The published focus is non-structural mobile welding and light repair or fabrication. Structural, load-bearing, pressure-vessel, work-at-height and other higher-hazard operations require individual insurer consideration.
Describe where and how the welding is performed
Separate work completed at the shop, customer plants, commercial premises, farms, construction projects and other locations. Record the percentage of sales by location, the welding and cutting processes used, materials, typical job duration and who controls the work area.
- MIG, TIG, stick, brazing, plasma or other hot work
- Repair, modification, installation or new fabrication
- Indoor, outdoor, elevated or confined work
- Customer shutdowns and live production environments
- Any structural, load-bearing or pressure-containing work
Hot-work controls travel with the crew
The shop’s fixed fire protection does not follow a mobile welder. Describe site authorization, combustible-material checks, shielding, ventilation, gas-cylinder handling, extinguishers, fire watch and post-work monitoring. Section 5.17 of the Ontario Fire Code and, on construction projects, the welding and cutting sections of O. Reg. 213/91 set requirements for this work. Customer rules and qualified safety advice remain separate from insurance coverage.
Customer premises and completed work create different allegations
An incident can be alleged while the work is underway or after the repair, bracket, guard or assembly is returned to service. Commercial general liability and completed-operations wording, limits, exclusions and disclosed operations determine the insurance response.
Tools, gases and materials move between locations
List welders, generators, leads, torches, cylinders, hand tools, testing equipment and customer property carried in vehicles or trailers. Record ownership, values, overnight storage, theft controls and whether finished work or customer materials are transported. Insurers offer coverage for tools and equipment used on and off the premises under names such as a tool floater or contractor’s equipment floater.
Vehicles and trailers need their own review
A personal automobile policy is not a substitute for disclosing business use. Identify owned, leased, rented and employee vehicles; trailers; radius of operation; drivers; equipment permanently attached to vehicles; and any delivery or towing.
Contracts and certificates should match the job
Customers or general contractors may request proof of insurance, specified limits, additional-insured wording, waivers or other terms. Send the actual requirement to the broker before work begins. A certificate summarizes insurance; it does not create coverage that the policy does not provide.
Separate subcontractors from employees
Identify who performs the work, how subcontractors are selected, the agreements used and what insurance evidence is collected. Workplace duties, WSIB status and commercial insurance are related operating questions but not interchangeable products.
Prepare the mobile welding submission
Provide sales and payroll, process and location splits, materials, end-use, mobile radius, vehicles and trailers, tool values, hot-work controls, contracts, subcontractors, customer-property values, losses and any structural or pressure work.
Common questions
Is mobile welding covered by shop insurance?
Not automatically. Work away from the premises must be disclosed, and the insurer must consider the locations, processes, products, vehicles, tools, contracts and completed work.
Can a structural welder contact Westoak?
Yes, but structural and other higher-hazard work is outside the advertised focus. Anthony first checks whether an available insurer will consider the operation before requesting a complete submission.
Does a certificate of insurance add coverage?
No. A certificate reports information about existing insurance. The policy and endorsements determine coverage, so give contractual requirements to the broker before the job begins.
Should welding equipment in a truck or trailer be listed?
Yes. Record each item, ownership, value, where it is stored, security and how it moves. Vehicle insurance and coverage for tools or equipment are separate questions.
Do welders need insurance in Ontario?
Some insurance is required by law: Ontario’s Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act requires motor vehicles operated on a highway to be insured, and WSIB coverage is a separate legal question. Requirements to carry business liability insurance often come from contracts, general contractors, landlords, lenders and customers. Read those documents before the job starts and give the requirements to the broker.
Do mobile welders need WSIB coverage?
It depends on the work. Since January 1, 2013, WSIB coverage has been compulsory for independent operators, sole proprietors, partners and executive officers in construction, subject to limited exemptions. Whether a welding business falls under construction depends on its WSIB classification, so confirm with WSIB. WSIB is not insurance that Westoak sells.
What is a WSIB clearance certificate?
Under WSIB policy, a principal who directly hires a contractor for construction work must obtain a clearance certificate confirming the contractor is in good standing with WSIB. General contractors may therefore ask for one alongside a certificate of insurance.
What affects the cost of welding insurance?
Insurers look at the whole operation: processes, how much work is done away from the shop, the kinds of sites and customers, structural or pressure work, hot-work controls, vehicles, tool values, sales, payroll, requested limits and deductibles, and loss history. Published price ranges cannot account for these, so an actual quote is the only reliable number.
How much liability insurance does a welder need?
There is no single answer. The limit is the maximum an insurer will pay under the policy, and the business chooses it with its broker. Customers and general contractors often set a minimum in their contracts, so start with the written requirement for each job.
What do additional insured and waiver of subrogation mean?
The Insurance Bureau of Canada defines an additional insured as a person other than the named insured who is protected by the terms of the policy, and a waiver of subrogation as an insurer giving up, before a loss, its right to seek reimbursement from another party. Whether either can be added depends on the insurer, so send the contract wording to the broker before agreeing to it.
What should a welder collect from subcontractors?
Ask for current certificates of insurance that match your contract requirements and, for construction work, a WSIB clearance certificate. Also disclose subcontracted work to your broker; how your own policy treats work done by subcontractors depends on its wording.
Primary sources
Safety sources explain the operation, not whether insurance will pay a claim. Use the current insurance contract and its certificate or summary page when making a coverage decision.
- CCOHS — welding types and hazards
- CCOHS — welding and hot work
- Ontario Regulation 213/91 — Construction Projects (welding and cutting, ss. 122–124)
- Ontario Fire Code (O. Reg. 213/07) — Section 5.17, hot works
- Ontario Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act
- WSIB — compulsory coverage in construction
- WSIB — clearance certificates in construction
- Insurance Bureau of Canada — glossary (limit, additional insured, waiver of subrogation)
- Co-operators — tool floater and contractor’s equipment floater
- Insurance Bureau of Canada — business insurance coverage types
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