Are international crew members automatically covered?
As an event organiser, you regularly bring in skilled professionals from abroad. A stage builder from Germany, a lighting technician from England. Naturally, you’ll want to know whether these people are covered by your event insurance while they’re working. The short answer is yes. Your crew members’ nationality does not affect their cover. What matters is their working relationship with your organisation.
There is an important distinction here. When it comes to liability, it makes a significant difference whether you hire someone directly or they work on site through one of your suppliers.
Cover for your own crew
Self-employed technicians, freelancers and temporary staff you hire directly to work under your direction are helping deliver your event on your behalf and with your approval. If your policy includes personal accident and liability cover, they are covered under your policy. Their nationality or country of origin does not affect this.
It is still important for self-employed professionals and freelancers to have their own liability insurance, in case the event insurer seeks to recover the cost of a claim from them.
Suppliers’ staff at your event
When you outsource an entire part of your event to a supplier, such as a marquee hire company or a security firm, that supplier manages its own team. Those staff work under the supplier’s responsibility and direction. If they cause damage or suffer an injury while working, this should be dealt with through the supplier’s own business insurance.
Check that you have all the cover you need
The word ‘automatically’ does come with a condition. Crew members you hire directly are only covered if your policy includes the relevant sections of cover. To make sure the people working on site are properly protected, you need to include personal accident and/or liability cover in your policy.
Where is your event taking place?
Remember to check the geographical scope of your cover too. Standard event insurance provides worldwide cover, excluding the United States and Canada. If your international crew is helping build a festival in Europe, that is within the geographical scope of the policy. Work in the United States or Canada requires a tailored insurance solution.
Make sure your arrangements with international crew members you hire directly are clearly recorded in a booking confirmation or contract. Ask external suppliers for a valid certificate of insurance in advance too. This helps avoid complications if something goes wrong during the build or the show.
