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Structural Steel subcontractors

Structural Steel subcontractor COI requirements

Steel erectors combine every severe construction exposure in one scope: work at height, crane picks over occupied areas, connection design and heavy fabricated property in transit. Their COIs fail on endorsements that most certificate reviewers never ask for: riggers liability for the property they lift, professional coverage for delegated connection design, and completed operations status on a structure that carries the building for decades.

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Structural Steel audit

Summit Steel Erectors LLC

Union Yards Mixed-Use Tower

Deficient
CGL policy
GL 5530-2187-41
AM Best
A IX
Carrier
Copperline Casualty Co.
  • DeficientInland marine

    No riggers liability evidenced for 38-ton owner equipment pick.

  • DeficientCG 22 79

    Professional exclusion attached; connection design is delegated to the sub.

  • ReviewCG 20 32

    Engineer of record not covered as additional insured.

16 rules checked, 2 deficient. Scanned Oct 13, 2026, 11:06 AM ET. Notice sent to sub and broker.
of steel subcontractor COI packets are deficient on first review
78%
of steel subcontractor COI packets are deficient on first review
Pikorua Security 2026 Benchmark
trade rank by defect rate, 7 points above the all-trade average
3 of 14
trade rank by defect rate, 7 points above the all-trade average
Pikorua Security 2026 Benchmark
of subcontractor and vendor COIs contain material coverage deficiencies or missing endorsements on first review
71%
of subcontractor and vendor COIs contain material coverage deficiencies or missing endorsements on first review
AGC Risk Committee Audit
of COIs claiming additional insured status fail to attach the CG 20 37 completed operations endorsement
64%
of COIs claiming additional insured status fail to attach the CG 20 37 completed operations endorsement
IRMI Construction Risk Survey

Typical exhibit

Typical steel insurance requirements

The limits Pikorua Security's steel rule template starts from. Your subcontract exhibit controls; set it once per project and every steel certificate is checked against it.
Rules in template
16
Hazard tier
Severe
Typical insurance requirements for steel subcontractors
CoverageTypical limitWhat to check
Commercial general liability (CG 00 01, occurrence)$2,000,000 each occurrence / $4,000,000 general aggregateSteel exhibits commonly double the standard CGL tier. Per-project aggregate via CG 25 03.
Products-completed operations aggregate$4,000,000Connection failures and deflection claims can surface years after topping out.
Business auto liability$1,000,000 combined single limitHigher if the erector hauls its own fabricated steel on oversize loads. Hired and non-owned included.
Umbrella / excess liability$10,000,000 each occurrence and aggregateCrane picks over occupied space or adjacent properties justify $25,000,000 on urban towers.
Workers compensation / employer's liabilityStatutory / $1,000,000 each accident, $1,000,000 disease each employee, $1,000,000 disease policy limitIronworker class codes carry heavy WC rates. Confirm the connector and decking crews are employees or separately insured.
Riggers liabilityValue of the heaviest single pick or largest piece of owner equipmentCovers damage to property of others while in the erector's care, custody or control during a lift. The CGL excludes this property.
Installation floaterValue of fabricated steel in transit and stored on or off siteFabricated members lost in transit or damaged in laydown are not covered by the CGL.
Contractors professional liability$1,000,000 per claimWhen the fabricator's engineer designs connections under delegated design.

Endorsement checklist

Forms to see attached, not just checked

A Y in the ADDL INSD column is not an endorsement. Ask for each form below by number and edition, and read the steel sub's schedule of forms against it.

Exclusion watchlist

Exclusions that void steel coverage

These never appear on an ACORD 25. They sit in the declarations schedule of forms and the endorsement pages, which is where Pikorua Security reads.
  • Red flag

    CG 22 79 Exclusion, Contractors, Professional Liability

    Delegated connection design is a professional service. If a connection designed by the fabricator's engineer fails, CG 22 79 can push the loss off the CGL. Require a professional policy or confirm the engineer carries one naming the erector's scope.

    Read the CG 22 79 guide
  • Red flag

    Action over / New York Labor Law exclusions

    Ironworker falls are the core Scaffold Law exposure. Labor Law 240(1) imposes absolute liability on owners and contractors for gravity-related injuries, and an action over exclusion on the erector's policy leaves the GC absorbing the claim.

  • Red flag

    Crane and hoisting limitations

    Some erector policies exclude crane operations or limit them to cranes the insured owns and operates. If the erector uses a rented crane with an operator, confirm who insures the pick.

  • Red flag

    CG 21 44 Limitation of Coverage to Designated Premises, Project or Operation

    Fabricator-erectors sometimes buy a policy limited to the shop. With CG 21 44 scheduling only the fabrication premises, field erection on your project has no coverage.

    Read the CG 21 44 guide

Three policies, not one

A steel erector's exposure does not fit inside a CGL. The CGL handles bodily injury and damage to third-party property, but it excludes property in the insured's care, custody or control. That is exactly where an erector's biggest property exposure sits: owner-furnished equipment it sets, adjacent structures it lifts near and fabricated steel it stores. Riggers liability covers property of others while it is being lifted, moved or set. An installation floater covers the steel itself through transit, storage and erection until acceptance.

