A wall's job is to keep standing. When it doesn't, the claim is structural, not cosmetic.
Bricklaying carries one of the heavier completed-operations exposures of any trade, because a wall isn't judged on the day it's built, it's judged on whether it stays exactly where it's supposed to be for decades. Cover built for the size of that exposure, not a generic small policy.
Where a bricklayer actually gets exposed
Bricklaying carries real on-site risk from excavation and scaffolding, but the bigger exposure is structural: a wall defect discovered after the building's finished is a serious claim, not a callback.
The structural issue found after handover
A retaining or boundary wall you built starts leaning within a year. An engineer traces it to inadequate footings or bonding, and the owner is facing a costly demolition and rebuild.
Excavation risk on a live site
You're laying footings that involve some excavation work. A trench collapses partially, and a passing member of the public or another tradesperson is injured near the site boundary.
Damage to an adjoining property
Laying a boundary wall on a tight block, materials or debris from the job damage the neighbouring property's fence and garden bed.
Who's going to ask you for it
Builders check this closely, given what's at stake
Given the structural nature of the work, builders and head contractors tend to be specific about bricklaying cover:
- Head contractors and builders typically want $10M-$20M public liability before engaging a bricklayer.
- Insurers on the head contractor's policy often require product liability cover to be confirmed, not just public liability.
- Councils and certifiers may want evidence of cover for retaining wall or structural work specifically.
The exclusion bricklayers assume is covered
A structural defect found after handover is the single most expensive kind of claim bricklaying is exposed to, and it's specifically a product liability exposure, not a public liability one. Given how high the severity can be for this trade, checking that product liability is actually included, rather than assumed, matters more here than for most other trades.
Common questions
A wall I built is showing movement two years later. Am I covered?
Only if product liability is included as part of your cover. A structural issue discovered well after handover is a completed-operations claim, and given the potential cost of a rebuild, it's worth confirming this is actually in your policy rather than assumed.
Why does bricklaying need higher limits than some other trades?
Because the potential severity is higher. A structural failure in a wall can mean demolition and rebuild costs that dwarf a typical cosmetic trade's worst-case claim, so builders and insurers tend to set higher minimums for this work.
Does this cover excavation work if it's part of the job?
It can, but tell us specifically if excavation is part of what you do. It's a distinct exposure with its own risks around trench collapse and underground services.
What if the engineering plans I followed were wrong, not my bricklaying?
That's a question of whose work actually caused the defect, and it's exactly the kind of dispute an insurer's investigation exists to work through before any claim is paid.
I do mostly small garden and boundary walls. Do I need the same cover?
Broadly yes, though the limits may scale down slightly. Even a small wall carries a structural exposure if it fails, so it's worth talking through the specific scale of your work with us.