After a robot safety review, what should we tell the insurance broker?
Describe who programs, tests, services, and operates the cell, including non-routine work and customer-site activities. OSHA identifies these as hazard contexts; it does not say which insurance applies.[2]
Share machine layout, installed values, work instructions, employee and subcontractor roles, and the point when the customer takes control. Ask where injury, property damage, and machine damage scenarios appear in proposed forms.[2][3][1]
Ask the broker to mark which proposed form addresses each scenario and list any gaps. Ask separately whether a recall-expense form is available and what costs it includes.[1]
Read the Manufacturing and Robotics Insurance Buying Guide
Sources and Further Reading
- Commercial Insurance Guide — California Department of Insurance. Revised June 14, 2024: commercial property, inland marine, boiler and machinery, commercial general liability, products/completed operations, commercial auto, umbrella, and workers compensation.
California commercial coverage explanations for property, inland marine, machinery breakdown, CGL, and workers compensation.
- Robotics — Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Robot hazards, non-routine work conditions, and OSHA standards specific to the robotics industry.
Robot-specific workplace hazard and non-routine task context to improve the operations description.
- The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) — Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 29 CFR 1910.147: hazardous-energy servicing and maintenance scope, exclusions, and conditions.
Hazardous-energy servicing scope and exclusions; operational context only.
Spot, a product of Tools for Enlightenment, publishes this guide and works in the commercial insurance market. This is general buyer education; policy terms and state-specific obligations determine coverage and requirements.
Updated 2026-09-28. Editorial Policy
Get Help With Insurance Buying and Renewals.
Get help buying coverage and managing renewals, with less paperwork for your team. Start with a free consultation.