Most COI reviews look only at the ACORD 25. Riggers liability and installation floaters are inland marine coverages, typically evidenced on a separate certificate or a policy declaration. Pikorua Security extracts both from the packet and compares the riggers limit against the heaviest pick on the project lift plan you enter in the rule template.

Delegated connection design and the professional gap

On most commercial projects the structural engineer of record delegates connection design to the fabricator, whose engineer stamps the calculations. That is a professional service. If the erector's CGL carries CG 22 79, claims arising from the connection design can be excluded, and the GC is left arguing with two carriers about whether the failure was design or workmanship.

Close the gap in the exhibit: require the fabricator or its connection engineer to carry professional liability, and require CG 20 32 so the engineer of record and the owner's design team are covered as additional insureds when they are not engaged by the erector.

OSHA Subpart R and the jobsite gate

Steel erection is governed by OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart R, which sets requirements for fall protection, connector work and site layout. Insurance cannot replace site safety, but it decides who pays when a fall happens. Because the erector is often on site for a short, intense window, a lapsed policy can expire mid-erection without anyone noticing.

Pikorua Security ties steel compliance to access: if the erector's WC or umbrella expires during erection, the jobsite badge sync suspends new badges for the crew and the PM receives the deficiency notice the same morning.

How to verify a steel sub's COI

A manual review of one COI and its endorsement packet takes 25 to 40 min (CFMA Time Study). These are the six checks, in the order Pikorua Security runs them.

  1. 1

    Match the named insured to the subcontract

    Compare the named insured on the ACORD 25 with the legal entity that signed the steel subcontract, including the LLC or Inc. suffix. A trade name or DBA is not the contracting entity, and additional insured coverage follows the policy's named insured.

  2. 2

    Check limits against your steel exhibit

    Confirm commercial general liability of $2,000,000 each occurrence / $4,000,000 general aggregate, an umbrella of $10,000,000 that follows form over CGL, auto and employer's liability, and statutory workers compensation. Then confirm riggers liability, installation floater and contractors professional liability are evidenced, because they do not appear on a standard ACORD 25.

  3. 3

    Read the endorsement pages, not the checkboxes

    A Y in the ADDL INSD or SUBR WVD column is not an endorsement. Confirm CG 20 10, CG 20 37, CG 20 01, CG 24 04, WC 00 03 13, CA 20 48, CG 25 03, CG 20 38 and CG 20 32 are attached as forms, and that the ongoing and completed operations forms share the same edition date.

  4. 4

    Scan the schedule of forms for steel exclusions

    Look for CG 22 79 Exclusion, Contractors, Professional Liability, action over / New York Labor Law exclusions, crane and hoisting limitations and CG 21 44 Limitation of Coverage to Designated Premises, Project or Operation. None of these appear on the certificate; they sit in the declarations schedule of forms and the endorsement pages.

  5. 5

    Check carrier ratings and policy dates

    Confirm each carrier is rated A- VII or better by AM Best and that no policy expires before the steel scope and its completed operations period are finished. Set renewal reminders at 60, 30, 15 and 0 days.

  6. 6

    Hold payment and site access until resolved

    Keep the steel sub's pay applications and jobsite badges on hold until every finding is resolved, then file the verified packet so it is ready if you ever need to tender a claim.

Try it

Is this steel COI compliant?

Toggle what Summit Steel Erectors LLC's packet shows. The verdict updates the way Pikorua Security's steel template scores it.

What the packet from Summit Steel Erectors LLC shows

  • Per-project aggregate via CG 25 03

  • Matching editions

  • Limit covers the largest pick

  • Transit, storage and erection

  • And no professional policy. Red flag if present.

  • Labor Law 240(1) exposure. Red flag if present.

Switch on = present in the packet. Switch off = missing.

Deficient: 2 findings

  • Riggers liability evidenced

    Damage to lifted property of others is uninsured.

  • CG 22 79 with delegated connection design

    Connection design failures fall outside the CGL.

Pikorua Security would send a deficiency notice to the sub and its broker citing each item, and hold payment until a corrected endorsement arrives.

Related trades

All 14 trade guides

Questions

Structural Steel COI questions

What is riggers liability and does a steel erector need it?
Riggers liability covers damage to property of others while the insured lifts, moves or sets it. The CGL excludes property in the insured's care, custody or control, so a dropped piece of owner equipment or a damaged adjacent structure during a pick can go uncovered without it. Require it whenever the erector lifts anything it does not own, with a limit tied to the largest pick.
Why do steel exhibits require higher CGL limits?
Steel erection combines falls from height, crane loads over occupied areas and structural completed operations exposure. A single collapse or dropped load can exceed a $1,000,000 occurrence limit quickly, so many GC exhibits require $2,000,000 each occurrence and a $10,000,000 or larger umbrella for this trade.
Who insures delegated connection design?
The professional who performs it. When the fabricator's engineer designs connections, a contractors professional liability policy should respond, because CGL policies commonly exclude professional services through CG 22 79. Require proof of that policy along with the erector's CGL.

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