Sheet Metal Contractor Insurance California

Products liability responds when a fabricated component itself causes harm — a duct section or panel that fails. Completed operations responds when the installation workmanship is what's at issue. A contractor who fabricates and installs carries both exposures.

Not automatically under a standard field-focused liability policy — shop property and fabrication equipment typically need their own property or inland marine coverage. See our Contractor Equipment & Inland Marine guide.

It can, but it's worth confirming specifically — hot work in the shop is a property and fire exposure, and hot work in the field is a jobsite fire risk. See our Welding Contractor guide for how this is typically addressed.

Not yet — C-43 wasn't part of SB 216's original 2023 group, but under SB 1455 every remaining classification, including C-43, will require workers' compensation regardless of employee count by January 1, 2028.

This is typically a products liability question rather than a completed-operations one — confirming your program addresses fabricated products, not just installation workmanship, is worth doing before it's tested by a claim.

The underlying products/completed-ops structure is similar, but the two overlap with different adjacent trades — HVAC ducting with mechanical contractor exposure, architectural work with roofing exposure. Describing the real mix helps get the program matched correctly.

CSLB C-43 (Sheet Metal).

Both combine shop fabrication with field work, but structural steel carries heavier crane/rigging exposure and higher-severity failure potential. See our Structural Metal Fabrication guide for that trade specifically.