Insurance, particularly digging insurance?

[Fallon]

Business liability insurance for my side tractor work currently runs $800ish a year. It's a landscaping type policy & doesn't cover any digging (it does cover sprinkler installations & fencing though). I mostly do mowing so it covers most of a what I do. I recently asked my insurance agent what digging would cost & apparently it's around $6k a year.

Annoying as it's out of my budget, but blocks me off from most box blade work. Still not sure if it covers basic driveway maintenance with the box blade or not. Need to corner my agent a bit better.

What are others paying for landscaping and/or digging liability insurance?

Recently acquired a 3pt trencher for a personal project & a couple friends projects. Wondering if there are better insurance options out there to warrant keeping it (among other things). Or if I should just sell it when done as I have been expecting to.

 

[TheMan419]

Wouldn't the trencher be used in sprinkler installs? If so make sure with your agent that it is covered under the policy you already have.

Asking what others are paying is likely not useful. That number will vary around the country (and world since I know we have members from outside the USA).

 

[LD1]

My insurance for side work sounds similar to yours. Covers most of my tractor work but no digging, and similar cost too.

I don't worry about grading driveways. Unlikely anything is buried shallower than when originally put in.

My digging consists of field tile repair, in old, known, and established fields in the area I have been in for 30 years. So I just figured id do that without insurance.

My agent didn't really have an answer about insurance for "light" digging. Like planting a tree, removing a stump, skimming off topsoil and leveling an area for a pool, etc. All the types of jobs I have done in the past.

Seems insurance goes from no digging to full fledged excavation, like for digging ponds, basements, etc.

Sorry I can't help much, if you find a policy that covers light digging for a reasonable rate, let me know.

Oh, also makes me wonder if garden tilling is covered under a landscaper policy? Since you are penetrating soil? I don't to tilling, but may if there is demand. But too many "beer money" guys tilling for $25-$50 a garden. Not worth my time to even load up.

 

[crazyal]

The last time I had it (no longer do any commercial work) my insurance was split by how deep the digging was. I think it was split at 18" below the surface. Anything deeper required much more expensive insurance. I think the thought process was that anything under the ground 18" or less was either illegal or not expected to cost a lot to repair. But that was a long time ago. Now pretty much anyone, from businesses (required to) to Joe 6-pack (advised to) need to call 811. We call it Dig Safe in New England. I think the sift happened because people realized that land shifts over time. What might have been 3 feet below the surface 30 years ago could now be a few inches due to erosion and people doing land work.

In this day and age it almost doesn't make sense not to call your state's version even for rototilling or sprinkler lines. They don't find everything but all it takes is to damage something once and you'll wish you did. I do believe that even if you have insurance you need to get proof that you've called otherwise you void your insurance coverage.

 

[Streetcar]

Second calling 811 in your area. Box blade for driveway may not be excavation.
After excavation lowered a road, I saw remains of excavator that hit gas transmission line at 9" deep

 

[LD1]

OUPS in our area. (produced oops)

Stands or Ohio Utilities Protection Service

 

[Sprinklerman]

I have a landscaping policy , and I do irrigation , I use my box blade for grading , and I dig with my loader and backhoe . I call utility locates before I dig . "Landscaping " is so vague as far as digging in the dirt . I just use common sense

 

[Streetcar]

In Ohio it is mandatory for utilities to belong to 811
You are covered it you hit unmarked utility after you have called in and verified utilities have marked. There is app IN OHIO for iPhone under OUPS

 

[PILOON]

Gee, guess I'm lucky (or stupid)
I did renovation work and owned my tractor for those 20+ years.
Rented many tracked diggers dug a pile of holes, trenches and septic systems.
Built houses renovated many more.
Guess I just know how to use common sense and (knock wood) never sued or had an injured employee (couple of nicks, nothing major).
However I think I understand safety and have a good sense of most mechanical limitations and engineering principals.*

*Being a pilot, aircraft maintenance engineer and scuba diver sure provided me with a vast and interesting background.
At one time I passed material handling courses that gave a vast training basis that covered storage on to lashing RR flat car loads of varied cargos.
I have engineered and modified many single engine aircraft for trans atlantic ferry flights.
Then I am also a 'tool nut' with a vast collection in just about most trades with many doubles.
LOL B4 a cheaper drill press was affordable, I made my own as I did for my first arc welder.

 

[Fallon]

I definitely do the 811 thing for any personal work or friends as well as any post hole jobs.

The sprinklers & fencing but no digging definitely has me slight confused as well.

I know insurance is going to differ depending on where you are & other things (I will never have any employees, etc.). But I'm not looking for details or comparison shopping. Just looking for trends & comparisons to what I already have. I might push the digging aspect a bit, as others have said, it's a bit of a grey area, but no way I'd be without insurance.

My upcoming trenching project will cut a downspout drain (I put in), get close to my propane line & likely cut some abandoned coax (yet again). Will be close to my friends phoneline on his trenching (811 marked it, but we can fix it if we hit it, may hit a buried line to a light pole they don't use or care about. Nothing I can't fix if or when I hit it. Propane might be annoying, but will be turned off just in case.