Is Employers Liability required for volunteers?
Under UK law, you only must have employers' liability insurance if you employ paid staff. That said — if you have volunteers (or helpers, temporary staff, etc.) working under your direction at an event, there is still a real risk of injury or illness, and a volunteer could potentially make a claim if harmed. That risk falls on you as organiser. For that reason, many insurers and event-insurance brokers (including on the site you reference) recommend taking out employers' liability even if your team is unpaid.
What does this means on the ground? If you only use volunteers, and never pay anyone, the legal requirement to hold employers' liability insurance may not strictly apply. But because volunteers aren't 'public' — they are people working for you — a volunteer's injury at your event would most logically be addressed under employers' liability rather than public liability. That means: if you choose not to have employers' liability cover, you may be exposed to claims — and some venues or funders may still insist you have it.
To conclude; even if all your helpers are volunteers, it’s wise to take out employers’ liability insurance (or ensure your policy explicitly includes volunteers). That way you reduce the risk of claims, show you take your duty of care seriously, and satisfy venues/funders who may require it.
