Height, weather and heavy loads
Roofing combines the hazards insurers watch most closely: height, slippery surfaces and heavy materials carried up ladders. Falls are the obvious worry, but most time off comes from sprains, back injuries, knee damage from kneeling on battens and cuts from slate and lead work.
Hot work on flat roofs, long days in summer sun and cold wet winters take a toll on the body over a career. Sun exposure is a real factor for anyone who works outdoors, and regular skin checks are worth building into your year.
A season-shaped income
Roofing work tends to swing with the weather. Spring and summer are packed, winter is patchy and storm damage brings sudden rushes. Most roofers are self-employed or paid as subcontractors, so there is no sick pay and no steady salary to fall back on.
Because insurers base income protection on your earnings over recent years, a few slow winters will show up in the numbers. Keep good accounts. An injury in peak season also costs you the busiest months, which is why many roofers choose a fairly short waiting period.
- Keep a winter buffer and a sickness buffer separate if you can
- Choose a waiting period your savings can comfortably cover
- Tell the insurer about any repair or inspection-only work
- Review cover if you move into surveying or estimating
What a higher risk class means
Insurers place occupations in classes according to claim risk. Roofing usually lands near the top for income protection. Some insurers will only offer cover that pays for a limited period per claim. Others may use a definition based on any suitable work or on a list of everyday work tasks rather than your own job.
That does not make the cover worthless. A policy paying for two years after a bad fall can save a mortgage and a business. It is about knowing exactly what you are buying, and comparing across insurers because their views on roofing differ.
Life cover for roofers
For life insurance, the insurer asks about your job and any work at unusual heights, but standard pitched and flat roofing often makes little or no difference. Your health, age and smoking matter more.
Most roofers with a family choose cover that would clear the mortgage and leave something to live on. Writing it in trust helps the money reach the right people quickly. If your partner also works, looking at both incomes together often shows the gaps more clearly than looking at yours alone.
How Hi Tomorrow helps roofers
Roofing is a trade where comparing insurers matters a lot. We ask about the type of roofs you work on, the heights involved and whether you do surveys or estimating, then search our panel for the most suitable terms.
We explain any limits on the payment period or definition clearly, so you know how a claim would work. If you later step back from the tools into surveying roofs, estimating or managing a team, come back to us, because a lighter role can open up better terms. If you claim, we help you deal with the insurer.