How insurance looks for concrete contractors
Concrete contractors place and finish structural and civil concrete: slabs, foundations, retaining walls, culverts, reservoirs and bridge elements. Work may be done by a main contractor or by a specialist subcontractor.
Many concrete failures are discovered after the pour, which makes it important to understand how defects, testing and workmanship are treated in the policy.
Exposures to assess
These scenarios show where the insurance conversation usually becomes specific for this trade. They are exposures to assess with an insurer, not assurances that any policy will respond.
Formwork or falsework failure
Temporary support gives way during a pour. Ask how the policy treats temporary works, who designed them, and how damage to the works and injury to people would be approached.
A pour that does not reach the required strength
Cube tests fail and concrete must be broken out. Review how the policy treats the cost of redoing defective workmanship, which is often excluded.
Slurry or concrete spillage
Washout or a pipe burst contaminates a watercourse or damages neighbouring property. Discuss how pollution and spill events are treated.
Pump or mixer accidents
A concrete pump boom contacts something it should not, or a mixer overturns. Check how plant cover and liability cover would each be considered.
Weather during curing
Heavy rain or heat affects fresh concrete. Ask how weather is treated and whether the policy distinguishes damage from workmanship issues.
Covers to discuss
| Cover | Why it may matter |
|---|---|
| Contractors All Risk | Addresses the works, including accidental damage to completed and partly completed concrete elements. |
| Public liability | Third-party injury and property damage from pours, spillage and plant. |
| Plant All Risk | Pumps, mixers and vibrators are valuable, mobile machines. |
| Goods in transit | Reinforcing steel, cement and precast items in transit. |
| Tools and equipment | Vibrators, screeds, saws and small equipment that move constantly. |
Information that helps us prepare a quotation
- The type of concrete work and typical pour sizes and heights.
- Who designs formwork and falsework, and who supervises its erection.
- Testing and quality-control procedures.
- Plant owned and hired in, including pumps and mixers.
- Your role: main contractor or subcontractor.
- The contract and its insurance requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Does insurance pay to replace a pour that fails testing?
Generally not. The cost of rectifying your own defective workmanship is commonly excluded, while resulting damage may be treated differently. See latent defects explained for the wider picture.
Who is responsible for falsework?
It depends on the contract and on who designed and installed it. Ask early, because the answer affects which policy would be involved.
Related guides
- Latent defects explained for contractorsWhat latent defects are, how they differ from patent defects, how liability may continue after the defects period and why insurance does not automatically cover them.
- Construction insurance checklist for contractorsA construction insurance checklist for a broker conversation: project details, contract requirements, covers, plant, subcontractors and comparing quotations.
- Annual vs project-specific contractors’ insuranceAnnual versus project-specific contractors’ insurance compared: how each is structured, when each may suit a South African contractor and what to check against the contract.
Related industries
- Building contractorsContract works, adjoining property, materials and subcontractors on building projects.
- Structural steel contractorsFabrication and erection, cranes, hot work, painting overspray and design responsibility for steel contractors.
- Construction subcontractorsFlow-down requirements from the main contract, liability limits, tools and evidence of cover for subcontractors.