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Insurance for orthotics, prosthetics and orthopaedic shoemaking workshops in Germany

If you build prostheses, orthoses, braces or orthopaedic shoes in Germany, you make devices that people put their full weight on every day. When a socket cracks or an insole causes a pressure sore in a diabetic foot, the claim is about injury, not just a refund. Add a workshop full of resin and heat, a CAD/CAM milling machine, a 3D scanner and often a medical supply shop. This page shows what orthotics, prosthetics and orthopaedic shoemaking workshops should insure and what it costs.

Insurance for orthotics and orthopaedic shoemaking businesses

The question almost everyone asks first

Who pays if a patient falls because a prosthetic socket breaks?

Your public liability policy with product liability included, if your business is responsible for the defect. It pays treatment, lost earnings and damages for pain and suffering, and defends you against unjustified claims. Make sure manufacturing, fitting and repair are named in the policy and that parts from suppliers are included.

What goes wrong in this trade

  1. 01

    Device defects

    A knee joint locks, a socket breaks, a splint sits wrong. People who rely on a device fall when it fails.

  2. 02

    Pressure sores

    Diabetics and people with paralysis often do not feel pressure in time. A badly fitting insole can turn into a long lasting wound.

  3. 03

    Fire in the workshop

    Casting resin, solvents, grinding dust and hot air: an orthotics workshop catches fire faster than an office.

  4. 04

    Expensive machines

    A CAD/CAM mill, scanner and 3D printer easily cost six figures together. When one fails, patients wait.

  5. 05

    Health data

    Measurements, scans, prescriptions and billing with the health insurers live on your computers. An attack stops supply and payments.

Risk radar
Liability 5Fire and water 4Theft 2Cyber 3Downtime 3Health 3

Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.

The insurance you need

Essential

Business liability

Pays for injury and property damage from manufacturing, fitting and repair, including product liability for devices you deliver.

Strongly advised

Business contents

Replaces workshop, stock, materials and shop fittings after fire, burst pipes, storm and burglary.

Machinery breakdown

Covers mill, scanner and 3D printer, including operator error, short circuits and power surges.

Business interruption

Pays running costs and lost profit when the workshop is out of action for weeks after a fire.

Cyber insurance

Helps after an attack on scans, patient data and billing, and with the reporting duties that follow.

Depends on the business

Fleet insurance

For vehicles used to see patients at home, in care homes or in hospital; motor liability is compulsory.

What it costs: example prices

Premiums depend mainly on turnover, staff numbers, the share of prosthetics and the value of workshop and stock. Product liability is the core; machines are often the second largest item.

InsuranceExampleTypical range
Business liabilitySmall workshop, up to five staff, €5 million cover with product liabilityabout €300 to €800 a year
Business liabilityMedical supply shop with workshop and prosthetics, about 20 staffabout €1,200 to €3,000 a year
Business contentsWorkshop, stock and shop, €250,000 sum insuredabout €500 to €1,200 a year
Machinery breakdownMill, scanner and 3D printer, €150,000 in totalabout €600 to €1,500 a year

For comparison: Liability cover for a small workshop costs about as much a year as one pair of custom insoles with adjustments.

Guide prices from our quoting practice, as of October 2026.

There are hardly any published tariff examples for this trade;

the sources below support the legal statements.

We obtain the exact quote for you.

Sources of the price examples

Our suggestions: three packages

01

Start

For: small workshop with a few staff

  • Business liability
  • Business contents

Together about €800 to €2,000 a year

Request this package

02

Workshop

For: business with prosthetics, mill and scanner

  • Business liability
  • Business contents
  • Machinery breakdown
  • Business interruption
  • Cyber insurance

Together about €3,000 to €7,000 a year

Request this package

03

Full cover

For: medical supply business with branches, field service and own production

  • Business liability
  • Business contents
  • Machinery breakdown
  • Business interruption
  • Cyber insurance
  • Fleet insurance

Together about €7,000 to €18,000 a year

Request this package

The worst day in an orthotics workshop

Five things that really happen in orthotics workshops, all on a single Tuesday here. Tap through the day and see who pays.

