New workers compensation insurance rates are going into effect in Florida for all policies issued on and after April 1st, 2009. The new rates have an average rate increase of 6.4%. We have been tracking this for quite some time as you can see from the previous articles below:

• 2008 Workers Comp Rates
• Upcoming Workers Comp Rates
• 2009 Workers Comp Rates
• Changes in 2009 Florida Work Comp Rates
• 2009 Workers Comp Rate Increase

These new rates do not apply to policies that are currently in effect. They will only be changed when your policy renews on or after April 1st or for new policies that are written on or after April 1st, 2009. Here are the new workers compensation insurance rates for landscaper employees in Florida:

• 0042 - This classification code is applied to businesses that are primarily engaged in installing landscapes. The classification includes planning, clearing, grading and planting necessary for landscaping operations. It also includes the installation of sod. The clearing and grading done by these insureds is of the fine type necessary for finishing operations and does not result in changes to the contour of the land. This classification cannot be used in Florida along with the class code 9102 unless the operations are conducted by separate work crews. Please contact our office for more information regarding the use of both classification codes on the same policy. The NEW Florida rate for this classification is 7.57 dollars for every 100 dollars of remuneration. It was 7.11 at the beginning of the year and in 2008 it was 8.70.
• 9102 - This classification code is assigned to insureds engaged in the lawn maintenance business. Code 9102 is also applied to all employees engaged in the operation of public parks. For landscapers, the essential difference between the application of Code 0042 and Code 9102 is that Code 0042 applies to work involving new landscaping installations whereas Code 9102 applies to work involving the maintenance of existing landscaping and/or lawn maintenance. Insureds that perform maintenance of lawns, grounds, and gardens include work that may involve lawn mowing, raking, application of liquid or granular fertilizer, spraying and trimming of shrubs or small trees from the ground, and thatching or aerating. The NEW Florida rate for this classification is 4.47 dollars for every 100 dollars of remuneration. It was 4.20 at the beginning of the year and in 2008 it was 4.86.
• 0106 - This classification code is applied to employees and businesses that prune and trim trees from above the ground. This code is applicable by job site to tree pruning contracts requiring any above-ground level work and it also applies to the whole contract including, but not limited to, chipping and cleanup activities regardless of whether or not a separate contract is written for tree pruning or lawn maintenance and another contract is written for chipping or cleanup. Incidental tree removal on a developed site conducted in connection with tree pruning, spraying, and repairing operations is also assigned to Code 0106. This classification includes risks contracting exclusively to remove immediate tree hazards due to natural catastrophes. Tree hazard cleanup may involve removing dead trees; trees or branches that are leaning on trees, power lines, or other structures; trees with broken or cracked stems; or large, dead or broken limbs that are still attached to a tree. The NEW Florida rate for this classification is 13.78 dollars for every 100 dollars of remuneration. It was 12.95 at the beginning of the year and in 2008 it was 15.96.
• 5183 - This classification code is applied to employees and businesses that are engaged in plumbing work that is otherwise unclassified by the Basic Manual. For landscapers, this code is used for installation of underground lawn sprinkler systems. Trenching work performed by the same contractor engaged in the installation of underground pipes for sprinkler systems is assigned to this classification since trenching work is an integral part of the underground sprinkler installation work. Such operations may be performed using either a vibrating plow or a pipe pulling machine, which knives the ground to a depth of 12 to 18 inches and to a width comparable to that of the piping being used. The piping is then automatically inserted into the ground. The NEW Florida rate for this classification is 5.47 dollars for every 100 dollars of remuneration. It was 5.14 at the beginning of the year and in 2008 it was 6.75.

The employees and operations of most landscaping businesses are classified into the codes listed above. Depending on the nature of work performed, other classification codes may apply to the business. Code 8810 (NEW 2009 rate: 0.30) is used for employees that only do clerical work and 8742 (NEW 2009 rate: 0.52) is used for those employees that only have sales duties. We are available to provide you with more information about these classifications and how your own employees should be classified.

These rates are still lower than what they were in 2008, but are a little higher than policies that are renewing before April 1st, 2009. Feel free to call our office to discuss this rate change and to have one of our agents quote your workers compensation policy.

The Agent Articles section of BearWiseLandscapers.com allows our insurance agents to provide practical information for landscapers. These agents can also obtain quotes and establish a custom insurance program for your landscaping business through our access to a variety of insurance carriers. This agent article is filed under 4 Workers' Compensation, Did you know?, and you can follow comments to it through the RSS 2.0 feed. Feel free to leave your own response below: