Workers’ compensation, product liability, property and equipment coverage for California manufacturers — from machine shops to food processors.
Health, dental, vision and disability plans that help you recruit and retain skilled production workers, machinists and engineers in a competitive California labor market.
Required for every California employer. Manufacturing carries elevated injury rates from machinery, repetitive motion and materials handling, so carriers look closely at your safety program and loss history.
Covers bodily injury and property damage to visitors, vendors and anyone on your premises. Also responds to completed-operations claims — injuries caused by a product after it leaves your facility.
Defends and indemnifies your company when a product you manufactured is alleged to have caused injury or property damage. Essential if your goods enter consumer or industrial supply chains.
Covers your building, equipment, raw materials, finished inventory and business income lost during a covered event — fire, equipment breakdown, severe weather or vandalism.
Extra liability limits above your GL, auto and employer’s liability. Large supply-chain contracts often require $5 M–$10 M in total coverage.
Health, dental, vision and disability plans that help you recruit and retain skilled production workers, machinists and engineers in a competitive California labor market.
Large retailers, OEMs and government agencies require proof of coverage before onboarding a supplier. Expect requests for GL and product-liability certificates naming the buyer as additional insured, evidence of workers’ comp, and sometimes an umbrella endorsement. We issue same-day certificates and handle mid-term endorsement requests.
Every carrier rates manufacturing risks differently. These are the factors that come up most often.
Every carrier rates manufacturing risks differently. These are the factors that come up most often.
Past workers’ comp and product-liability claims and your experience modification rate.
Production floors mix heavy machinery, forklifts, chemicals and repetitive tasks — a combination that drives some of the highest workers’-comp frequency rates in California. Beyond the facility, every product that ships carries a long tail of liability: a defective part can surface years later in a personal-injury or property-damage claim anywhere your goods are sold.
Workers’ compensation
California requires coverage from the first employee. Manufacturing class codes (such as 3632 for machine shops or 2003 for bakeries) carry higher base rates than office work. A strong safety program, return-to-work procedures and accurate class-code splits are the best levers for controlling premium.
Product liability
Part of your GL policy but worth understanding separately. It responds when a product you made or assembled injures someone or damages property after it leaves your control. If your goods enter a retail chain or a regulated industry, buyers will scrutinize your limits and your recall-expense coverage.
Commercial property & equipment breakdown
Standard property covers fire, weather and theft. Equipment-breakdown coverage fills the gap for mechanical or electrical failure of production machinery — a compressor burnout, a CNC controller failure — that a fire policy excludes.
Cal/OSHA. California’s occupational-safety agency enforces standards stricter than federal OSHA in many areas — heat-illness prevention, injury and illness prevention programs (IIPP) and machine-guarding rules. Violations can trigger fines and raise your insurance costs.
Workers’ compensation. Every employer must carry it. Manufacturing’s experience-mod system means your claims history directly moves your premium up or down relative to your industry group.
Environmental liability. Manufacturers that handle chemicals, solvents or waste may need pollution liability — standard GL policies exclude gradual pollution.
Workers’ comp premium starts with payroll multiplied by the rate for each class code. Splitting payroll accurately between production, clerical and outside-sales codes can save thousands. At audit the carrier reconciles estimated payroll against actual — under-reporting leads to an additional premium; over-reporting means you overpaid all year.
Before onboarding you as a supplier, large buyers will ask for certificates showing GL and product-liability limits (often $2 M–$5 M), workers’ comp, and sometimes an umbrella. They may require additional-insured status and a waiver of subrogation. Government contracts add their own endorsement requirements. We handle all of this and issue certificates the same day.
We’re an independent California broker that works with carriers experienced in manufacturing risk. We audit your class codes, benchmark your experience mod against your industry group, and structure programs that cover your facility, your products and your people — without gaps between policies.
Production floors mix heavy machinery, forklifts, chemicals and repetitive tasks — a combination that drives some of the highest workers’-comp frequency rates in California. Beyond the facility, every product that ships carries a long tail of liability: a defective part can surface years later in a personal-injury or property-damage claim anywhere your goods are sold.
Workers’ compensation
California requires coverage from the first employee. Manufacturing class codes (such as 3632 for machine shops or 2003 for bakeries) carry higher base rates than office work. A strong safety program, return-to-work procedures and accurate class-code splits are the best levers for controlling premium.
Product liability
Part of your GL policy but worth understanding separately. It responds when a product you made or assembled injures someone or damages property after it leaves your control. If your goods enter a retail chain or a regulated industry, buyers will scrutinize your limits and your recall-expense coverage.
Commercial property & equipment breakdown
Standard property covers fire, weather and theft. Equipment-breakdown coverage fills the gap for mechanical or electrical failure of production machinery — a compressor burnout, a CNC controller failure — that a fire policy excludes.
Cal/OSHA. California’s occupational-safety agency enforces standards stricter than federal OSHA in many areas — heat-illness prevention, injury and illness prevention programs (IIPP) and machine-guarding rules. Violations can trigger fines and raise your insurance costs.
Workers’ compensation. Every employer must carry it. Manufacturing’s experience-mod system means your claims history directly moves your premium up or down relative to your industry group.
Environmental liability. Manufacturers that handle chemicals, solvents or waste may need pollution liability — standard GL policies exclude gradual pollution.
Workers’ comp premium starts with payroll multiplied by the rate for each class code. Splitting payroll accurately between production, clerical and outside-sales codes can save thousands. At audit the carrier reconciles estimated payroll against actual — under-reporting leads to an additional premium; over-reporting means you overpaid all year.
Before onboarding you as a supplier, large buyers will ask for certificates showing GL and product-liability limits (often $2 M–$5 M), workers’ comp, and sometimes an umbrella. They may require additional-insured status and a waiver of subrogation. Government contracts add their own endorsement requirements. We handle all of this and issue certificates the same day.
We’re an independent California broker that works with carriers experienced in manufacturing risk. We audit your class codes, benchmark your experience mod against your industry group, and structure programs that cover your facility, your products and your people — without gaps between policies.
Send us the requirements from your contract, lease or credentialing packet, including the certificate holder, additional insured and waiver of subrogation, so we can review your request.
Do I need product liability even if I only make components?
Yes. If your component is part of a finished product that injures someone, you can be named in the lawsuit. Product liability covers defense costs and damages whether you made the end product or a part inside it.
What is an experience modification rate?
Your e-mod compares your company’s claims history to the average for your class code. An e-mod above 1.0 raises your workers’-comp premium; below 1.0 lowers it. Investing in safety and managing claims aggressively are the two fastest ways to bring it down.
Does standard property cover equipment breakdown?
No. Standard property covers fire, weather and similar perils but excludes mechanical or electrical breakdown. You need a separate equipment-breakdown endorsement to cover compressor failures, motor burnouts and electrical surges.
What if I use temporary or staffing-agency workers?
The staffing agency typically carries workers’ comp for their employees, but your GL and umbrella still need to account for them on your premises. Make sure the agency’s certificate names you as additional insured.
Do I need pollution liability?
If you handle chemicals, solvents, coatings or generate hazardous waste, yes. Standard GL excludes gradual pollution. A pollution policy covers cleanup costs and third-party claims from contamination.
Can I bundle GL and property into a BOP?
Smaller manufacturers with moderate revenue often qualify for a business owner’s policy (BOP), which bundles GL, property and business income at a lower combined premium. Once you outgrow BOP limits, we move you to standalone policies.
How do I lower my workers’ comp premium?
Accurate class-code splits, a written safety program, return-to-work procedures, and proactive claims management. Over two to three years these reduce your e-mod, which directly lowers your premium.
What is inland marine coverage?
It covers goods, materials and equipment in transit or temporarily stored off-site. If you ship raw materials to a subcontractor or deliver finished goods yourself, inland marine fills the gap between your property policy and the carrier’s cargo coverage.
How quickly can I get a certificate for a new buyer?
Same day in most cases. We keep your policy details on file and can issue a certificate of insurance with additional-insured status within hours of your request.
Do I need product liability even if I only make components?
Yes. If your component is part of a finished product that injures someone, you can be named in the lawsuit. Product liability covers defense costs and damages whether you made the end product or a part inside it.
What is an experience modification rate?
Your e-mod compares your company’s claims history to the average for your class code. An e-mod above 1.0 raises your workers’-comp premium; below 1.0 lowers it. Investing in safety and managing claims aggressively are the two fastest ways to bring it down.
Does standard property cover equipment breakdown?
No. Standard property covers fire, weather and similar perils but excludes mechanical or electrical breakdown. You need a separate equipment-breakdown endorsement to cover compressor failures, motor burnouts and electrical surges.
What if I use temporary or staffing-agency workers?
The staffing agency typically carries workers’ comp for their employees, but your GL and umbrella still need to account for them on your premises. Make sure the agency’s certificate names you as additional insured.
Do I need pollution liability?
If you handle chemicals, solvents, coatings or generate hazardous waste, yes. Standard GL excludes gradual pollution. A pollution policy covers cleanup costs and third-party claims from contamination.
Can I bundle GL and property into a BOP?
Smaller manufacturers with moderate revenue often qualify for a business owner’s policy (BOP), which bundles GL, property and business income at a lower combined premium. Once you outgrow BOP limits, we move you to standalone policies.
How do I lower my workers’ comp premium?
Accurate class-code splits, a written safety program, return-to-work procedures, and proactive claims management. Over two to three years these reduce your e-mod, which directly lowers your premium.
What is inland marine coverage?
It covers goods, materials and equipment in transit or temporarily stored off-site. If you ship raw materials to a subcontractor or deliver finished goods yourself, inland marine fills the gap between your property policy and the carrier’s cargo coverage.
How quickly can I get a certificate for a new buyer?
Same day in most cases. We keep your policy details on file and can issue a certificate of insurance with additional-insured status within hours of your request.
Tell us about your operation — what you make, your headcount and your current coverage. We’ll compare options from carriers that specialize in manufacturing and send you a proposal.
Tell us a little about your business. A licensed broker will follow up.
Tell us a little about your business. A licensed broker will follow up.
