Insurance for structural steel contractors

How insurance looks for structural steel contractors

Structural steel contractors fabricate steelwork, deliver it and erect it on site, often using cranes. Some also design connections or produce shop drawings, which can take them into professional liability territory.

The business is split between a fixed workshop and mobile site work, and each needs its own insurance questions. This page focuses on the site and transit exposures.

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.

A long load is damaged on the road
Fabricated steel is damaged or lost on the way to site. Ask whether goods in transit cover applies to your loads and what conditions exist around securing and escorting.
A crane lift goes wrong
A lifted member is dropped or a crane overturns. Review the status of hired cranes, lifting plans, and which policies would respond to damage to the steel, the crane and third-party property.
A part-erected frame is unstable
Wind or an incomplete bracing sequence causes a frame to move or collapse. Ask how temporary stability and temporary works are treated.
Hot work starts a fire
Welding or cutting sets fire to materials. Check how the policy treats fire from hot work and what permits or precautions it expects.
Overspray from painting
Paint or protective coating drifts onto neighbouring vehicles or buildings. Consider how third-party damage from coatings and overspray is treated.

Covers to discuss

Covers worth raising for structural steel contractors, and why
Cover	Why it may matter
Contractors All Risk	Addresses steelwork as it is erected, including temporary works.
Goods in transit	Long, heavy steel loads are exposed on the road.
Public liability	Third-party injury and damage from lifting, hot work and coatings.
Professional indemnity	Relevant where you design connections or produce engineering drawings.
Plant All Risk	Owned cranes, forklifts and mobile access equipment.

Information that helps us prepare a quotation

The type of steelwork, heights and weights, and the typical lifts.
Whether cranes are owned or hired, and the lifting plan arrangements.
Design responsibility: connections, shop drawings or full design.
Transport method and routes for long loads.
Coating and painting methods, on site or in the workshop.
The contract and its insurance requirements.

Frequently asked questions

Are fabrication and erection insured together?

Not necessarily. A workshop and its stock are a premises and property question, while erection is a construction question. Raise both so the covers are coordinated, even if the insurance is arranged separately.

Do I need professional indemnity if I only detail connections?

It depends on the contract and on how much design responsibility you accept. Send us the clause and we will help you work out whether professional indemnity is relevant. See professional indemnity for contractors.