When nursery days don’t go to plan: the claims we see the most

If you run a nursery, you’ll know it’s all about spinning a lot of plates at once.

On any given day, staff are looking after children, liaising with parents, preparing activities, managing paperwork – and so much more.

Naturally, something will occasionally go wrong. While every incident is different, our underwriters have found that the similar types of claims seem to crop up again and again.

We thought we’d share them with you so that, if you run your own nursery, you know which claims to be particularly mindful of – and so you know what to do if something does happen.

A leaking pipe probably wasn’t your first thought about the key insurance risks faced by nurseries, but water damage is one of the most common issues we see.

As a high-traffic premises, nurseries rely heavily on water-based facilities like toilets, sinks, kitchens and heating systems. A small leak that’s easy to initially miss may quickly develop into a much larger problem, damaging your building in the process – and maybe even forcing a temporary closure.

We have seen claims in the region of hundreds of thousands of pounds, showing just how costly these incidents can become.

While nobody can prevent every leak or burst pipe, good building maintenance can help to make a real difference.. Regular plumbing inspections, quickly dealing with any minor issues you see, and making sure staff know where the stopcocks are can all go a long way towards preventing damage.

And if the unexpected does happen, having insurance cover in place can help protect your protect your nursery from costly repairs and business interruption, depending on the insurer and terms and conditions of the policy. Cover varies by provider so it’s important to check your policy documents and speak to your broker if you have any questions.

Working in a nursery is nothing like working at a desk.

Staff spend so much of the day moving around, setting up equipment, mopping up spills, helping children, and more. It’s a rewarding job, but there’s a lot of work involved.

That means workplace accidents can and do happen. We’ve seen lots of slips, trips and falls, particularly involving wet floors and everyday workplace hazards.

Most nursery owners work hard to create a safe environment for everyone, but even well-run settings can’t completely remove risk. That’s why ongoing health and safety training, regular risk assessments and good housekeeping practices are so important.

You can do simple things like keeping walkways clear, dealing with spills as soon as they happen, and storing equipment away properly.

Employer’s liability cover can help if a member of your staff is injured as a result of their work and makes a claim for compensation against you. 

No one enjoys paperwork, but when it comes to managing risk, good record-keeping really is worth the effort. 

In fact, one important step a nursery can take is to create a clear record of the steps it’s taking to keep everyone safe, children, staff, and visitors included. Things like:

Staff training records 

Risk assessments 

Fire safety checks 

Equipment inspections 

Accident and incident reports 

Safeguarding records 

Maintenance logs 

Keeping these records up to date may help you to identify issues before they become bigger problems. Plus, if you do need to make a claim, they hold a lot of invaluable information your insurer will want to know.

The key thing to remember is that it’s not just about what actions were taken. It’s about the fact you can also demonstrate that you took the action.

Risk management is an important part of the day to day running of your nursery; it is also important to consider the insurance options available and how cover may support your business. 

This information contained in this article is for general information purposes only. It does not constitute legal or other professional advice and cannot be relied upon as such. Should you have any queries, we recommend that you consult the appropriate professional adviser. The links provided in this document are for reference only. Please note that we are not responsible for the content of any linked site.