Public Liability For DJs - A Brief Guide

If you are venturing into providing a mobile discopossibly loss of earnings can all be claimed for. Of
service, at some point, you'll likely encounter a venuecourse, death maybe the final chapter for the
that requires you to provide proof of Public Liabilityunfortunate individual who can not physically make a
Insurance before you can set-up disco equipment andclaim, but the victims family would most likely pursue a
perform!case, along with any fines that the Health and Safety
Public hire and Hotel venues can set the level ofExecutive see fit to seek. There's always a possibility
indemnity required, so it's a good idea to research theof accident, even for the most careful, mindful DJ.
area of intended service cover to gauge an idea ofFor example:- Lighting can fall from gantry, third parties
how much 'PLI' you will need.can trip over cables, electrical equipment or power
Although 'PLI' is not a legal requirement, becausecables can cause electric shocks, speakers could
venues can set their own criteria, it is worth acquiring,cause hearing damage, smoke machines could cause
else the mobile DJ would lose the opportunity ofbreathing difficulties for some, lasers and strobe lighting
working the venue and any other that insists on thecan trigger forms of epileptic fits, bubble machines can
service holding PLI, and should a claim arise, the DJcatalyst slippery surfaces, tripods can fall over, rigging
wouldn't have to risk re-mortgaging their home or evencan be overbalanced, flight-cases can cause trip
selling-up to pay damages!hazards, etc.
What needs to be understood also, is that PublicWhere can I obtain DJ Public Liability?
Liability Insurance will essentially cover the policy holderFrom my own experience, the minimum level of Public
against a clam by the venue for property damage.Liability Insurance provided by non-profit organisations
Thus, individuals or groups of people at a function who(as a benefit of membership) is highly competitive to
suffer injury, including damage to venue property bythat of purchasing PLI through non-specialist broker
direct actions or through negligence on the DJs part willservices. PLI cover up to £10 million pounds can be
be covered in the event of an 'accident'.obtained via membership to various established DJ
Wedding venues are increasingly requesting that DJsAssociations and the Musicians Union. This level of
and entertainment services supply hard copy details ofindemnity is enough to cover the majority of Hotels
PLI cover in advance, so before committing availabilityrequirements, however I do recommend that you read
to a couples 'big day', it would be wise for the mobileboth the membership and actual Public Liability
DJ to get every requirement in place, or their businessInsurance policy terms and exclusions in detail.
reputation will undoubtedly take a nose-dive before itAlso, be aware that whilst policy's bundled with
can really take off.membership may be included as a 'benefit of
Experienced mobile DJs as well as newbie DJs facemembership', should you sign-up for membership mid
the possibility of a claim at any function becauseterm, you will only be covered for PLI until the
everyday risks are not confined just to Hotels or Publicremainder of the policy term.
Hire venues. If an accident did occur, with liabilityShould there be a claim or claims during the current
insurance cover in place, the risk of an expensivepolicy term, the following years premium may increase,
court case paid for out of the DJs own pocket wouldtherefore it is wise to ensure that the entity you sign
be more than diminished.up to assures that any shortfall for increases in future
You've probably seen the 'No win, no fee' TV advertsinsurance premiums is not met by you or the
which help compensate many thousands of poundsmembers, but by the entity, as you may find yourself in
for minor injuries to victims of accidents, so considerthe unfortunate position of having no PLI cover for the
the outcome for serious injury or disability as a resultremainder of your membership should the entity not
of action/s by a DJ. Lets not forget that costs such asmeet the following terms premium increase!
medical bills, compensation for trauma and quite