Circuits on screen and in the field
Electrical engineers design power distribution, control systems, building services and electronics, or commission and maintain them in the field. Some spend nearly all their time in design and modelling software. Others work in substations, data centres, plant rooms or on renewable energy sites.
Field work brings risks around live equipment, arc flash, height and heavy plant. Office work brings back and neck problems and the pressure of project deadlines. Whichever describes your week, income protection pays a monthly benefit if illness or injury stops you working for longer than the deferred period.
Telling the insurer what you really do
A design engineer is usually rated like other office professionals. A field engineer switching high-voltage systems or climbing towers may sit in a higher group, which affects price and the definition available.
Describe your duties accurately. If you split your time, give a realistic estimate rather than a best guess at the cheapest answer. That helps the insurer rate you fairly and protects your claim later.
- Share of time in the office versus in the field
- Any work on live or high-voltage systems
- Work at height or in confined spaces
Authorisations, call-outs and shift work
Some electrical engineers hold authorisations to work on high-voltage networks, and many field roles include on-call rotas and night call-outs. Tiredness from broken sleep and long drives to faults adds to the risk.
If a health condition stopped you holding an authorisation, you might still be fit for desk work. That is where the incapacity definition matters most, so check whether a policy assesses you against your own field role.
Contract work and company-paid cover
Large employers in utilities, rail and manufacturing often offer sick pay, group income protection and death in service, but these usually end when you leave. Contract engineers paid by the day have no sick pay, and income stops on the first day off.
If you trade through your own limited company, it can buy executive income protection and relevant life cover for you. A broker can compare these with a personal policy.
Life cover for electrical engineers and our role
A life policy can clear the mortgage and support your family. Critical illness cover can add a lump sum on diagnosis of a serious condition listed in the policy.
We take your actual duties to the insurers on our panel, compare definitions and prices and help you choose cover that fits around any benefits you already have.