Plumbing is a risky business. Every client call comes with significant work-related threats that plumbers face every day. The biggest ones include on-site accidents such as slips, trips, falls or accidents results from working on ladders, platforms, scaffolding and wet floors; exposure to hazardous materials and chemicals like lead and sulfur dioxide; exposure to biohazards and sewage such as encephalitis and hepatitis; and flammable materials, electricity, and water.
So what can people in the plumbing profession do about them? Safe work processes and procedures are critical. But these things aren’t bulletproof. That’s why it’s equally important to get business insurance to cover you when something unexpected happens, even when you are careful.
In this article, we’ll cover who needs it, coverage, cost, and providers for plumbers and plumbing-related businesses.
- Risks plumbers and plumbing businesses are exposed to
- What is plumbing insurance?
- What does plumbing insurance cover?
- Who needs plumbing insurance?
- How much does small business insurance for plumbers cost?
- How can I find cheap plumbers business insurance?
Risks plumbers and plumbing businesses are exposed to:
Below is the list of risks that a plumber or a plumbing business is exposed to everyday at work. This is an incomplete list but should cover the most common and important ones:
On-site accidents
Plumbers face many everyday on-the-job risks including:
- Injuries from bending, carrying, lifting or working in awkward spaces
- Slips, trips and falls
- Accidents resulting from working on ladders, platforms, scaffolding and wet floors
- Trench cave-ins
- Regular and repetitive injuries from using tools improperly
- Hearing loss from using loud tools
- Health issues from working in bad weather.
Exposure to hazardous materials and chemicals
These include things like:
- lead
- sulfur dioxide
- mold
- adhesives
- drain de-cloggers
- solvents
- asbestos
- and more.
Exposure to biohazards and sewage
Infections that can result from working around sewage pipes and septic tanks include:
- encephalitis
- E. coli diarrhea
- gastroenteritis
- giardiasis
- hepatitis
- shigellosis
- typhoid fever
- and more.
Flammable materials, electricity and water
Working with and around these things can lead to injuries and serious property damage from fires, electrical failure, floods and more.
Vehicle accidents and thefts
Car and truck accidents often happen when heading to job sites and vehicles driven by plumbers are often a target of thieves who want to get their hands on their expansive tools and equipment.
What is plumbing insurance?
Plumbing insurance is a general term referring to the business insurance coverage that a plumber or a plumbing business would need to protect themselves from the risks that they are exposed to in their work.
There are several coverage that a plumber or a plumbing business can consider having. However, general liability insurance is probably the most common and important coverage that any plumber or plumbing business should have.
What does plumbing insurance cover?
What plumbing insurance covers depends on which coverage they have. Below are a list of coverage a plumber or a plumbing business can have and what it covers:
General liability insurance
General liability insurance covers claims of bodily injury if a visitor is injured on your business property or you or someone who works for you damages personal property on a job site. This includes things like:
- Slip and fall accidents
- Client property damage (for example, breaking a valuable face while doing plumbing work)
- Legal expenses to defend your business in a lawsuit
- Judgments and settlements from a customer or client lawsuit.
>>MORE: Best General Liability Insurance Companies
Commercial property insurance
Commercial property insurance which protects your business location or locations, whether you rent or own, along with its equipment against damage for covered losses and theft. Covered property can include:
- Business location
- Equipment
- Tools
- Inventory
- Furniture
- Personal property
>>MORE: Best Commercial Property Insurance Companies and How Much Does Commercial Property Insurance Cost?
Business interruption insurance
Business income interruption insurance will help you recover income if you can’t run your business because of a covered event, such as a fire or theft of your tools.
>>MORE: Best Business Income Insurance Companies and How Much Does Business Interruption Insurance Cost?
Business Owners Policy (BOP)
Many plumbers and plumbing businesses benefit from a Business Owners Policy (BOP), which typically includes three important coverages mentioned above. A BOP makes it easier for plumbing business to manage their insurance and helps reduce cost as well. It is cheaper to get a BOP than to buy three separate policies.
Another benefit of getting a BOP is that it’s easy to add coverages to a BOP such as contractors’ professional liability coverage, or equipment and tools coverage.
Workers comp insurance
Workers’ compensation insurance provides benefits to your employees if they become injured or ill for a work related reason, including:
- Medical costs
- Disability benefits
- Lost wages
- And more.
Learn more at workers comp insurance cost and the best workers comp insurance companies
Commercial auto insurance
Commercial vehicle insurance protects you and employees if you’re involved in an accident while driving a car or truck for work related reasons. Learn more in the best commercial auto insurance companies
Who needs plumbing insurance?
Plumbing insurance is purchased by people and businesses who do many types of work including:
- Plumbing contractors
- Septic system installers and maintenance people
- Drainage system installers
- Sewer contractors
- Piping and plumbing contractors
- Sump and water pump installation and service workers
- Water system balancing and testing contractors.
An experienced insurance agent or representative at a business insurer can help you figure out whether plumbers business insurance is right for you.
How much does small business insurance for plumbers cost?
It all depends. Many factors go into the price of a policy including:
- The type of plumbing work you do
- Your business location
- Number of employees and their experience
- Claims history
- Workplace and job site safety protocols
- And more.
It’s a smart idea to get plumber insurance quotes from several providers and compare them to find the right coverage for you at the best possible price.
Learn more at how much does plumbing insurance cost
How can I find cheap plumbers business insurance?
Here are some tips to help you get the coverage you need at a fair price:
- Shop around for the best value. Get quotes from a few companies and compare them to find the right coverage for you at a reasonable cost.
- Don’t stop shopping around. Make sure you get new quotes before you renew your policy.
- Take advantage of discounts. If they’re not offered to you when getting a quote, ask about them, whether you’re buying online or through an agent.
Taking these steps will help ensure you’re not paying too much for your plumbers coverage.
Best plumbing insurance companies
Many companies offer plumbing insurance, which can be overwhelming to find the best one for your business. We have done the research and here are our recommendations for the best providers of plumbing insurance for your consideration.
- CoverWallet: Best for comparing several quotes online
- Simply Business: Best for finding low-cost coverage
- InsurePro: Best for flexible pay-per-day coverage
- Thimble: Best for part-time plumbers
- NEXT: Best for comprehensive plumbing insurance policy at affordable rates
