Peace of Mind

We don't know the statistics on injuries due to falls in our line of work but the insurance rates for Workers Compensation insurance confirm the danger. As with the construction industry, many cleaning and maintenance companies cut corners on both insurance and safety procedures. We don't and you shouldn't tolerate a company that does either. The idea of putting someone who is not covered by Workers Compensation Insurance up on your roof or on a long ladder, or of hiring someone lacking liability insurance insurance just seems, well, nuts to me.

How do you know if workers sent by a company are covered by "Workers Comp" and if the company has a liability insurance policy?

The best way is to ask for (use this exact terminology) "Certificates of Insurance" from your prospective service company, one for General Liability insurance and one for Workers Compensation Insurance. You can ask to be a "Named Certificate Holder" at no charge (you can also ask to be a "Named Beneficiary", but there is a significant charge for that). Ask for these from a provider with which you intend to do business. Assuming you are prepared to award the job, any reluctance should be a red flag. Here is another tip: Ask the company if it requires ALL of its subcontractors to provide Certificates of Insurance as well. This way, if something happens that brings a policy into play, having sent a (phony and probably illegally so classified) "subcontractor" who is being paid "under the table" will likely not cloud the question of coverage (we are not attorneys; consult your attorney for advice).

Sample Certs:

   

Above are reduced size samples of our Certificates of Insurance. These are linked to full size PDF copies.

A note of advice:

Obviously, we think any viable company should have proper coverage for both General Liability and Workers Comp. Some don't. For the work we do, the cert for Workers Comp would seem to be the more important. However, we notice that people who ask usually ask only for the General Liability cert and overlook the idea of confirming coverage for someone being seriously injured or worse. Why gamble on a company that cares so little about its customers and its employees that it is wiling to cut corners on vital insurance policies? For peace of mind, get both certificates.