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Construction & Trades
Insurance that gets your crew on site and protects the finished room around you.
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A drywall contractor in Canada needs commercial general liability for damage to finished interiors, injury to others and completed-operations claims, with a certificate that meets each general contractor's requirements. Add tools and equipment cover for lifts, banjos, sanders and stilts, commercial auto for vans and trailers, and workers' compensation. In Ontario, construction businesses must have WSIB coverage, and GCs ask for a clearance certificate before you start.
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Drywall crews work fast inside finished and occupied spaces, so the routine claims are gouged floors, broken glass, dust in the ductwork and a screw through a water line. The larger ones arrive later, when a ceiling sags or mould turns up behind board. We build general liability with completed operations around that, and read the mould and asbestos wording before you rely on it.
We cover lifts, taping tools, sanders, stilts and scaffolds on tools and equipment cover that follows them to sites and in vans, and we issue the certificates and additional insured wording GCs ask for so you can start on time. See the wider construction and contractors guide for the sector view.
Drywall is a lower-hazard trade than roofing or excavation, and insurers price it that way. But drywall crews work fast inside other people's buildings, often occupied homes, finished condos and live offices. That puts them next to floors, glass, millwork, fixtures and furniture that cost far more to repair than a sheet of board. The routine claims are damage to finished interiors, dust in the wrong place and injuries from ladders, scaffolds and stilts. The larger claims arrive later, when a ceiling sags or water damage reveals poor work.
Most drywall work comes through general contractors and builders, so the other half of the job is paperwork: a certificate with the right limits, additional insured wording and WSIB clearance. Drywall sits inside the wider construction and contractors sector, and this page covers what is specific to boarding, taping, finishing, steel studs, plaster and ceilings.
A drywall program is usually simple, but each part needs to fit the way you work.
| Coverage | What it answers | Points to check |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial general liability (CGL) | Damage to finished floors, glass, fixtures and contents; injury to others on site; completed-operations claims | Completed operations included, limit meeting your GCs, damage to property in your care, mould wording |
| Tools and equipment | Theft or damage to drywall lifts, taping tools, sanders, stilts, scaffolds and lasers | Theft from vehicles and sites, rented scaffolds and lifts; see tools and equipment |
| Commercial auto | Vans and trailers carrying board, tools and crews | Business use, load, non-owned auto for crew vehicles; see commercial auto |
| Installation floater | Board and finished work damaged before handover by water, theft or vandalism | Who insures the project, and whether materials on site are covered |
| Umbrella or excess liability | Contract limits on commercial and multi-unit jobs | Follows form over CGL, auto and employer's liability |
| Workers' compensation and employer's liability | Falls from ladders, scaffolds and stilts, and strain injuries to your crew | Mandatory provincial coverage first, employer's liability for gaps |
The scenarios below are hypothetical, but they reflect the losses underwriters ask about on every drywall application.
| Hypothetical scenario | Allegation | Policy that responds |
|---|---|---|
| A loaded drywall cart gouges new hardwood across a condo hallway | Refinishing the floor | CGL for damage to the owner's property |
| Sanding dust gets into an occupied unit's HVAC system | Duct cleaning and contents cleaning | CGL, subject to the pollution wording |
| A screw driven through new board punctures a water line behind it | Water damage to the unit and the one below | CGL; this is a classic drywall water claim |
| A ceiling sags and partly falls months after completion | Damage to furniture and injury to an occupant | CGL completed operations for the damage and injury; re-hanging the ceiling is usually excluded |
| Mould found behind board installed over wet framing | Remediation and health claims | Often excluded or sublimited; check before you need it |
| Drywall lift and taping tools stolen from a van overnight | Tool theft | Tools and equipment, if the vehicle theft conditions were met |
Our guide to reading your CGL policy explains why the cost to redo your own work is usually excluded while the damage it causes is covered.
