Stud Employee Accident Benefit Scheme

SEABS provides financial compensation for an accident or injury which either prevents a stud employee from working or results in the permanent disablement or death of an employee. The injury can be at work or away from work, but the policy does not cover certain dangerous activities (including horse riding) and it does not cover illness.

If you or another member of staff would like to obtain additional personal accident cover to include riding or cover for sickness, please contact Howden who have different insurance options available.

A brief summary of cover is provided below but full details can be found on the Frequently Asked Questions and policy documents page of the SEABS website.

Exclusions include but are not limited to the following; for full terms and conditions, please refer to the policy wording:

• Horse Riding
• Military service or operations
• Riding or driving in any kind of race
• Aeronautic or aviation activities other than as a passenger
• Mountaineering or rock climbing involving the use of ropes and/or guides and/or specialist climbing equipment
• Sports tours
• Provoked assault or fighting (except genuine self-defence)
• Own criminal act
• Involvement in civil commotion or riots
• Deliberate exposure to exceptional danger (except in an attempt to save human life)
• Accidents whilst under the influence of alcohol which exceeds the prescribed limit under the road traffic act.
• Accidents that occur whilst under the influence of drugs or solvents (other than drugs taken under medical supervision but not for the treatment of drug addiction).
• Illness
• Intentional self-injury or suicide

Any member of stud staff who have a Contract of Employment with a SEABS registered stud in the United Kingdom and whose name has been entered into the SEABS employer portal. Stud staff includes horse handling staff, office staff, maintenance staff and other staff employed on the stud.

All studs who are part of SEABS will need to use the SEABS portal to register staff members and make any changes to staff details - for example adding and removing staff. It is the responsibility of the stud to ensure that there is an accurate record of employees in the SEABS portal. Insurers will allow 14 days leeway to add a new employee. If there is a claim for a new employee who has not been added within the first 14 days, the claim may be honoured subject to the terms and conditions of the policy and providing that a contract of employment is in place.

The data will be the property of Howden; Howden have Data Protection policies in place and will not share the data with anyone except the TBA (exclusively to allow them to issue Invoices) and with the necessary parties to progress any claims. No sensitive data is collected by Howden and the only personal data collected is the employee’s name. To view the Howden data protection policy, please visit https://www.howdengroup.com/howden-privacy-data-protection-policy

Any thoroughbred stud in the United Kingdom can join SEABS providing they are a member of the TBA. If the stud is not currently a TBA member, they can join the TBA and then sign up to SEABS. Lapses in SEABS payments or TBA Membership are likely to render the policy inactive with no ongoing cover for any accident of injury.

If a stud is a member of the TBA they just need to complete the initial registration form. The form will request details of your TBA membership and will ask for confirmation of who will be able to access the SEABS portal to log employees. Each stud may have up to 3 admin users who can log onto the SEABS portal and submit employee details.

All admin users can easily log on to the SEABS portal with a password. Once the user has accessed the portal it is a very easy process to add or remove staff from your register. The portal will also send occasional reminders to check the staff on your register. Please note – you must remove employees within 14 days of their end of contract to avoid paying premiums after they finish.

The policy will cover employees up to the age of 80, but benefits are reduced for any employee over the age of 70. Cover is not provided before the employee’s 16^th birthday and reduced benefits also apply to 16 & 17 year olds.

If an employee is unable to work on a temporary basis, the employer will receive up to £400, less statutory sick pay as a contribution to the employee’s wage; the employer can pay more than this amount to the employee (and, subject to the employment contract, may be obliged to do so) but failure to ensure that the employee receives at least the value of the payment received from the insurer (less any applicable taxes) would be a serious breach of the terms of the scheme; it may  result in removal from SEABS and a requirement to pay back any unpaid funds to the employee.  Payments for temporary total disablement will be made for up to 2 years (104 weeks).

If an employee is concerned that they are not receiving the appropriate amount during periods of absence through injury, they can contact Howden by email on [email protected] or call 0203 857 7950.

In the event of permanent disablement or death resulting in a lump sum payment, this will be paid directly to the employee or the employee’s estate.

There is no monetary excess payable, but any temporary total disablement claim will not be payable for the first 3 working days of absence. Payment will be made from day 4 subject to the terms of the policy.

As the Employer, you will have to sign a direct debit and will be sent a quarterly invoice by the TBA. You will pay each quarter in advance adjusted for any changes (employee arrivals or departures) made in the previous 3 months. The payment includes the premium and insurance premium tax as well as a small administration charge (with VAT) made by the TBA.

Within the SEABS portal there is a claim form which will need to be completed by the employer in the event of an accident that may result in a claim. Claims will be handled by insurers and the TBA will not be involved in the claims process.

Insurers will require sight of the fit note from the employee’s doctor along with any additional medical reports relating to the injury. They will also require payslips to prove the employees wage in the preceding 12 months prior to the injury and may require sight of the contract of employment. In the event of the death of an employee, they will require a copy of the death certificate.

The scheme is designed to cover all staff who have direct contact with horses and insurers have provided premium terms on the basis that it will include all horse facing staff. Other stud staff can be included at the employer’s discretion.

Yes, if they have a contract of employment with you, you are very welcome to include them.

No. The offer is for “whole workforces”, it cannot be optional for employees to pay (or buy the policy individually).

SEABS was initiated as a response to demand from Employers. It is seen as being a valuable tool to encourage recruitment and retention as well as by demonstrating that the industry takes a positive approach to staff welfare. If you have a mandatory or discretionary policy to pay during absence for accident or injury beyond the legal minimum, it will reduce your financial burden.   

Yes – and they will be covered for injuries other than those which result from riding (or other dangerous activities listed in the policy wording).

If a member of staff would like to obtain additional personal accident cover to include riding or cover for sickness, please contact Howden who have different insurance options available.

No – the scheme is designed to create an equal opportunity for small and large employers. However, if the scheme attracts adequate take up and is profitable for insurers, they may be able to provide reduced rates which will be applied to everyone in the scheme.

Subject to the terms and conditions of the policy, cover is in place whilst a registered employee is anywhere in the world whether for business or pleasure. However, employees are strongly advised to take out separate travel insurance to cover things like medical treatment and re-patriation if going abroad for leisure. Employers are strongly advised to ensure they have adequate travel insurance to cover all members of a staff who are travelling for work purposes.

If a member of staff or an employer would like to enquire about travel insurance, please contact Howden who have travel insurance options available.

Yes – providing that they have a current Contract of Employment but the temporary injury payments will be capped by their earnings from the stud or £400 per week (whichever is lower).

Only staff that are employed by a stud and have a Contract of Employment in place can be registered on the SEABS scheme.