Star Party Insurance.

[wookie1965]

I would like to get peoples opinion before the lock down we had a informal Star Party at Shallow Grange where PSP happened for 4/5 years. Right so suppose something happens e.g Imagine the worst scenario. Chap falls down toilet steps and breaks his back. Immobile for Life plus care for Life  needs if living alone.

Righto , contacts campsite. They contact their insurance company , who are loathe to pay out and wriggle out by saying, " not our problem, we didn't invite him here , he came invited by a star party organiser. It's his responsibility to pass on details for any insurance claim."

So if I organise another informal meet do I then have to get public liability insurance just in case, not like It's ok saying that we're all honest chaps and that a dislocated shoulder is easy fix. But , if the worse does happen.

Could get around it maybe just saying that we were individually booking with a campsite and would be doing some observing  anyone wishing to do the same  can do so.

Just like your thoughts on the matter.

 

 

[RT65CB-SWL]

Tricky one! 

I would contact your insurance company or broker and ask them to provide/post any documentation in writing. Ask the site-owner too and can
he/she provide a copy in writing; if you can beforehand of what is... and what is not... covered. Read thoroughly all T&C's of all parties involved.

• quote 1: "The pen is mightier than the sword." - Edward Bulwer-Lytton  
• quote 2: "...many wearing rapiers are afraid of goose-quills and dare scarce come tither." - William Shakespeare

Hopefully someone with knowledge of 'Public Liability Insurance' will provide a concise and precise answer.

[carastro]

I think advertising a gathering on a certain date and getting people to book their own pitches direct with the campsite ought to relieve you of the responsibility, though if I am wrong I am sure some-one will jump in and say.

Most clubs have insurance including public liability insurance, so might be worth asking around as to the cost.

Carole  

[ApophisAstros]

1 hour ago, carastro said:

I think advertising a gathering on a certain date and getting people to book their own pitches direct with the campsite ought to relieve you of the responsibility, though if I am wrong I am sure some-one will jump in and say.

Most clubs have insurance including public liability insurance, so might be worth asking around as to the cost.

Carole  

i added £10,000 of cover , which i may have to increase, on the house and contents insurance(only added £18 a year to premium) which includes in the car and when your away from home..

Roger

[Stu]

1 hour ago, carastro said:

Most clubs have insurance including public liability insurance,

Yes, my little club has PLI at a very reasonable cost by way of its membership of the FAS. I suspect involving a local club may well be the easiest and cheapest route to being fully covered for the event rather than relying on the campsite insurance.

I haven’t checked into this sort of thing but would think it possible that the campsite should be liable for any authorised events on its site but that may well not be the case. For any PLI policy it is normally the case that a risk assessment for the event is documented at least to cover yourself in the event of an accident.

Grant may be able to advise as to how Lucksall handle the SGL event.

[Guest]

Also note this is public liability, not members liability so you may need to read the fine print of any insuarnce you have.  It will also not cover equipment etc. If something happens at the camp site it should beunder their liability if they canbe shown to have contributed to the fall.

[RT65CB-SWL]

I know that my local astronomy society/club does have Public Liability Insurance for events on-site or off-site, (i.e. regular meetings, public out-reach, etc.). If the society is organising; you and others, (i.e. members, public, etc.), are/should be covered by it.

However, if you and a few other members are organising it, (i.e. not club/society), then it is something worth looking into and investing in for peace of mind.

Obviously first thing to do to is shop around for a few quotes to get the best deal out there and/or speak to your current insurer/broker.  

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

Paul, as it's a loose group of people attending and booking via the camp site, rather than a formal gathering of a club, then I'm fairly sure you're not liable for any accident taking place on the premises were the incident involves site equipment eg a step or cattle grid.

If on the other hand, someone trips over a guy rope, breaking a leg or bangs their head on your heavy mount, causing a fractured skull and decides to sue, then that could be tricky!

 

Edited June 29, 2020 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[Tenor Viol]

That would be my thought too. PLI is a piece of nonsense that grew out of local authorities suddenly deciding in the early 90s that they required anyone using their facilities to events (e.g. school halls) to carry PLI - even though they don't for anything which they organise... Then everyone else, e.g. churches, village halls etc. jumped on the bandwagon. 

The other cause was the growth of 'no win no fee' litigation culture. Whilst the law change was 'well intentioned' it has become vexatious and leads to the odious practices of claims companies. It desperately needs revising and vexatious and trivial litigants needs stopping. 

If people have booked their pitches with the campsite and if there is an issue arising from site's facilities then that is an issue for them.

Back in the 90s when I was on the FAS council, PLI became a big problem. Originally, most groups that held it (it wasn't common until mid to late 90s) paid a modest premium. Suddenly, with the growing requirement for groups to have PLI, many insurers dropped out of the market and left only a very small number. The moment you have less competition, prices go up - premiums went up by as much as ten-fold. What umbrella organisations such as FAS and Making Music (similar thing for amateur music groups such as choirs and orchestras) did was take out a policy to which members subscribe thus reducing the premium costs to individual groups.

The real problems arise when your group meets in a village hall and is required to hold PLI but your group is of a more ad-hoc nature, maybe a knitting circle or book club, and doesn't have some sort of umbrella organisation it can join to obtain PLI cover. You then have to go to a broker or an insurer directly and obtain a policy, which can be expensive.        

Edited June 29, 2020 by Tenor Viol