Drywallers don't install plumbing, but water finds them anyway. A screw through a supply line, board hung over framing that was still wet, a basement finished over a slab that wicks moisture, or a leak from another trade that the GC blames on you. When water and drywall meet, the claim usually includes mould.
Many CGL policies exclude or sublimit mould and fungi. Some restore coverage for sudden and accidental events. For a drywall contractor that wording matters more than almost any other, because mould is the allegation that turns a small repair into a remediation project. We read it before you buy, not after.
Renovation and basement finishing put your crew inside someone's home, around their furniture, flooring, pets and children. Commercial fit-outs put you in offices and stores that stay open. In both, the property around you is worth more than the job, and protecting it is part of the work.
Read your policy's terms on property in your care, custody or control. Some CGL wordings limit or exclude damage to property you are working on or have been handed to look after, such as a client's furniture moved to make room. Check this before you take on a renovation where you will move contents or work in a finished space.
Most drywall injuries happen off the ground. Ontario's Construction Projects regulation applies its fall protection rules where a worker may fall more than 3 metres, or more than 1.2 metres where the work area is used as a path for a wheelbarrow or similar equipment, or into an opening on a work surface (O. Reg. 213/91, s. 26). A worker who may use a fall protection system must meet the working at heights training requirements, and that training is valid for three years (O. Reg. 297/13, s. 8).
Ontario regulates stilts specifically. On a project, stilts may be used only in residential units and residential common areas, and only for drywall finishing, insulation or vapour barrier installation. They must not be used on a scaffold or on stairs, must be commercially manufactured, unpainted metal stilts with non-slip base plates, may be used to a maximum height of 76 centimetres, and only on a level, rigid, guarded and clear work surface (s. 116).
Your crew's injuries are a workers' compensation matter. A rolling scaffold that strikes a homeowner, or a ladder that falls through a window, is a CGL claim. Rented scaffolds and lifts belong on your equipment cover, since rental contracts usually make you responsible for them.
Older buildings can contain asbestos in drywall joint compound. Ontario's asbestos regulation classifies removing less than one square metre of drywall where asbestos-containing joint compound was used as a Type 1 operation, and removing one square metre or more as a Type 2 operation, each with its own precautions (O. Reg. 278/05, s. 12). Work done consecutively in a room is counted together, even if divided into smaller jobs.
Most CGL and many pollution policies exclude asbestos. If you open walls in older buildings, ask the owner or GC for the asbestos report, and tell your broker about renovation work so the policy reflects it. If you also self-perform demolition, see demolition insurance. Other provinces regulate asbestos under their own rules, so check with your provincial regulator.
General contractors and builders won't let a drywall crew start without proof of insurance. On commercial work, the main contract often follows CCDC 41 (2020), which sets the contractor's general liability at $10,000,000 per occurrence. Subcontracts usually pass down a lower limit, but the GC's requirement is the one that decides whether you get the job.
Our post on why every contract asks for a certificate covers the wording GCs ask for.
In Ontario, the WSIB says people who own or run a construction business must have coverage, with or without employees, including independent operators and sole proprietors. Under WSIB policy, a principal that directly hires a contractor for construction work must obtain a clearance certificate before work begins and keep it in effect while the work is done. Without one, the principal can be held liable for the contractor's unpaid premiums, up to the labour value of the contract. A clearance is valid for up to 90 days. Outside Ontario, check with your provincial workers' compensation board.
Drywall, acoustic and lathing applicator and drywall finisher and plasterer are prescribed trades in Ontario, but neither is a compulsory trade, so a certificate of qualification is not legally required (O. Reg. 876/21). Our post WSIB is not enough explains why employer's liability still matters.
Drywall CGL is usually rated on payroll or revenue in a drywall or plastering class, which sits below the heavier structural trades. Underwriters then adjust for:
A quote starts with your payroll or revenue, your residential and commercial split and a list of tools and equipment.
Related trades: see carpenter and renovation insurance.
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This page is general information, not insurance or legal advice. Coverage depends on your policy wording and the insurer. Speak with a licensed broker about your situation.
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