General Insurance Article - Aviva supports ABI guide for employers liability insurers

 Aviva, the UK's largest SME insurer, is the first insurer to commit to sharing the ABI ‘Guide for SMEs on health and safety' with its customers.

 The guide will be available on Aviva's broker website for brokers to share with customers and will be included with policy documents for new business and renewals.

 Phil Grace, liability risk manager at Aviva, said: "We appreciate that for many businesses managing health and safety can seem complicated and confusing.

 "The ABI ‘Guide for SMEs' has been designed to dispel some common myths and explain some of the most important health and safety responsibilities. Small businesses may worry about the amount of paperwork associated with health and safety but as the guide explains this need not be a time-consuming activity. For example, many businesses may not realise it is not necessary to write down the results of a risk assessment if you employ fewer than five employees.

 "Aviva fully supports the purpose of the guide and hopes it will help businesses understand health and safety is an important part of running a business but need not be an arduous task."

 The Government and insurance industry agreed at the Downing Street Insurance Summit last year to put together a short guide to help businesses understand their obligations to comply with health and safety law.

 The ABI coordinated the creation of the guide with input from SME representatives including the Federation of Small Business and the British Chamber of Commerce as well as the Health and Safety Executive and Department of Work and Pensions.