Trades / Security guards and patrol services
NAICS 56161 · low injury risk
Insurance for security guards and patrol services
Security guards and patrol services log 1.5 recordable injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers — 35 percent below private industry's 2.3 and number 37 of 37 trades here. The injury record is not the hard part of insuring this trade; the liability and contract requirements are.
- 1Security guards and pa 1.5 per 100
- 2Private industry 2.3 per 100
- 3Rank of 37 #37
What goes wrong in this trade
Assault, false-arrest and failure-to-protect allegations, which standard liability forms exclude; a guard-specific policy and professional liability are the core of the programme.
The checklist for security guards and patrol services
- GLGeneral liabilityAssault-and-battery and false-arrest claims need a GL written for guard work, since standard forms exclude them.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 liabilityPatrol vehicles.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).
- E&OProfessional liability (E&O)Failure-to-perform claims when an incident happens on a guarded site.Not required by federal law; some state licences and client contracts require it.
- UmbrellaCommercial umbrella / excessClients routinely require higher limits.Not required by law; required by many general contractors and commercial landlords.
- HNOAHired and non-owned autoGuards driving their own cars between posts.Not required by law; commonly added to GL or auto.
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
With 1.5 cases per 100 workers the workers' compensation base rate for this class is comparatively modest, and only 67 percent of cases involved days away, restriction or transfer. Where the premium goes instead is liability: assault-and-battery and false-arrest claims need a gl written for guard work, since standard forms exclude them, and that is a general-liability and professional-liability question rather than a payroll one. Expect the certificate requirements in your contracts to matter more than your loss history.
The nearest trades by injury rate are site preparation (excavation) contractors (1.5), painting and wall covering contractors (1.6), home health care services (1.6); 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.