Trades / Framing contractors
NAICS 23813 · high injury risk
Insurance for framing contractors
Framing contractors log 4.6 recordable injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers, 100 percent above the private-industry figure of 2.3 and number 7 of the 37 trades on this site. That record is what an underwriter sees first, and it is why the checklist below leans on workers' compensation and liability limits.
- 1Framing contractors 4.6 per 100
- 2Private industry 2.3 per 100
- 3Rank of 37 #7
What goes wrong in this trade
The highest injury rate of any construction trade on this site, driven by falls and struck-by incidents; general liability underwriters price framing for structural failure and collapse during construction.
The checklist for framing contractors
- GLGeneral liabilityProperty damage and injury on client premises is the core exposure; every GC and most licences require a certificate.Not required by federal law. Required in practice by most contracts, landlords and many state contractor licences.
- WCWorkers' compensationRequired once you have employees in nearly every state.Required by state law in nearly every state once you have employees; the employee-count threshold and exemptions are set state by state and are not reproduced here.
- AutoCommercial auto liabilityTrucks and vans carrying crews and material.State minimum auto liability applies to business vehicles. Interstate for-hire carriers of vehicles 10,001 lb GVWR and up must carry the 49 CFR 387.9 minimums ($750,000 non-hazardous property; $1,000,000 oil; $5,000,000 bulk hazmat).
- ToolsInland marine (tools and equipment)Tools and material on site and in the truck are not covered by a property policy.Not required by law.
- BondSurety bondState contractor licences commonly require a licence bond; public jobs require performance bonds.Many state contractor licences require a licence bond; public work requires bid and performance bonds under state law and, federally, the Miller Act.
- UmbrellaCommercial umbrella / excessCommercial GCs often ask for limits above a standard GL.Not required by law; required by many general contractors and commercial landlords.
Red tags mark policy types that a law or licence usually requires; green tags are what contracts, landlords and clients ask for. Tailor the list for your situation (no employees, no vehicles, alcohol) with the checklist tool.
What the injury record means for the premium
Workers' compensation is rated on payroll and class, then adjusted by your own loss history, so a trade with 4.6 cases per 100 workers starts from a high base rate before an underwriter has looked at you. Worse, 74 percent of those cases involved days away from work, restriction or transfer — the expensive kind. The fatality figure, roughly 52.7 per 100,000 full-time workers in 2024, is several times the all-industry level and is the single number most likely to appear in an underwriter's notes. The practical consequence: a documented safety programme and a clean experience modifier are worth more here than shopping carriers.
The nearest trades by injury rate are waste collection (4.7), warehousing and storage (4.8), used household and office goods moving (4.3); the same payroll insured in those classes would start from a similar workers' comp base.
Legal, licence or contract?
Fixed by law
- Workers' compensation once you have employees, in nearly every state (threshold and exemptions set by the state; not reproduced here).
- State minimum auto liability on any vehicle the business operates.
Asked for by contracts and licences
Sources: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, Table 1 (2024), incidence rates per 100 full-time workers; BLS SOII Table 3 (2024), hours worked by detailed industry; BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Table A-1 (2024). Fatal rate per 100,000 FTE is derived (count ÷ hours × 200,000,000) and approximate. Checked 2026-10-23.