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Public Liability Insurance (PLI) and PAT-Tested Gear

PLI and PAT-tested equipment are two must-haves for any performer using their own equipment for entertainment purposes where they come in to contact with the public.

Public Liability Insurance covers damages awarded to a member of the public arising from an injury or damage to their property caused by the entertainer or his / her equipment.

In real terms, if, for example, a wedding guest trips over an unmarked speaker stand, breaks their arm and decides to sue the band, the band is covered. Similarly, should a guitar amp catch fire and the venue burns down, the band's PLI will contribute to the re-instatement of the venue up to a maximum figure (usually approaching £10million).

Serious stuff then. PLI for a year can cost between £500 to £1000 depending on the terms.

Your venue will almost always require any performer to have PLI. Don't believe a band or solo performer who uses anything remotely electrical or bulky if they say that they "...don't need PLI". They will if the venue demands it. You should not have to pay extra for it. it should come as standard. See our article on Hiring Wedding Musicians for what you should and should not have to pay extra for.

PAT-tested (PAT Stands for Portable Appliance Testing) equipment is a simple health and safety requirement. It shows that a piece of electrical equipment that is either used by or hired by a member of the public has undergone regular maintenance, inspection & testing to deem whether it is electrically safe to use or not. The frequency with which equipment is tested depends on when, where and how it is used.

Typically for a band or DJ, yearly retests on all their electrical equipment are required. As is the case for PLI, PAT-testing certificates for each piece of equipment used will be required by your venue. The PAT-testing needs to be carried out by a qualified electrician and each piece of gear will have a small tag on it indicating its test date and its retest date.

As with PLI, you should not have to pay a band extra for this, it will come as standard.

For information about Rubber Soul's policies on PLI and PAT-testing have a look at our Frequently-Asked-Questions sheet which you can also download and print if you wish.

If you have any questions about the topic of this article, why not drop us an email?