At 50 to 200 employees, workers’ comp is usually your biggest insurance cost, and the program that fit at 20 employees doesn’t fit anymore. If you pay $30,000 or more a year, you should have better options than renewing with the same carrier at whatever number comes back: markets that want telecom work and reward a well-run safety program, a real plan for your experience mod, and service that keeps up with your crews. It starts with a free review of your current program.
3 quick steps — we’ll follow up for your loss runs and mod worksheet
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We’ll reply within one business day with a short list of what we need (loss runs, your mod worksheet, and payroll by class) and a secure way to send it.
Need coverage faster? Call us directly at (350) 218-1055.
At your size, small rating errors multiply across seven figures of payroll. These are the ones we find most often.
Underground crews in 6325, aerial in 7601, installers often in 7600, office in 8810, outside sales in 8742. When everything lands in the highest-rated class, you pay that rate on all of it, and splits only hold up at audit if they’re documented.
Your mod comes from three years of payroll and claims. Wrong payroll, reserves that should have come down, and claims charged to the wrong company all push it up, and those errors are common. We check the worksheet before it’s final.
Several small claims usually hurt your mod more than one large one. Fast injury reporting, a nurse triage line, and a return-to-work program lower both what claims cost and how many there are.
At audit, payroll for subcontracted crews that can’t show their own workers’ comp is usually added to your policy. Collect current certificates before a crew starts, not when the auditor asks.
Hiring and raises push payroll up. If the estimate on your policy doesn’t move with it, the difference arrives as one large audit bill. Mid-term updates or pay-as-you-go billing keep it level.
Every state with crews needs to be on the policy. Ohio, Washington, Wyoming, and North Dakota run their own state funds, so employers liability there comes from a stop-gap endorsement on your policy.
Which ones fit depends on your premium, loss history, and appetite for risk. Between $30K and about $100K, a better-rated guaranteed cost policy or a dividend plan is usually the first lever. Loss-sensitive plans open up as premium grows.
A fixed rate that doesn’t swing with your losses, from a market that wants telecom work and credits your safety program. Still the right answer for many companies your size.
A standard policy that can return part of your premium after the year closes if losses stay low. Dividends aren’t guaranteed, but there’s no extra cost if one isn’t paid.
Your final premium moves with your actual losses, between a set minimum and maximum. Usually a fit once premium reaches six figures and losses are steady.
You pay claims up to a deductible in exchange for a much lower premium. Usually for larger accounts, and carriers require collateral.
Safe contractors share risk and share in the underwriting profit. Membership typically requires a capital contribution and a commitment of several years.
Premium billed from actual payroll each pay period instead of a large deposit and an estimate. Many carriers offer it, and it ends year-end audit surprises.
A $30K+ workers’ comp program needs attention all year, not just a renewal quote. This is what you should expect from your broker.
We check the payroll, claim values, and reserves on your mod worksheet while there’s still time to correct them.
Someone pushing for fast closure and accurate reserves, because every open claim dollar stays on your mod for three years.
Payroll by class and subcontractor certificates ready before the auditor arrives, and a challenge when the result is wrong.
Blanket waiver of subrogation where your contracts need it and fast certificates, so a prime never holds up a work order over paperwork.
Underground and aerial telecom is high-hazard work, and many standard carriers decide on the class code alone. Some of the markets we work with look at the company instead.
For many well-run accounts, this is the whole list. Some of our markets can quote without supplemental questionnaires or a pre-inspection.
What fiber and cable contractors with 50 to 200 employees ask before moving their program.
Fiber, cable, and underground telecom contractors with roughly 50 to 200 employees that pay $30,000 or more a year in workers' comp. That includes boring and trenching crews, aerial and strand crews, splicing and testing companies, and install and fulfillment contractors, especially companies working in several states. If your company is smaller, our general workers' comp guide covers the basics.
It depends on what's driving your current cost. The savings usually come from correcting class codes and payroll splits, fixing errors on the experience mod worksheet, moving to a market that wants telecom work and credits your safety program, or a program type that fits your size. We won't promise a number before we've seen your loss runs and mod worksheet; the free review shows where the money is.
In most states, underground conduit and cable work is class 6325, aerial line construction is 7601, and telecom installation is often 7600. Office staff belong in 8810 and outside sales in 8742. California uses its own codes, including 6325, 7601, and 5195 for communications cabling. Whatever the state, payroll has to be split by class and documented, or an auditor can move it all into the highest-rated class.
Your experience mod is a multiplier on your premium that compares your actual claims with what's expected for companies with your payroll and classes. A 1.00 is average. It's calculated from three years of data, usually ending a year before the rating date, so changes take time. Report injuries fast, get injured workers back to modified duty, keep claim reserves accurate, and check the mod worksheet for payroll and claim errors before it's final.
No. The markets we lead with for well-run fiber contractors price your safety program, training, and loss history. They don't require wearables, monitoring apps, or video on your crews.
Mostly. One policy can list every state where you have crews. Ohio, Washington, Wyoming, and North Dakota require coverage through their state funds, so for those states you buy coverage from the state fund and your policy adds stop-gap employers liability.
No. You can move at renewal, with the new policy starting the day the old one ends, or change brokers mid-term with a broker of record letter without changing the policy itself. Either way, certificates and waivers of subrogation are reissued fast.
Program availability, eligibility, and pricing depend on carrier underwriting, your loss history, and the states where you operate. Program types described here aren’t available from every carrier or in every state.
Free program review for fiber and cable contractors with 50 to 200 employees. Use the form at the top of this page, or call (350) 218-1055.
Start My Workers’ Comp ReviewSite managed by Altamira Insurance Agency. See also: California Contractor Insurance — CSLB licensing, bonds & coverage for California contractors.
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