Why do I need insurance?
Years ago it was very rare to be insured if you were a groom. There was a lack of awareness about how and why insurance is important and many grooms have suffered life changing accidents and subsequently received no or very little financial support, potentially causing havoc with rent and bills.
When the car was first invented insurance was not thought of. It is now illegal to drive without insurance and lets be honest… you really wouldn’t want to, would you?! So why work with horses in a high risk occupation without any form of insurance? We hope that in 10 years time the BGA will be behind an ‘Insurance Revolution’ and it will be unheard of for grooms to work without personal accident cover.
What happens if I get injured and can’t work?
It depends on whether you are employed or self employed (freelance). If you are employed you will be entitled to SSP. Depending on their generosity and your Statement of Terms of Employment, your employer might give you additional pay over and above the SSP rate. However by law they are only eligible to pay you SSP, quite possibly resulting in a serious drop in income for you.If you are self employed (freelance) you will not receive any SSP and so will quite simply have no income. The BGA highly recommends that self employed grooms never risk working without Personal Accident Insurance Cover.
What is SSP?
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is the basic rate you are entitled to if you are unable to work. If you're working for an employer under a contract of service (even if you've only just started), you're entitled to SSP if the following apply:• you're sick for at least four days in a row (including weekends and bank holidays and days that you do not normally work)
• you're earning at least £95 a week before tax and National Insurance contributions are deducted.
The standard rate for SSP is just £79.15 a week which is paid by your employer for up to 28 weeks. The best way to protect your income is to have a personal accident insurance policy.
SEIB offers BGA members a special discounted rate on all three levels of personal accident cover. The BGA has attached this to the BGA Standard membership to create the Student, Premier and Platinum membership options.