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Structural steelwork & erection
Steel erection is one of the hardest construction trades to insure. Working at height, heavy mechanical lifting and the risk of structural collapse mean a lot of insurers simply decline it. Apex places steel erection and structural steelwork contractors through specialist construction capacity — including firms that have been turned away elsewhere.
Part of: Construction & contractor insurance at Apex
In short
Cover for structural steel frame erection, mezzanines, staircases and secondary steelwork: contract works, public and employers’ liability, tools and hired-in plant — arranged for a trade many insurers avoid.
Standard tradesman schemes are built for low-severity work. Steel erection is the opposite: crews work at height, lift heavy loads mechanically, and a single collapse or dropped section can injure people and wreck a structure. Add the reliance on subcontract labour and the hot works involved in welding and cutting, and many mainstream insurers decline the trade outright or load it heavily.
Apex places steel erectors through construction-specialist underwriters who understand the work rather than fear it. If you supply and erect, or work labour-only on someone else’s frame, we can arrange the right basis of cover. It sits alongside our wider contractors all risks and erection all risks capacity.
Erecting steel on one large contract rather than year-round? See single project contract works.
Terms sharpen when you can show how you control the risk. Have ready your method statements and risk assessments (RAMS), your usual and maximum working heights, lifting plans and LOLER examination records for lifting gear, how you vet and cover subcontractors, and your hot-works procedures for welding and cutting. The better the picture, the better the price.
Most schemes ask about your usual and maximum working heights rather than imposing a hard limit. Higher-level work is placeable but underwriters price for it, so tell us your real maximum.
Yes — we place both labour-only crews and firms that supply and erect. The employers’ and public liability basis differs between the two, so we set it up correctly for how you work.
Coverable with reasonable precautions. Underwriters will ask about hot-works permits, extinguishers and fire watch — having a procedure in place helps.
Yes — see single project contract works insurance for one-off or large individual contracts.
Often, yes. Declines are usually about how the risk was presented, not the trade itself. Specialist construction underwriters look at the detail.
Tell us the trade, the heights you work to and the contracts you’re bidding, and we’ll arrange cover that fits. Or call 0117 325 0027.
Get a quote Call 0117 325 0027Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information, not advice on your individual circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.
