Tree Trimmer Insurance: What You Need To Know

As a tree trimmer or an arborist, you will find yourself in all sorts of precarious situations. As part of your day to day working life you will be high up in trees, climbing up ladders and cranes and wielding chainsaws, shears and various other tools that can cause some pretty serious injury or damage. Because of this, tree trimmer and arborist insurance is a must to protect you, your business, your tools and equipment and the clients for whom you are working.

However, with so many different types of insurance available on the market, and various rules and regulations, how do you know what insurance you have to have by law, and what is not a legal requirement but is highly recommended insurance coverage? Here, we look at what you need to know about tree trimmer insurance.

What type of insurance is available for tree trimmers and arborists?

Employer liability insurance: If you are hiring anyone, even if it just one person for a few hours a week or day laborer, you must have employer liability insurance also known as workers compensation insurance coverage. Without it, you can find yourself liable for huge fines or a workers compensation injury claim. This insurance protects your employees should something happen to them while they are at work.

General liability insurance: This is not a legal requirement, but many places and clients will insist the contractors that they hire have this insurance coverage in place. It protects any members of the public and their belongings should they be injured, made ill or something is damaged by you or your business while you are working. Things like felled trees and branches can cause significant amounts of damage to homes, parked cars, and other buildings or structures, so be sure you are covered.

Equipment damage cover: Again, not a legal requirement, but that chainsaw can be a little expensive to replace if it lost, damaged or stolen, and that cherry picker or crane you use – are generally rented or leased, you may be required to have coverage to replace those if they got stolen or damaged? Equipment damage insurance also known as inland marine will cover this so you do not end up paying out of pocket.

Commercial vehicle insurance: This is a legal requirement assuming you use a vehicle to transport you and your employees, equipment and to move debris after finishing the job. It works in a similar way to your standard vehicle insurance but covers you for business and commercial use, as standard insurance will not be sufficient.

It doesn’t matter if you are just one tree trimmer cutting down a few errant branches, a company specializing in the upkeep of ornamental trees or a large scale operation with lots of employees working in public parks or gardens, having the correct level of insurance is essential to protect you and your business. Price should not be the only thing you are thinking about - making sure you have a high enough coverage is vital. Don’t forget to check how much excess you will be liable for and read the small print to see what is and isn’t included.

Do not hesitate! Contact an insurance specialist at Mountain Insurance today to create an insurance package that is right for you and your business. 

Mountain Insurance-Montrose provides insurance for Tree trimmers and Arborists businesses in Colorado Springs and Montrose, Grand Junction, Ouray, Crested Butte, Gunnison, Telluride, and surrounding areas.