Risk Management

Total cost of risk is managed between renewals.

Premium is the visible number. Claims, audits, deductibles, litigation, downtime and lost bonding capacity make up the rest. Each practice area below is scoped to the size and complexity of the organization — a $6 million roofer and a multi-state platform do not need the same program.

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Subcontractor Risk

Subcontracted labor moves work off the payroll without moving the exposure off the insurance program. Agreements, insurance requirements, verification and tracking influence liability pricing, workers' compensation audits and excess capacity more than any other control in a roofing operation.

We build the agreement and requirement structure, set the verification standard, and present it to markets as a control rather than a claim.

What underwriters care about

Written agreements in place before work begins, signed by both parties
Additional insured status on both ongoing and completed operations
Primary and noncontributory wording and waivers of subrogation
Limits required of subs relative to the limits you carry
Verification at hire and continuous tracking through expiration

Common roofing mistakes

Treating a certificate as the risk transfer rather than evidence of it
Purchase order terms that contradict the master agreement
Certificates collected once and never re-verified
Requiring limits the sub cannot actually obtain, so the file is ignored

Go deeper: the Subcontractor Risk Center

Fleet & Driver Risk

Auto severity is the fastest-moving cost in contractor insurance and the first thing excess markets examine. Driver selection is a risk-management decision with underwriting consequences.

We help write the driver standard, set the review cadence, and turn the resulting records into underwriting evidence.

What underwriters care about

Written MVR criteria and the frequency of re-pulls
New-driver onboarding and ride-along requirements
Telematics adoption and evidence the data changes behavior
Accident review board and post-accident procedure
Vehicle maintenance and pre-trip inspection records

Common roofing mistakes

Standards that exist on paper but are waived when crews are short
Telematics purchased and never reviewed
No control over personal vehicles used for company errands
Crews driving before dawn with no fatigue or hours guidance

Contractual Risk Transfer

Most of what a roofing contractor is liable for was agreed to in writing before the first crew arrived. Indemnity clauses, insurance exhibits, warranty terms and limitation of liability decide who pays long before a policy is consulted.

We review insurance and indemnity provisions before signature and flag where the contract and the program disagree.

What underwriters care about

Whether contracts are reviewed before signature and by whom
Indemnity language relative to state anti-indemnity statutes
Insurance exhibit requirements against the coverage actually carried
Warranty obligations extending beyond completed operations coverage

Common roofing mistakes

Accepting an insurance exhibit the current program cannot satisfy
Broad-form indemnity signed in states where it is unenforceable, or where it is not
Warranty terms that create uninsured obligations for years
No consistent process, so review depends on who received the email

Safety

Fall protection, ladder and hoisting practice, hot work, heat illness and supervisor accountability determine both the injury rate and how defensible the operation looks to an underwriter after a serious claim.

We organize the program so it is usable on the roof and defensible in a submission or a deposition.

What underwriters care about

Written program that matches actual field practice
Documented training, toolbox talks and competent-person designations
Supervisor accountability and consequences for violations
Hot work permits, fire watch and weather monitoring procedures
OSHA history and how citations were resolved

Common roofing mistakes

A purchased manual no supervisor has read
Training documented inconsistently across crews
Heat illness and hydration treated informally in summer months
No record of corrective action after a near miss

Claims Analytics

Loss runs describe the past; analyzed correctly they predict the next renewal. Cause, class, crew, location, project type and time of day usually reveal a pattern that a premium discussion never will.

We analyze losses by cause and crew, drive reserve reviews before valuation dates, and connect corrective action to the data that prompted it.

What underwriters care about

Frequency and severity trends over five years, not one
Open reserves and how realistically they are set
Whether corrective action followed the pattern in the data
Claim reporting lag, which drives cost independently of the injury

Common roofing mistakes

Reviewing loss runs only at renewal
Leaving stale reserves in place through a rating period
Late reporting treated as an administrative issue rather than a cost driver

Loss Control

Carrier loss control visits become part of the underwriting file. A visit handled well strengthens the account; recommendations left unanswered do measurable damage at renewal.

