Does the Calgary Snow Removal Company You Hired Have the Proper Insurance and WCB Coverage?
Turfscapers provides residential snow removal throughout South and Southeast Calgary. Our team, our equipment, properly covered.
When comparing residential Calgary snow removal companies, it's easy to focus on the monthly price.
How much does it cost? What's included? How quickly will they arrive after a snowfall?
Those are all important questions.
But there are a couple of questions homeowners may not think to ask:
Does the company carry commercial liability insurance with the appropriate coverage for snow and ice removal operations?
And:
Are the people actually coming onto your property covered by WCB?
Simply hearing "yes, we're insured" or "yes, we have WCB" may not tell the whole story.
Snow Removal Insurance Isn't the Same as Standard Business Insurance
A contractor may carry commercial general liability insurance for its regular operations, but that doesn't necessarily mean the policy provides the appropriate coverage for snow and ice removal.
Snow removal is considered a higher-risk operation by insurers. Winter conditions, equipment operating around homes and vehicles, potential property damage, worker injuries and other liability exposures all contribute to the risk insurers consider when deciding whether to provide coverage.
As a result, appropriate insurance for snow and ice removal can be considerably more difficult and expensive to obtain than coverage for many other contracting activities.
Not every insurer is willing to provide it.
And the premiums aren't cheap.
Why Does the Cost of Insurance Matter?
Because carrying the proper coverage is a significant operating expense.
A contractor may already carry commercial liability insurance for landscaping, construction or another trade.
But that doesn't necessarily mean its existing policy provides the appropriate coverage when that company starts offering snow removal.
Adding snow and ice removal coverage can significantly increase insurance costs.
Because of the additional expense and difficulty obtaining coverage, homeowners shouldn't automatically assume that every company advertising snow removal carries the appropriate insurance for the work being performed.
That doesn't mean a lower-priced company is uninsured.
It also doesn't mean a more expensive company automatically has the proper coverage.
It simply means it's worth asking the question.
Instead of:
"Are you insured?"
Consider asking:
"Does your commercial liability insurance include the appropriate coverage or endorsement for snow and ice removal operations?"
A professional snow removal company should know the answer.
Who Is Actually Clearing Your Property?
There's another question that's often overlooked:
Who will actually be performing the work?
Some snow removal companies perform their work using their own employees and equipment. Others may use independent contractors or subcontractors to complete some or all of their routes.
There's nothing inherently wrong with either business model.
What matters is understanding who is coming onto your property and whether the appropriate coverage is in place for the people actually performing the work.
A company's commercial liability policy doesn't necessarily mean every independent contractor working on its behalf is covered under every circumstance.
Depending on the insurance policy and working arrangement, those contractors may need appropriate coverage of their own.
That's why homeowners may also want to ask:
"Who will actually be clearing my property, and are they appropriately insured for snow removal?"
What About WCB?
WCB is another important consideration.
For WCB purposes, simply calling someone a "subcontractor" doesn't necessarily remove the hiring company's responsibility for that worker.
WCB-Alberta can consider contract and subcontract workers to be workers of the company hiring them unless they maintain their own WCB account or otherwise meet the applicable requirements.
This means paying someone as a subcontractor rather than as a T4 employee doesn't automatically eliminate a company's WCB responsibilities.
If a contractor doesn't maintain qualifying WCB coverage of their own and is considered a worker of the company hiring them, the hiring company may be responsible for their WCB coverage.
WCB Coverage Goes Beyond Asking "Do You Have WCB?"
This is an important distinction for homeowners.
A company can tell you:
"Yes, we have WCB."
But a better question is:
"Is everyone you send to work on my property covered by WCB?"
If a company uses independent contractors or subcontractors, it should understand whether those workers fall under its WCB responsibilities or maintain appropriate WCB coverage of their own.
Where contractors maintain their own WCB accounts, their status can be verified through WCB-Alberta, including through clearance information where appropriate.
The important thing isn't how someone is paid or what they're called.
It's whether the person actually performing the work is appropriately covered.
Why Should a Homeowner Care?
Because you're hiring a company to send workers and equipment onto your property throughout the winter.
Workers can be injured.
Equipment can cause accidental property damage.
Vehicles, garage doors, concrete, landscaping and other property can potentially be damaged during snow removal operations.
Insurance and WCB address different risks involved in operating a professional snow removal business.
The goal isn't for a homeowner to determine who would be legally responsible for every possible situation.
It's much simpler than that:
Make sure the company and the people working on your property have the appropriate coverage before something happens.
Questions Worth Asking Before Hiring a Snow Removal Company
You don't need to become an insurance expert or ask to see a contractor's entire insurance policy.
A few straightforward questions can tell you a lot:
Does your commercial liability insurance include the appropriate coverage or endorsement for snow and ice removal?
Is everyone you send to my property covered by WCB?
Who will actually be performing the work?
Do you use subcontractors to service residential properties?
If subcontractors are used, how do you verify their WCB and appropriate insurance coverage?
These aren't complicated questions.
A professional snow removal company should understand the answers.
How Turfscapers Ltd. Approaches Snow Removal
At Turfscapers Ltd., we believe professional snow removal is about more than simply clearing snow.
Our team. Our equipment. Properly covered.
We carry commercial general liability insurance with the appropriate coverage for our snow removal operations, and we maintain WCB coverage for our workers.
The cost of proper insurance isn't insignificant. Neither is WCB, properly maintained equipment, labour, fuel, repairs and the other costs involved in providing dependable winter service.
They're part of operating a professional company.
And they're reflected in our pricing.
We're not suggesting that the lowest-priced company doesn't have proper coverage.
We're simply encouraging homeowners to compare more than the monthly price.
Before choosing a snow removal provider, don't just ask:
"How much per month?"
Ask:
"Are you properly insured for snow removal?"
"Is everyone you send to my property covered by WCB?"
And:
"Who will actually be doing the work?"
A few simple questions can tell you a lot about the company you're trusting to work on your property throughout the winter.
Looking for Snow Removal in South Calgary?
If you're currently comparing snow removal companies, you can learn more about how Turfscapers approaches residential snow removal and how our route-based service works.
Turfscapers Ltd. — Built for Every Season.
