Trade coverage
Electrical work directly causes fire and electrocution, and errors can remain latent for years, producing severe completed-operations claims long after the job is closed. The combination of injury severity and long-tail liability keeps this trade elevated.
General liability responds to two different things for your trade. The first is injury or damage caused while you are working, which for electrician work is faulty wiring causing a house or commercial building fire. The second is a claim that surfaces after you have finished, known as completed operations, and it is the half of the policy most often missing from a cheap quote.
Mostly admitted for residential service work; high-limit commercial and industrial electrical work frequently moves to surplus lines because of severity and limit requirements.
These are the loss scenarios that drive claims for this trade, in the order we see them.
Each of these changes what the policy actually pays. Request them at quote stage.
General liability on its own leaves gaps that show up as denied claims rather than as missing coverage.
$1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate is standard, but many electricians carry $2M/$4M or higher because GCs, property managers, and owners require it. That is the limit, not the premium. The premium depends on your payroll, your state, your subcontractor use and your claims history, and it moves most with the hazard of the trade itself, which for electrician is high.
Mostly admitted for residential service work; high-limit commercial and industrial electrical work frequently moves to surplus lines because of severity and limit requirements.
In order of how often we see them: Faulty wiring causing a house or commercial building fire; Electrocution or serious shock injury to a worker or an occupant; Damage to the utility service or meter during a panel upgrade, causing an outage.
These four come up repeatedly: Additional insured with completed operations; Waiver of subrogation; Per-project aggregate; Primary and non-contributory wording. Get them written into the quote rather than requested after binding, because that is where the delays come from.
Alongside general liability: Commercial auto; Inland marine for tools; Workers compensation; Professional liability / E&O for design-build work.
Yes. Their policy defends them, not you. If your work causes damage, their carrier can pay the claim and then pursue you to recover it.
Classification and carrier appetite differ by trade, so it is worth seeing how yours compares.
Tell us your payroll, state and what your contract requires.