We prepare for visits, coordinate responses in writing, and close the loop so service interactions build the file.

What underwriters care about

Recommendation response time and completeness
Whether prior recommendations were actually implemented
Quality of the site selected for the visit

Common roofing mistakes

Letting a recommendation letter sit unanswered
Sending the consultant to whichever job is closest
No written record of what was corrected

Experience Modification

The modification is a multiplier applied to every workers' compensation dollar for three years. It is calculated from data that is frequently wrong, and it can often be improved through accuracy alone.

We audit the worksheet, track valuation dates, and model the effect of reserve movement before the rating period closes.

What underwriters care about

Modification trend and the specific claims driving it
Whether payroll and class codes on the worksheet are correct
Claims closed versus open at the valuation date

Common roofing mistakes

Never auditing the rating worksheet against payroll records
Missing valuation dates that would have removed a closed claim's reserve
Assuming the number is fixed and unappealable

Return-to-Work

A medical-only claim costs a fraction of a lost-time claim and is weighted differently in the experience modification. Modified duty is the single most controllable workers' compensation cost lever in roofing.

We help define transitional roles, document the offer process, and train supervisors on day-one procedure.

What underwriters care about

Whether a written modified-duty program exists
Availability of real transitional roles off the roof
Average claim duration relative to industry

Common roofing mistakes

No transitional work identified, so every injury becomes lost time
Modified duty offered verbally and never documented
Supervisors unaware of the program when an injury occurs

Renewal Strategy

Renewals decided in the last three weeks are priced accordingly. A defined timeline converts the renewal from an administrative event into a negotiation the contractor controls.

We run a 120-day timeline: diagnostic, risk improvement, market strategy, engagement, negotiation and implementation.

What underwriters care about

Submission quality, completeness and timeliness
A narrative explaining losses rather than leaving them unexplained
Evidence of controls implemented since the prior term

Common roofing mistakes

Exposure data assembled the week the quote is due
Multiple brokers approaching the same markets, blocking the account
No narrative, so the underwriter interprets the loss runs alone

Risk Financing

Deductible, retention, loss-sensitive and captive structures shift cost between premium and balance sheet. The right structure depends on loss predictability, cash position and appetite — not on the quoted savings.

We model structures against your loss history and balance sheet, including the collateral and bonding implications.

What underwriters care about

Loss predictability and credibility of the data
Collateral capacity and banking relationships
Cash flow tolerance for adverse development

Common roofing mistakes

Moving to a loss-sensitive program without the controls to support it
Underestimating collateral and its effect on bonding capacity
Evaluating the structure on year one instead of the full development cycle

Growth & Acquisition Risk

New states, new systems, new project types and acquisitions change exposure, licensing and class code treatment. Insurance issues discovered after closing are expensive; discovered before, they are negotiable.

We address exposure, licensing and program implications before closing, and integrate the acquired operation into one coherent program afterward.

What underwriters care about

New jurisdictions, licensing and rating bureau differences
Acquired loss history and how it will be combined
Integration of safety, fleet and subcontractor controls

Common roofing mistakes

Acquiring a company and inheriting its experience modification unexamined
Entering a monopolistic state without separate employer's liability
Adding a new roofing system outside the current carrier's appetite

Where to begin

Most engagements start with a diagnostic, not a marketing effort.

We look at the program, the exposures, the contracts and the losses before asking any carrier for a number.

Review my insurance program Insurance capabilities Claims advocacy

Risk management services are advisory. They do not guarantee prevention of loss, a specific insurance result, premium outcome or claim determination. Nothing on this page is legal advice. Contract and indemnity questions should be reviewed with your attorney.

Engagement

Put a practice area to work.

Tell us which exposure is costing you money. We will describe what the work looks like and what it changes.