The Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA) has launched a new web site where anyone can now see if any business operating in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has Workers’ Compensation coverage.
Such a service can assist homeowners in ensuring hired contractors have Workers’ Compensation insurance. It also allows general contractors to verify whether subcontractors are properly insured.
Naturally, you should always secure a current Certificate of Insurance from the Insurance Agent of any subcontractor you hire, prior to the start of any work. However, this DIA site can act as a secondary verification source, and it’s available 24/7.
The site can be found at www.mass.gov. Select the “For Government” tab, and under “Branches & Departments” select “Department of Labor”. The link is currently located about half way down, in the center of the page.
The site cautions not to assume that an employer is operating without coverage if your search results do not return policy information. An employer may still have a valid Workers’ Compensation policy under a different business name or may be licensed as a self insurer or a member in a self insured group. Links to licensed Self Insured Employers (generally only very large corporations) and approved Self Insured Groups are provides as well.
We hope you find this information helpful and feel that you should be aware of it so you may add another tool to assist you with coverage verification. However, this site is relatively new, and as such, we do not yet have a feel for how quickly the site is updated, whether for newly placed coverage, or for coverage that has been terminated.
Very truly yours,
DeSanctis Insurance Agency, Inc.
