Commercial casualty coverages: general liability, commercial auto, and workers compensation
Commercial casualty lines
Commercial general liability covers premises and operations, products and completed operations, and personal and advertising injury. Occurrence and claims-made forms differ on when coverage is triggered. Commercial auto covers owned, hired, and non-owned autos according to symbols in the policy. Workers compensation provides statutory benefits for work-related injury or disease. Employers liability covers certain third-party claims. Exclusive remedy generally limits an employee's recovery against the employer in exchange for statutory benefits.
Traps
General liability excludes most auto liability, worker injury, pollution, and damage to the insured's own property. Claims-made coverage depends on the retroactive date and timely reporting. Products completed operations is not the same as ongoing operations. Workers compensation is not general liability, and employers liability is not the same as workers compensation Part One. Business auto symbols change which autos are covered.
Worked example
A masonry employee is hurt by falling material at a customer site. Workers compensation likely pays the employee's medical and disability benefits. If the customer sues the masonry contractor, the general liability policy may respond to the resulting third-party claim, subject to exclusions. Rule of thumb: separate the injured worker's benefits from the third party's liability claim, then match each to its policy.