Photographers and Videographers are commonly outgoing characters who like to engage in person with their customers and often can’t avoid getting up close and personal with their subjects.

This puts them on the frontline of human contact with their customers and exposed to the sharing of whatever bugs are flying around not limited to the Covid virus.

You may have noticed that we are all becoming hard wired to conduct virtual handshakes before the actual handshake takes place.

Informal virtual handshakes consist of apparently casual and voluntary sharing of information such as your health generally, vaccination status, flow test or PCR test results.

Rapid semi-transparent risk assessments are now being made….’is this person I am about to get close to and shake hands with a danger to my health……or for that matter, me their health’.

Some Event venues are currently subject to state-imposed rules or making individual demands fearing a spread of infections or quarantine rules with resulting ill effects on staffing and bookings.

From a health risk and insurance perspective, where does this all lead you may ask?

It should lead to an assessment of risks to income as a result of ill health or state-imposed quarantine periods rendering us unable to perform our work obligations.

What areas are up for consideration?

  1. Contracts must be clearer in relation to ill health or State imposed restrictions affecting the photographer, often a small business with limited substitute options
  2. Public and Employers Liability – Legal liability for injury or illness of those people described and who reasonably expect you to observe a duty of care which has ben failed in some way. Covid terms and conditions of cover may apply.
  3. Personal Accident and Sickness – Set financial benefits paid to insured persons arising from total and partial disability from work. Lump sums can be paid for specified serious injuries or monthly benefits paid for a set limited period normally 1-2 years. So, a short-term solution. Covid terms and conditions of cover may apply.
  4. Permanent Health – Set financial benefits paid to insured persons arising from longer term ill health up to a set age normally targeting retirement age linked to earning requirements. Covid terms and conditions of cover may apply.
  5. Life Insurance – Pays out a lump sum on the death of the insured persons. Covid should not be excluded but it is necessary to check full terms and conditions and declarations
  6. Critical Illness – Pays out set benefits for specified serious normal life and work disabling critical illnesses. Covid is unlikely to be defined as one of the insured Critical Illnesses

We keep hearing Covid is here to stay so perhaps it is time to re-evaluate the real and perceived Health risks to us and our businesses.