Handyman Insurance in Connecticut

 Posted on February 21, 2015 in Personal Injury

With warmer weather now on the horizon in Connecticut, many people may be considering remodeling their homes or making additions. This can be a busy time of year for contractors, so they should take this opportunity to make sure that their insurance is up to date. Many people think that homeowners' insurance will cover injuries to contractors, but that is not usually the case.

Contractor injuries are outside the normal risk profile that homeowners' insurance deals with. Consequently, they are subject to a policy exclusion, meaning that there is a specific clause in the insurance policy that exempts them from coverage. The only time there may be an exception to this is if the homeowner's negligence was the direct cause of the contractor's injury. As such, contractors working in homes should take care to make sure that they are properly covered by other insurance policies, especially since Occupational Safety and Health Administration statistics highlight the unique dangers faced in the construction industry.

Professionals working on home remodeling have two options for resolving this insurance issue. First, they can choose to carry their own insurance policy to cover injuries that they may suffer while on the job. Second, they may have the homeowner or, more likely, the general contractor cover them via workers' compensation insurance.

Contractors’ Insurance

The first option for Connecticut handymen is to simply enter the insurance market for themselves and purchase a policy to cover their own injuries. The price of the coverage will likely vary based on a variety of factors, including the particular trade, experience, and work history of the contractor seeking insurance. For instance, some trades are likely to be more dangerous than others, and that can be reflected in the price of the insurance. Handymen who are otherwise not covered by insurance should also consider purchasing liability coverage for any damage that they do to the home. Such damage is more likely to be covered by the insurance policy of the homeowner, but the insurer may still be able to pursue a claim against the contractor based on the legal theory of subrogation.

Workers' Compensation Insurance

The alternative to buying insurance would be having the homeowner or general contractor cover the handyman with workers' compensation insurance. Workers' compensation insurance is a special, heavily regulated insurance industry that covers employee injuries on the job. It has a special government agency to adjudicate disputes, and there are specific tables that detail compensation for each type of injury based on the employee's salary and the injury's severity.

Purchasing insurance in the business context can be a complex task. If you are a contractor and have questions about the right choice for you, or you have recently suffered an injury on the job and want to learn more about your options, contact a Hartford, Connecticut personal injury attorney today. Call Woolf Law Firm, LLC at 860-290-8690 to schedule an initial consultation.