewart Reuben wrote:It doesn't cost much via the ECF.
It would have cost an extra £75 - we already have £1 million public liability insurance. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has actually claimed damages against a chess organisation.
Paul Truong and Susan Polgar and the USCF springs to mind.
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Stewart Reuben
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Re: Public liability insurance

Post by Stewart Reuben » Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:56 am

I set up the British Championships in Torquay in 2009. My health precluded my completing the task and David Welch took it back over.
Had we cancelled the event, the English Riviera Centre charges would have been gigantic. But the premium for insurance against such an eventuality was £250 and the risk seemed vanishingly small. Thus, in agreement with David Anderton, the ECF did not take out cancellation insurance.
Then came the Asian Flu fears, with Torquay as a centre for the epidemic. By then, of course, it was too late to take out the insurance. This gave me considerable concern at a time when I was very unwell. I don't think I ever discussed the worry with David W.
The reasons for taking out any insurance are:
1. You think it is likely to happen. 2. The costs of a claim could be crippling.
I have claimed on health insurance several times, the first in in 1963 and the biggest in 2002 which costs the insurance company £55,000.

If one runs a sponsored chess event, it is likely there will be a commitment to a prize fund and start money for leading players. What if the sponsor pulls out? I don't see how that can be insured against. That did happen to one organiser of a smaller chess event.

David Williams
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Re: Public liability insurance

Post by David Williams » Fri Aug 28, 2015 4:09 pm

Neil Graham wrote:
Stewart Reuben wrote:It doesn't cost much via the ECF.
It would have cost an extra £75 - we already have £1 million public liability insurance. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has actually claimed damages against a chess organisation.
£75 to get cover increased from £1 million to £5 million. So the insurer needs to collect maybe 50,000 such premiums for every time there is a claim of this size. I'd guess that if there ever had been a public liability claim of this size against a chess organisation the cost could be a lot higher.

Malcolm Peacock
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Re: Public liability insurance

Post by Malcolm Peacock » Thu Oct 08, 2015 3:56 pm

For the first time I am being asked for Public Liability Insurance by the venue ( a university ) for Preston Chess congress. Probably someone in the bureaucracy ticking a box. They haven't specified what level they require ( I'm am reluctant to ask ). I know that the ECF have a policy that costs £100 (which would mean another £1 on the entry fee). Was wondering what other congresses do and what level of cover they have ?

Neil Graham
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Re: Public liability insurance

Post by Neil Graham » Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:45 pm

Stewart Reuben wrote:I set up the British Championships in Torquay in 2009. My health precluded my completing the task and David Welch took it back over.
Had we cancelled the event, the English Riviera Centre charges would have been gigantic. But the premium for insurance against such an eventuality was £250 and the risk seemed vanishingly small. Thus, in agreement with David Anderton, the ECF did not take out cancellation insurance.
Then came the Asian Flu fears, with Torquay as a centre for the epidemic. By then, of course, it was too late to take out the insurance. This gave me considerable concern at a time when I was very unwell. I don't think I ever discussed the worry with David W.
The reasons for taking out any insurance are:
1. You think it is likely to happen. 2. The costs of a claim could be crippling.
I have claimed on health insurance several times, the first in in 1963 and the biggest in 2002 which costs the insurance company £55,000.

If one runs a sponsored chess event, it is likely there will be a commitment to a prize fund and start money for leading players. What if the sponsor pulls out? I don't see how that can be insured against. That did happen to one organiser of a smaller chess event.
Not wishing to contradict you on this Stewart but surely the event you're referring to was the European Team Championship?

Neil Graham
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Re: Public liability insurance

Post by Neil Graham » Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:47 pm

Malcolm Peacock wrote:For the first time I am being asked for Public Liability Insurance by the venue ( a university ) for Preston Chess congress. Probably someone in the bureaucracy ticking a box. They haven't specified what level they require ( I'm am reluctant to ask ). I know that the ECF have a policy that costs £100 (which would mean another £1 on the entry fee). Was wondering what other congresses do and what level of cover they have ?
Going back to my original post the Shopping Centre also required us to do a full Risk Assessment for the chess event. Fortunately we found another venue that accommodated us without having to jump through their administrative hoops.

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