Public Liability Information
The Uniting Church Insurance policy covers all activities under the control and direction of the Uniting Churches both on and off of their properties.
The evidence of cover is known as a Certificate of Currency; sometimes evidence is requested by councils/shires and other third parties. The public liability Certificate of Currency is available by contacting Insurance Services.
For general enquires or Certificate of Currency requests you can either:
- email Turn on Javascript!. A response from one of the insurance staff members will follow as soon as possible,
- OR contact one of our staff by phone on 8236 4222.
The Church’s Liability policies provide protection from legal liability and Indemnity to the public (third parties) for bodily injury and/or damage to property and professional negligence. It also protects all persons or committees for whom the church is legally liable.
The policies cover any Uniting Church organised activity (such as fetes, excursions, camps, youth events, picnics, seminars, Pancake Day etc.) anywhere within Australia and all employees (including stipend) and volunteers are automatically covered for both Public & Products Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance (subject to the terms and conditions of the policy) whilst engaged in an authorised activity of the church.
Public & Products Liability Policy
The policy provides protection for legal liability to the public (third parties) for bodily injury and/or damage to property and protects all persons or committees for whom the Church is legally liable as a result of an occurrence arising out of the business and/or products.
The policy covers any authorised activity of the Presbytery & Synod of SA for events held anywhere within the Commonwealth of Australia. These activities may include a fete, excursion, camp, youth event, picnic, seminar, catering and the like. To be an authorised activity it must be noted by the Church Council. It further covers any Outreach Programs that are sanctioned by Church Council.
Products Liability insurance forms part of the Public Liability policy and relates to liability for goods sold or supplied. For example, this cover comes into play when the insured is involved in the preparation or distribution of food. If that food is in some way contaminated and sickness occurs to a member(s) of the public, a claim may result. Claims have also resulted from foreign objects being found in food.
Protection from liability requires more than a comprehensive insurance program. We must adopt a professional approach, analyse our activities, identify our potential risks and care must be taken to ensure locations and facilities are appropriate to the intended use. For example, adults should not play cricket on a primary school size oval.
The activities of sporting teams will be covered by the Uniting Church as long as they are wholly endorsed and authorised as a church activity by the Church Council.
Negligence
The Public & Products Liability policy is not a personal accident policy and negligence on behalf of the insured, its employees or volunteers would have to be proven by a claimant.
Negligence can be defined as the failure to take that degree of care which the law requires for the protection of the interests of people. It is generally understood to be the degree of care that a reasonable person could be expected to exercise in a given set of circumstances. This is known as the ‘Reasonable Person Test’ and any claim will first be judged against this test.
You have a duty of care to anyone who comes onto your property whether they should be there or not.
Personal injury
You have a responsibility to provide a safe environment for members of the public. The humble slip and fall on a wet surface is a major cause of liability claims.
Please see the Church Council responsibilities> and the Risk Management Information>