Ceilings, mixing and repetitive strain
Few trades work overhead as much as plasterers. Skimming ceilings day after day loads the shoulders, neck and upper back, and repetitive trowel work can bring on wrist and elbow problems. Mixing heavy bags, carrying boards and climbing on and off hop-ups and trestles adds to the wear.
Rendering outside means scaffolds and weather. Inside, dust from sanding and cutting board is part of the job, and wet materials can cause skin trouble on the hands. Good gloves and masks help, but some of these problems build quietly over years.
Day rates that do not arrive when you are ill
Most plasterers price by the job or the day and work for builders, developers and homeowners. When you cannot hold a hawk, the work goes to someone else, and some of those builders may not come back. Nobody pays you sick pay as a sole trader.
Think about what you would need each month to keep the house running, and what the van and materials account would still cost. Income protection replaces a share of your earnings after the waiting period, giving you time to heal properly instead of going back too soon.
- Sole traders cannot claim statutory sick pay
- Insurers usually average your profits from recent tax years
- A longer waiting period lowers the monthly cost
- Returning to work part time may still allow a reduced payment
How the job is rated
Insurers place occupations in risk classes. Plastering usually sits in a manual class, with rendering at height sometimes viewed as heavier. Your class affects the price and the type of claim test. Own occupation cover pays if you cannot plaster. Other wordings look at whether you could do any job suited to your skills, or at everyday work tasks.
Some insurers will offer own occupation cover to plasterers and some will not. That alone is a good reason to compare before you commit.
Life insurance for a plasterer's family
A life policy pays a lump sum to the people you choose if you die while it is running. It can clear a mortgage, fund childcare or simply give your partner breathing space. Plastering is not usually treated as risky for life cover, so your health and age shape the price more than the trade does.
If you have children, family income benefit is a lower-cost way to replace a monthly wage until they are older.
How Hi Tomorrow helps plasterers
We ask how much of your work is skimming inside, rendering outside or dry lining, then compare our panel for the fairest rating and the clearest definition. We help with the health questions, including any old shoulder or skin problems, so the policy is set up properly from day one.
Plasterers often tell us they kept working through pain because stopping meant no money. A policy set up properly gives you the option to rest and recover instead. If you ever claim, we help you work with the insurer and gather the fit notes and accounts it asks for.