Environmental damage insurance
Cover against environmental damage.Statutory insurance for certain operators
Environmental damage insurance is required by law if your company’s operations involve a material risk of environmental damage or cause harm to the environment.
Principal liability for environmental damage rests with the company itself
The insurance only covers losses which the policyholder cannot personally handle, such as in the event of bankruptcy or when the liable party is unknown.
For whom is environmental damage insurance intended?
Environmental damage insurance compensates bodily injury or material damage and loss prevention costs, among other damage-related issues.
As a rule, environmental damage insurance is mandatory for companies engaged in operations that require a wastewater permit or environmental permit from a regional environment centre or a permit for the treatment and storage of hazardous chemicals. Businesses included within the scope of the law range from small fish farms to large forestry and energy companies. The insurance is required when your company operates in the mining or chemical industry, for example.
The obligation to insure does not apply to companies engaged in the storage or distribution of oil or oil products, lubricant manufacture, cleaning of contaminated soil or utilisation of waste.
What is reimbursed by mandatory environmental damage insurance?
Environmental damage insurance reimburses:
- environmental damage caused by the insured operations
- bodily injuries and material damage
- loss prevention costs
- costs of restoring the contaminated environment.
Environmental damage insurance reimburses loss caused to the environment by the pollution of water, air or soil, noise, vibration, radiation, light, heat or smell or other similar disturbance resulting from operations undertaken within a specific area.
The maximum compensation is EUR 6 million per insured event and no more than EUR 10 million per year. The deductible is EUR 300 for a natural person who has suffered injury, loss or damage, and EUR 3,000 for a company or institution.
Environmental damage insurance is statutory insurance provided under the Act on Compensation for Environmental Damage
Environmental damage insurance is regulated by the Environmental Damage Insurance Act, which came into force 1 January 1999. This insurance compensates losses when the source of the environmental damage remains unknown or has been found to be insolvent.
Principal liability for environmental damage rests with the company that caused the damage. The company must compensate the damage in full. With certain prerequisites, compensation is paid from the liable party’s business liability insurance. Compensation payable from environmental damage insurance is secondary: in other words, it is paid if the injured party cannot receive compensation from the liable party.