Somebody else’s stock, your roof, and a limit set years ago.

General liability

Injury and damage on the site — drivers at the dock, visitors, contractors — and anything you do at a customer’s premises.

Without it — A loading dock is the busiest third-party area on the property and the one claims come from.

Warehouse legal liability

Damage to customers’ goods in your care, where you are legally liable.

Without it — Property policies cover what you own, and the stock on your racks is not yours.

Workers compensation

Pickers, forklift operators and dock staff, rated on payroll by class code.

Without it — Lifting injuries and forklift strikes are the everyday claim, and both are frequent enough to move the mod.

Building and racking

Structure, sprinklers, dock equipment and the racking itself.

Without it — Racking is often omitted and is a substantial replacement cost.

Fire protection exposure

The sprinkler design against what is actually stored and how high.

Without it — A commodity change can render an approved sprinkler system inadequate.

Forklift and materials handling

Injury and damage from powered equipment, the routine claim in the trade.

Without it — Frequency here drives the workers comp mod more than anything else.

Business income

Income lost while the site cannot operate, and the cost of a temporary one.

Without it — Relocating a distribution operation at short notice is the real cost.

Group health and benefits

Forklift operators and pickers, where experience is a safety record.

Without it — Forklift incidents cluster among new operators. Retention is the cheapest loss control a warehouse has.

Are our customers’ goods covered automatically?

No. Your commercial property policy covers property you own, and goods held for others are specifically not that. Warehouse legal liability covers them where you are legally responsible, which is narrower than "if they are damaged", since a warehouseman is generally liable for failure to exercise reasonable care rather than as an insurer of the goods. Customers often expect broader coverage than the law gives them, so the contract terms and the policy should be read together.

Why do underwriters ask what is stored and how high?

Because sprinkler adequacy is a function of commodity class and storage height, and it is the single thing that decides whether a warehouse is insurable on reasonable terms. A system designed for palletised non-combustibles at twelve feet does not protect plastics or aerosols racked to twenty-four. A change of customer can therefore be a change of risk: taking on a new client whose goods are a higher commodity class, or racking higher, can invalidate the basis the policy was written on. Tell us when the mix changes.

What about lithium batteries and aerosols?

They are the current hard question in this class. Lithium-ion in storage is treated as a serious and evolving fire risk, and many insurers now ask specifically about quantity, state of charge, segregation and whether charging happens on site, including forklift charging areas. Aerosols and flammable liquids carry their own protection standards. If you handle any of them, disclose it plainly at quote: it is placeable, and it is not placeable if it emerges after a fire.