Taylor Swift might have insured her legs for £26m, but British builders are also putting a high price on their body parts!
The average builder sees his or her legs as crucial tools of the trade, and as such believes they are worth £1,185,000*. Engineers and lawyers have put the price of their limbs at £1.2 million whilst, interestingly, telecoms workers value their legs even more highly, at £1.9 million!
The research has been carried out by family insurance brand There┬«, which asked 2,000 professionals in 20 different industries to put an insurance value on different body parts to highlight their impact on earning potential. From the results, a builderÔÇÖs legs would appear more valuable than those of a doctor or nurse, which were deemed to be worth ┬ú1,140,000 on average. Shop workers, meanwhile ÔÇô who are on their feet a lot – think their legs are worth ┬ú1,045,000.
Eyes were the most valued part of the body, followed by face, hands and legs. Engineers topped the table with an insurance value on their eyes of £3.4m, followed by plumbers and electricians at £3.1m and telecoms workers at £2.6m. Plumbers and electricians also put one of the highest price tags on their hands, at £2.2m, with their index finger alone being worth £1,196,107 in the event of them losing their income.
There┬« marketing managerPhilippa McLaglen said recent news of Taylor Swift insuring her legs for ┬ú26m ÔÇô or $40m – isnÔÇÖt as crazy as it seems. ÔÇ£TheyÔÇÖre part of the Taylor Swift brand and so can affect her earning power,ÔÇØ she said. ÔÇ£Similarly damage to a builderÔÇÖs leg or an engineerÔÇÖs eye could have a big impact on their earning potential.ÔÇØ
The research also highlighted a difference between self-employed and employed workers, with self-employed builders more likely to value their bodies. More than half (57%) of self-employed people think insurance against injury is a sensible precaution, whilst 64% feel more pressure to take care of their physical well-being because they are self-employed.
Your building project is unlikely to be worth £1m, but if you are sourcing a builder, here are some tips to consider:
- Ask for recommendations from friends or neighbours. Do some online research and read reviews
- Get at least three quotes, asking the firm to include the cost of things such as clearing up and waste disposal. The cheapest isnÔÇÖt necessarily the best value for money
- Be clear about what you want, putting it in writing if necessary
- Consider the start date. You might be delighted if the builder is available tomorrow but good builders tend to be booked at least a few weeks in advance
- NEVER book a builder who cold calls, and trust your instincts!
* Research conducted by OnePoll on behalf of There® surveying 2,000 UK workers across 20 industries, August 2015.
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