About Workers' Compensation

What You Need to Know

Working together with The Hartford Insurance Company

Our Specialty Technology & Services Insurance program is designed to protect the policyholder against lawsuits, claims-made related to bodily injury of others, including employees.

Did you know work-related auto accidents are your responsibility as the employer?

Employee accidents, injuries and illnesses occurs in all types of businesses, often in unexpected places and ways. Workers' Compensation insurance is required by law in most States, and each state’s requirements can vary significantly. One reason the States determine their own Workers' Comp benefits and premiums is there are differences in state economies and risk profiles. Our specialists at Crosslet Insurance can help explain the specific requirements for your state to assure your business is compliant with the proper coverage.

Workers' Compensation is more than just insurance!

As an employer, YOU are the one who pays for the employee’s job-related injuries.
Regardless of the number of employees, every business is responsible for all job-related employee accidents, injuries and illnesses. That’s why Workers' Compensation insurance is good business for every business.

More importantly, having Workers' Compensation insurance helps to protect employers from employee injury lawsuits, both real and groundless.

Very Important example: Florida law requires all employers to be financially responsible for any/all employee accidents, illnesses and injuries regardless of the number or type of employees. Business owners are also required to purchase Workers' Compensation coverage (with only a few specific exceptions listed below).
Under a Workers' Compensation policy, employees are compensated for job-related injuries, regardless of fault. One benefit is this coverage helps to protect employers from many employee injury lawsuits.

Did you know?: Simply paying someone on a 1099 basis makes no legal or insurance distinction.
See below for more information regarding Employees vs. Contractor s

Bottom Line: If you are a Business owner who employs workers, you are probably required by State Law to carry Workers' Compensation insurance.

What Does Workers' Compensation Insurance Cover?

Workers' Compensation insurance provides benefits and/or medical care for workers injured or become ill as a direct result of their job. Regardless of the number of employees every business is responsible for any and all job-related employee accidents, injuries and illnesses.

If an employee is unable to work, Workers’ Comp insurance can also help provide support for loss of wages. Workers’ Comp can also cover physical therapy, surgeries, medications, and more. Workers' Compensation insurance is there to help get your employee back to work. In the unfortunate event an employee dies, Workers' Compensation insurance can help in providing financial support to the employee’s family.

Employers’ Liability is usually associated and combined with Workers' Compensation policies. Most employers are legally obligated to have Employer’s Liability. It can pay compensation costs and legal fees if an employee or ex-employee sues for illness or injury caused at work.

FAQs of Workers' Compensation Insurance

The price of your Workers' Compensation and Employers’ Liability insurance usually depends on the type of business you run, the number of employees and the payroll.

Workers' Compensation is highly regulated and tightly controlled by each State, even down to the exact cost per hour by business and employee job type. Cost of coverage is based upon the specific services provided by each employee and their payroll(compensation), so it’s important to provide them a complete, accurate and favorable case for consideration to get the best cost. The more detail we can provide the better the results.

Click Here for your Workers' Compensation Quote

Yes. Exemptions are available to business owners who opt out of the insurance coverage protections for themselves and who meet the requirements for an exemption.

Yes.
Following are the specific requirements from the Florida Department of Workers' Compensation:

Non-Construction Industries - Four (4) or more employees, including business owners who are corporate officers or Limited Liability Company (LLC) members. Simply paying someone on a 1099 basis makes no legal distinction.

Please note: Non-construction industry Sole Proprietors or partners in a Partnership are not employees unless they want to be included.

Construction Industry  - One (1) or more employees, including the owner of the business who are corporate officers or Limited Liability Company (LLC) members. For a list of the trades considered to be in the construction industry, see 69L-6.021 Florida Administrative Code.

Contractor s are required to make certain that all sub-Contractor s have the required Workers' Compensation Insurance before they begin work on a project. To see the documentation that is required from a sub-Contractor , see 69L-6.032 Florida Administrative Code.

If the sub-Contractor does not have Workers' Compensation Insurance for its employees, those workers become the employees of the Contractor. If an injury occurs, the Contractor is responsible for paying the benefits for the work-related injury, illness or fatality.

Finding the right Workers' Compensation coverage can be challenging for many businesses, so it’s important to have someone who is current with all the carriers and related underwriting pertaining to this field and years of experience to back it up. Crosslet represents many different admitted WC insurers in most states and is also licensed and appointed with the Florida Workers' Compensation Joint Underwriters Association (FWCJUA). We provide Workers' Compensation insurance for even hard to place and high-risk business types.

Get a quote for Workers' Compensation.

Workers' Compensation: About Sub-Contractor s and Independents

In most states, businesses can also be responsible for accidents and injuries for their Individual Independent Contractor s, even when Sub-Contractor s do carry Workers' Compensation insurance. If they don't qualify as independent Contractor s, you'll still be responsible for providing coverage.

Something to think about...

  • What happens if a Sub-Contractor arrives for a job at your worksite and they just happened to have lost their own Workers' Compensation coverage?
    Did you know that your company is responsible for their job-related accidents or injuries? Are you covered for this?
  • What often happens when a misclassified 1099 employee is injured or unemployed and they suffer financial loss? They often hire a lawyer who can sue for medical expenses, wage loss, and unpaid unemployment compensation as well as damages. They often win because the payroll audit trail and job activities are easy to verify.

