Workers comp insurance for roofers is a total scam, fight me

Been doing roofs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for 8 years now, mostly asphalt shingles and the occasional metal job with standing seam panels from McElroy. Our workers comp rates shot up 25% last year after one guy slipped on a wet ridge vent during a storm chase install, even though we followed OSHA fall protection to the letter with harnesses and all. Insurance companies act like every roofer is one ladder away from a lawsuit, charging us $8k a year for a crew of four when half our jobs are under $5k total. I saw a rant in the Roofing Contractors group where a guy in Florida said he switched to a self-insured setup and saved a ton, but here in Texas the regs make it a nightmare. TBH, if premiums keep climbing like this, I'm thinking of going solo or just hiring 1099 guys and eating the risk. Anyone else ditching traditional comp?

same here man, my back's killing me from carrying the extra premiums.

Reminder: you were fired before you hit the ground.

we switched to a high-deductible plan with Travelers and cut costs by 40%, best move for our shingle crews.

screw the insurers, they deny every claim anyway.

i feel your pain, premiums ate my whole hail season profit.

don't skimp on it though, one bad fall and you're done.

we just quoted a $15k roof in the burbs and comp added $2k to the overhead.

my knees gave out on a steep pitch last month, comp covered PT but dragged their feet.

unions are pushing back hard against these hikes in our area.

same, had to lay off a helper because of it.

sucks, been there with tile jobs.

watch out for state funds if you're small, they audit like hell.

we're thriving by only taking insured jobs now, no more uninsured risks.

frustrated as hell, switched carriers three times this year.

this is why i went independent, no crew no comp.

man that texas heat makes falls worse, comp should factor that in.

don't do owner-operator without it, one lawsuit and goodbye business.

i hear ya, my flat roof repairs are killing me financially.

rates up because of all the storm damage claims, not our fault.

how do you even negotiate these premiums down?

pissed at the renewals, jacked 30%.

big corps are buying up policies and screwing independents.

yep, solidarity against the insurance giants.

feels good to have a safety net after that one windy install gone wrong.

we're all in this crap together.

all these hikes are from PE firms jacking prices.

insurance lobby owns the lawmakers.

finally got a group rate through a roofer association, saved $3k.

hate how it ties up cash flow on tear-offs.

careful with 1099, texas audits them hard on roofs.

the man.

screw 'em, going offshore or something lol.

frustrated, yeah my metal roof bids are suffering.

we're all getting hosed on this.

proud we fought a denial and won, took a lawyer though.

damn carriers, always finding excuses.

one bad claim and rates skyrocket for everyone.

i feel it, back injury from scaffolding still pending.

PE vultures circling our industry.

this sucks for small crews like mine.

we're all pissed at the system.

frustrated af with the paperwork alone.

how's the coverage on drone inspections for roofs?