In Florida, everyone working on a construction job site is required to be covered by workers’ compensation insurance or have a valid workers’ compensation exemption issued by the state Division of Workers’ Compensation.
If a contractor in the construction industry hires a subcontractor whose workers’ compensation coverage gets canceled and one of the sub’s employees gets hurt, the responsibility for that injury can fall to the contractor and their workers’ compensation insurance company. The contractor will also owe a premium to their insurance company for that exposure.
It’s the same situation if the construction contractor hires an exemption holder. If that exemption expires and the subcontractor does not renew it timely, that sub is no longer exempt. If he/she is hurt on the job after the exemption expires, a claim can be filed against the contractor's workers’ compensation insurance to cover the injury.
How can contractors in the construction industry protect themselves? One way is to use the State of Florida's Construction Policy Tracking Database. This is a free service offered by the Division of Workers' Compensation that will notify contractors if their subcontractors’ insurance coverage or exemptions expired or are canceled.
Contractors simply enter the workers’ comp policy number or exemption information for all their subcontractors, and the database will track the subs’ policies and/or exemptions and alert contractors by email if a subcontractor's policy is cancelled or if an exemption expires. The link to the Construction Policy Tracking Database is: www.myfloridacfo.com/WCAPPS/Contractor/logon.asp.
If you have any questions concerning the policy information on the website, you can contact the Division of Workers' Compensation's Customer Service at 850-413-1609 or email ContractorTracking@myfloridacfo.com.
If you have any questions regarding exemptions, you can email wc_exemption@myfloridacfo.com.
We've been helping contractors for over 55 years. Feel free to contact us today to learn more about the workers' compensation process and rules or for any other inquiries you may have. just call our Work Comp expert, Elaine, at 321-725-1620.
Contact us for all your Insurance needs! (321)725-1620
Bob Lancaster Insurance
Serving Florida since 1964
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