Carrying the site on your back
Labouring means lifting blocks, barrowing muck, loading skips and running materials up and down scaffolds. Backs, shoulders and knees wear hard. Slips, trips and falling objects cause sudden injuries, and long days outside in winter leave little room to recover.
Most labourers hold a site card such as CSCS and move from job to job. That variety keeps the money coming but means no single employer looks after you if you get hurt.
Demolition, groundworks and general building sites each bring different hazards. Dust, noise and vibration from breakers can lead to long-term health problems as well as sudden injuries. Insurers will ask about the type of site and the tools you use, so be ready to describe a typical week.
Who pays you when you cannot work
If you work self-employed under CIS, nobody pays you when you are off. Your income stops on day one. Agency labourers may get statutory sick pay if they meet the rules, though it is a small flat amount. A few directly employed labourers get company sick pay, but it is the exception.
For many labourers, the first month off work is the hardest part. That is why a short deferred period, often one or four weeks, appeals even though it costs more. Some insurers also offer short-term policies that pay for a limited number of years at a lower price.
- Self-employed under CIS: no sick pay at all
- Agency: statutory sick pay if you qualify
- Short-term income protection can keep the cost manageable
How insurers rate labouring work
Insurers group jobs by risk, and heavy manual roles sit towards the higher end. That pushes up the price and can mean the insurer only offers a suited occupation or activities-based claim test, rather than one tied to your own job.
This is one of the jobs where comparing several insurers makes a real difference. Their views on labouring vary, and some ask about working at height or on specific sites before they decide.
Accuracy helps you here. Calling yourself a site supervisor when you mostly labour might lower the quote, but the insurer can check your duties when you claim and refuse to pay. Describing the job as it is gives you cover you can rely on.
Life cover for the people relying on you
As a self-employed labourer you have no death in service benefit. A personal life policy can pay off the mortgage or give your partner a monthly income while the kids are young. Smoking, weight and medical history affect the price more than your trade does.
Decreasing cover can follow a repayment mortgage and keeps costs down. If you have children, family income benefit pays a monthly sum until a chosen end date, which a partner may find easier to budget with than one lump sum.
What Hi Tomorrow does for you
We work out what you could live on, what you would lose and how quickly you would feel it. Then we compare insurers on our panel that take on manual workers and explain the claim test on each quote. We are free to talk to and happy to help with the forms.
If your income comes from several contractors, we can explain what evidence of earnings an insurer will want to see.