Damage so far€158,000
  1. The knee joint of a new above knee prosthesis locks on the stairs; the patient falls and breaks an arm.

    €40,000 · Paid by: Business liability

  2. After an operator error the mill crashes into the clamp; spindle and controller are wrecked.

    €18,000 · Paid by: Machinery breakdown

  3. Ransomware locks scans, measurements and cost estimates.

    €15,000 · Paid by: Cyber insurance

  4. A cable fire in the resin corner covers the workshop in soot.

    €60,000 · Paid by: Business contents

  5. A diabetic patient reports a foot ulcer and blames the new insoles.

    €25,000 · Paid by: Business liability

Which package would you have had?

Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €158,000

Illustrative amounts before any excess.

What is paid depends on the policy terms.

Practical tips from your broker

  1. Have manufacturing, fitting, repair and sale of aids named explicitly in the policy, including prosthetics and orthopaedic shoes.
  2. Check that product liability also covers supplier parts you build in.
  3. Insure mill, scanner and 3D printer under machinery cover that includes operator error.
  4. Document fittings, instructions and follow up appointments. In a dispute this shows the supply was done properly.
  5. Keep backups off the network so scans and measurements survive an attack.

Why NAMMERT for your business

We compare for workshops

Norman Nammert acts as an insurance broker and obtains quotes from several insurers. We focus on product liability, machines and supplier parts.

We know claims from practice

In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. That experience goes into our advice, so your policy fits your business when it matters.

Advice in English

Business and private cover with one contact person. Advice is free of charge; the insurer pays our commission.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Is liability insurance compulsory for orthotics workshops in Germany?

No law requires it in general.

But anyone building devices people rely on carries a high liability risk;

without insurance the business pays from its own assets.

How much does liability insurance cost for an orthotics workshop?

About €300 to €800 a year for small workshops,

about €1,200 to €3,000 for medical supply shops with workshop and prosthetics.

These are guide prices from our quoting practice.

Do I need prequalification to supply publicly insured patients?

Yes, for contracts with the statutory health insurers you must prove your suitability,

normally with a certificate from a prequalification body.

It is valid for up to five years.

Does contents insurance pay if an operator error breaks the mill?

Usually not; it mainly covers fire, water, storm and burglary.

For operator errors and internal damage you need machinery or electronics cover.

Are orthopaedic shoes covered by product liability?

Yes, if you declare them as an activity in the policy.

Name custom shoes, shoe adaptations and insoles explicitly.

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request quotes for Orthotics

The recommended covers are ticked.

Change what does not fit; we compare quotes, in English.

1Who is it for?
2Which insurance?

Choose as many as you like. For each one, the details an insurer needs for a quote appear below.

Personal

Business

3Details

Business liability insurance in Germany (Betriebshaftpflicht)

For example electrical installation in homes, café with outdoor seating, online shop for furniture

For example work at clients' sites, own products, exports to the US, parent company abroad

Business contents insurance in Germany (Inhaltsversicherung)

For example café with bakery, accounting firm, car repair shop

At purchase price, 0 if no stock

For example flood cover, customer property, tools in vehicles, loss of income

Business interruption insurance in Germany (Betriebsunterbrechungsversicherung)

For example metalworking with eight staff, restaurant, dental practice

Turnover minus materials and goods purchased, your tax adviser will know

For example key machinery, flood, long delivery times

Machinery breakdown insurance in Germany

Today's price for equivalent new machines including freight and installation

For example machine list, leasing, security measures, previous claims

Cyber insurance for businesses in Germany

Rule of thumb: cost of three to four weeks of downtime plus recovery

4Your current policy
5How can we reach you?

Related trades

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Who pays if a crown breaks and the patient is hurt?

Boat or yacht? NAMMERT has its own cover concepts for boats, arranged by the same broker.

Boat insurance

Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT.

Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act.

Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company.

It does not arrange your contract.

Statutory disclosure (German) · Updated