General Liability Insurance
General liability is the backbone of a fireproofing contractor's program. It covers third-party bodily injury and property damage from your operations — overspray on another trade's work, a jobsite injury, or damage to the structure — and it's the certificate every general contractor demands before you set foot on site.
General Liability for Fireproofing Contractors
General liability (GL) is the foundation of a fireproofing contractor's insurance program. It responds to third-party claims of bodily injury and property damage arising from your operations on active construction sites — whether you're spraying SFRM on structural steel, applying intumescent coatings, or installing firestop systems.
What GL Covers
- Overspray & jobsite property damage: SFRM or coating that lands on another trade's finished work, equipment, or the building
- Third-party bodily injury: A worker from another trade or a site visitor injured by your operations
- Working at height: The elevated, overhead nature of structural fireproofing increases exposure
- Products-completed operations: Base coverage for claims after your work is done (the critical fireproofing tail)
- Personal & advertising injury: Libel, slander, and advertising-related claims
- Medical payments: Minor injury costs without a lawsuit
Why Fireproofing Contractors Need It
General contractors and construction managers won't let you on a jobsite without a certificate of insurance — typically $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate, naming them and the owner as additional insured, often with a waiver of subrogation. GL is also what responds to the everyday realities of fireproofing: overspray drift onto finished surfaces and the congested, multi-trade environment you work in.
What GL Does NOT Cover
GL has important gaps for fireproofing work. It typically excludes pollution (overspray, silica, and asbestos exposure on removal — covered by contractors pollution liability), your own tools and spray equipment (tools & equipment / inland marine), employee injuries (workers comp), and your vehicles (commercial auto). We build those around your GL so a fireproofing-specific claim isn't left uncovered.
What's Covered
Frequently Asked Questions
How much general liability does a fireproofing contractor need?
$1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate is the standard most general contractors and construction managers require, naming them and the owner as additional insured, often with a waiver of subrogation. Larger commercial and industrial projects sometimes require higher limits backed by a commercial umbrella.
Does general liability cover overspray onto another trade's work?
Yes — accidental overspray of SFRM or coating onto another contractor's finished work or equipment is third-party property damage covered by general liability. Pollution-related drift, however, can fall under the GL pollution exclusion, which is why we pair GL with contractors pollution liability.