Trades / Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors
NAICS 23822 · mid injury risk
Insurance for plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors log 3 recordable injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers, 30 percent above private industry's 2.3 and number 11 of 37 trades on this site. A middling injury record means the premium is driven as much by what you do for clients as by what happens to your own crew.
- 1Plumbing, heating and 3 per 100
- 2Private industry 2.3 per 100
- 3Rank of 37 #11
What goes wrong in this trade
Water damage to the floor below is the classic plumbing claim; refrigerant handling, confined-space work and heavy equipment lifts fill the HVAC injury file, and system sizing errors create an advice exposure.
The checklist for plumbing, heating and air-conditioning 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.
- E&OProfessional liability (E&O)System design and sizing work is an advice exposure, excluded from GL.Not required by federal law; some state licences and client contracts require it.
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
At 3 cases per 100 workers this trade sits in the middle of the 37 trades here, with 57 percent of cases involving days away, restriction or transfer. The workers' compensation class rate will be noticeable but not dominant; the balance of the premium is general liability and, where the checklist lists it, commercial auto. The approximate fatality rate of 6.2 per 100,000 FTE is unremarkable and will not drive the quote.
The nearest trades by injury rate are landscaping services (3), drywall and insulation contractors (2.9), general freight trucking (3.1); 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.
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.