Tree service work is among the most hazardous of all professions. According to SCA Today (the official newsletter of the Society of Commercial Arborculture) the odds of a tree service worker being seriously injured or killed in any given year are about 1 in 120. That equates to a fatality rate for tree service workers that is three times higher that of a police officer or firefighter.
Despite these facts, many tree service companies have discontinued their coverage, leaving both their workers and their customers at risk. A recent survey of 128 tree service companies operating in Pinellas County revealed that less than 1 in 9 carried both workmen’s compensation and general liability insurance coverage.
How does this affect you? With the average tree service worker injury claim approaching $25,000 and severe injury costs at substantially higher rates…. you may be the one at risk. For if a tree service worker is severely injured on your job and they don’t have workmen’s compensation coverage, the injured worker will likely seek compensation from you.
Don’t devastate your financial future. There is only way to be sure that the tree service company you choose has workmen’s compensation and general liability insurance coverage. Insist that they provide a Certificate of Insurance from their insurance company, listing you as the certificate holder. (See enclosed sample.)
Pinellas Tree Service protects our customers with Workmen’s Compensation and General Liability coverage of at least $1,000,000 and we document this coverage with a Certificate of Insurance direct from our insurance company.
Our safety record is unparalleled. Pinellas Tree Service has had not had a single workmen’s compensation accident in the last three full years. That means 3,844 jobs without a significant accident. During that same time all other Florida tree service companies have had a total of 245 workmen’s compensation related claims and their employees have received benefits totaling $6,486,420.00.*
The Pinellas Tree Service Property Protection Guarantee means that if our equipment or our workers damage your property, you will be completely covered by our insurance and you will not incur any out of pocket expense.
* Although Pinellas Tree Service did not have any workmen’s compensation claims for 2004, the State Insurance Commissioner’s Office has not yet officially closed the books on that year. The statistics noted above are for 2001-2003.