Many Businesses require Independents and Sub-Contractor s to have their own Commercial and Professional Liability insurance as well as Workers' Compensation (or WC Exemption Certificate) for their own liability protection, and that’s just good business protection.

In most States (including Florida) Independents can file for a Workers' Compensation Exemption with the State (it’s usually FREE) and provide a Certificate of Exemption to the business owner to excuse themselves from a Workers' Compensation requirement.

Click Here to file your free Florida Workers' Compensation Exemption and receive a Certificate.

Carrying your own Workers' Compensation insurance is good business for any Independent Contractor or Technology Specialist...

  1. Many for your contracts (or subcontracts) under other IT Computer Services and Technology companies will require you have your own Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurance as well as Workers' Compensation.
  2. Having your own insured business demonstrates professionalism, corporate responsibility and added security to your clients.
    This will give your company a competitive advantage over other uninsured Contractor s.
  3. Workers' Compensation extends comprehensive medical expense and disability income coverage to protect you and your livelihood.

Click Here to apply for your own policy and insure yourself (or company) for any Workers' Compensation job-related accidents, illnesses and injuries.

Why is applying for Workers' Compensation Insurance any different?

Workers' Compensation is highly regulated and tightly controlled by the State, even down to the exact cost per hour by employee job type.

Important: Please remember that business insurance is manually underwritten, which means your case will be documented and submitted to several professionals (underwriters) who will evaluate your business risk for eligibility, standard rates for cost, and any additional factors (or risk) added.

Cost of coverage is based upon the specific services provided by each employee and their payroll(compensation). So it’s important to provide them a complete, accurate and favorable case for consideration to get the best cost. The more detail we can provide the better the results.

We often find we can insure hard-to-place businesses in the admitted market when they are well documented and are sufficient in size to justify the premium. Hard-to-place businesses with claims history or high-risk classifications can take a couple weeks to process, and that’s when insurers can respond promptly with complete information. Most underwriters work in first come, first served order so it often takes a day or two after we submit a complete application for quoting.

Getting Workers' Compensation insurance from the State Pool (AKA; Florida Workers' Compensation Joint Underwriters Association (FWCJUA))

The FWCJUA provides guaranteed issue coverage for all Florida businesses but is always the insurer of last resort because the cost is higher, it takes longer to obtain coverage and the paperwork is very detailed and challenging. When this occurs please expect requirements for additional documentation and forms as well as a longer timeframe for processing.

Click Here for your business Workers' Compensation Quote

Most Common Workers' Compensation Claims Include:

One of the top causes and among the costliest of injuries is an accident while driving (for business purposes) on the roadway. This is a common occurrence for traveling business representatives, sales and outside service personnel.

A repetitive injury is hard to pin-point, but is harder to prove. These injuries stem from workers doing the same motions over and over. Often seen in the office work environment, some examples of repetitive motion injuries can include using a mouse, sitting at a desk or workstation, lifting boxes, and working on an assembly line. Medically speaking, common injuries from repetitive or cumulative motions are tendonitis, carpal tunnel, and bursitis.

This injury occurs when an individual falls into something, or is physically forced into something such as a bookshelf, barricade, or other stationary object. Office workers and factory workers can easily become a victim of falling into something.

While very plain, this injury occurs most commonly when something falls off a shelf, or things are dropped by another worker onto a lower level. Office workers, along with restaurant & retail workers are all in danger of being struck by something.

Many of the slip, trip, and fall claims arise from workers slipping on wet floors around the workplace. Many of these cases are also related to individuals slipping and falling on slippery walkways. Many security workers, groundskeepers, and store clerks can fall victim to wet floors such as in a store with a freshly mopped floor, or a groundskeeper walking around the perimeter of the building.

A bodily reaction injury may occur when one trips or slips, avoids falling, but still sustains an injury such as a twisted or sprained ankle. This can happen anywhere, to anyone, at any time.

Overexertion arises when one lifts, pulls, pushes or throws something, causing injury. This injury occurs when a muscle is pulled or a joint forced to move beyond its typical range of motion. This is most commonly seen in factory jobs, construction jobs or jobs where physical labor is necessary. According to a study from the Department of Labor, this is the most common injury seen in the workplace.

Falls to a lower level typically happen when a worker falls off a ladder, a roof, or falls down a flight of stairs. Roofers falling from a roof, construction workers slipping off a multi-level workspace and teachers falling down stairs are all instances of falling to lower levels.

Machinery accidents are typically reported in cases where large, heavy machinery has injured a worker by crushing or mutilating. Most commonly seen in factories or construction workers, these accidents can have huge medical cost ramifications. Many states have enacted laws that require training for employees before allowing them to operate equipment, along with maintenance requirements for machinery to keep it in a safe working state. Keeping employees knowledgeable on equipment, along with keeping that equipment maintained are two important factors in protecting employees from injury.

According to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "375 workers were killed in shootings while on the job in 2012. Robbers were the assailants in 33 percent of the workplace homicides involving shootings in 2012, while coworkers accounted for 13 percent. There were two incidents in 2012 where at least 5 people were killed in workplace shootings; a total of 12 workers died in these two incidents. From 1992 to 2012, 140 government workers were shot and killed by a coworker while on the job." While nobody expects violence in the workplace, it does happen.