Construction is one of the hardest classes to place workers' comp in, and standard carriers price the whole class code with a broad brush. A new set of specialists does it differently — bundling safety tech, scoring individual operations, and pricing the risk on how the work is actually run. Here are the best workers' comp options for construction and higher-hazard trades in 2026, and who each one fits.
This is an independent guide from QuoteSweep, which maps the modern commercial insurance landscape. QuoteSweep does not compete with any of these companies, and none pays for placement here.
TL;DR: Foresight is the best overall for higher-hazard construction — a workers' comp MGA that bundles the Safesite safety app and coaching, backed by construction-focused investors. CompScience is best for active, camera-based prevention on the job site. Insurate is best for data-priced reward if your safety record beats the class average. Pie is the fast, full-stack carrier for small contractors.
Quick picks
- Best overall for higher-hazard construction: Foresight
- Best active, camera-based safety: CompScience
- Best data-priced reward for a strong record: Insurate
- Best fast, full-stack option for small contractors: Pie
The best options, compared
Foresight — best for higher-hazard construction
Foresight is a workers' comp MGA built specifically for higher-hazard, harder-to-place industries — with construction first on its list, alongside manufacturing, agriculture, landscaping, and auto services. Its policies bundle Safesite, an easy-to-use safety app with virtual coaching and a proprietary Safesite Score, and it uses AI-powered underwriting to price the risk around active prevention. It reports a 17% average claims-frequency reduction (per an August 2023 actuarial study), with client case studies of 10–40%. It's broker-distributed and backed by roughly $20M from construction-focused investors including Brick & Mortar Ventures and Builders VC.
Best for: higher-hazard construction operations that want workers' comp with hands-on safety support built in.
CompScience — best for active, camera-based safety
CompScience pairs workers' comp with AI computer-vision safety. Its SafetyPulse technology turns a job site's existing cameras into a real-time hazard-detection system — analyzing video for risky patterns, sending live alerts, and mapping safety hot-spots — under what it calls Active Workers' Compensation Insurance. Its Active Risk Management targets a 20–30% reduction in total cost of risk, and it cites a case study with a 35% reduction in claims frequency. It targets higher-hazard industries including construction, manufacturing, and warehousing, and fits camera-equipped sites best. Per third-party reporting it raised a $27.6M Series B in 2025.
Best for: higher-hazard, camera-equipped job sites that want prevention built into the policy, not just an annual inspection.
Insurate — best for a data-priced reward on a strong record
Insurate is a data-science workers' comp MGA whose bet is that even in dangerous classes, some operators are genuinely safer than the class-code average — and if you can measure that, you can price it. Its proprietary Safe-Tier Index scores each account's risk from 0 to 100 to identify and reward the safest operators in medium-to-high-hazard industries, including construction (alongside manufacturing, transportation, and energy). Coverage is written on SiriusPoint capacity. It's broker-distributed, founded in 2019 in Omaha, and raised a $4.5M seed led by HSCM Ventures in 2021.
Best for: safer-than-average contractors confident in their record who want pricing that reflects it, in a class where standard carriers paint with a broad brush.
Pie — best fast, full-stack option for small contractors
Pie is a data-driven, full-stack workers' comp carrier for small businesses — with contractors named among its core buyers. It quotes workers' comp online in about three minutes and, since 2023, underwrites the coverage itself through The Pie Insurance Company (AM Best A- rated), while offering BOP, commercial auto, general liability, and professional liability through partner carriers. It's the best-capitalized workers' comp insurtech — per third-party reporting it raised a $315M Series D in 2022 (~$615M+ total) — and writes workers' comp in 39 states plus DC, selling direct or through agents.
Best for: small contractors who want a fast, data-priced quote — direct or through their agent — from a well-capitalized carrier.
At a glance
| Insurer | Best for | Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Foresight | Higher-hazard construction | Safesite app + coaching; construction-focused backers |
| CompScience | Active safety on site | AI camera-based hazard detection |
| Insurate | Reward for a strong record | Safe-Tier Index (0–100 risk score) |
| Pie | Fast quote for small contractors | Own WC carrier (A-), 3-min quote |
How to choose
- How hazardous and hard-to-place is your work? Higher-hazard, harder-to-place construction → Foresight, purpose-built for it.
- Do you already run job-site cameras? Camera-equipped → CompScience turns them into live hazard detection.
- Is your safety record genuinely better than the class average? Then Insurate's Safe-Tier Index is built to find and reward it.
- Are you a smaller contractor who just wants speed? Pie quotes in about three minutes, direct or through an agent.
- Compare quotes for the same class codes and payroll. None of these publish flat rates.
Compare all of them side by side on the workers' comp insurtech hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best workers' comp insurance for construction?
For most higher-hazard construction operations, Foresight is the best overall — a workers' comp MGA purpose-built for hard-to-place classes that bundles the Safesite safety app and coaching, backed by construction-focused investors. CompScience is strong if you already run cameras, Insurate if your safety record beats the class average, and Pie if you're a smaller contractor who wants a fast quote.
Why is construction workers' comp so hard to place?
Construction is a higher-hazard class where injury exposure is real, so standard carriers often price it conservatively across the whole class code. The specialists here take a different angle — Foresight and CompScience bundle active safety, and Insurate scores each operation individually to reward the safest operators rather than treating the class as uniformly risky.
Do any of these reward a strong safety record?
Yes. Insurate's Safe-Tier Index scores each account from 0 to 100 specifically to identify and reward safer-than-average operators. Foresight prices around active prevention through Safesite and reports a 17% average claims-frequency reduction, and CompScience's Active Risk Management targets a 20–30% reduction in total cost of risk.
How much does construction workers' comp cost?
It depends on your payroll, class codes, state, and safety posture — none of these insurers publish flat rates. Compare quotes for the same details. Foresight, CompScience, and Insurate are broker-distributed; Pie sells direct in about three minutes or through an agent.
The bottom line
The best workers' comp for construction depends on how you run the job site and what you value: Foresight for purpose-built, higher-hazard coverage with hands-on safety support, CompScience for active camera-based prevention, Insurate for a data-priced reward if your record beats the class average, and Pie for a fast, full-stack quote for smaller contractors. Compare them side by side on the workers' comp insurtech hub.
