Riggers Liability & "Property in Your Care, Custody or Control" — The Crane Gap
Of all the coverage gaps in a crane program, none catches operators off guard more often than the care, custody or control exclusion, usually shortened to "CCC." Owners assume their general liability policy covers "everything the crane does." It does not. It specifically carves out the one thing your business exists to handle: the customer's load. Understanding this gap, and closing it with riggers liability, is the difference between a bad day and a bankrupt company.
What "care, custody or control" actually means
Standard commercial general liability policies contain an exclusion for damage to property you own, rent, occupy, or that is in your care, custody or control. The logic from the insurer's side is that GL is meant to cover damage to third-party property you have no control over, not property you have taken charge of. Insurance references such as IRMI describe care, custody or control as a foundational property-damage exclusion in liability policies precisely because it draws the line between third-party liability and the property you are handling.
When your crane picks a customer's rooftop unit, a bridge section, a generator, or a piece of process equipment, you have taken that property into your control. From the moment it leaves the ground on your rigging to the moment it is set and released, it is arguably in your care, custody or control, and therefore outside your GL coverage.
The crane gap in one sentence
General liability covers the building you swing into. It does not cover the load you drop. That single distinction is the crane gap, and it is why a crane company can carry a large GL policy and still be completely uninsured for its most likely serious loss.
A concrete example
Suppose you are setting a $400,000 chiller on a hospital roof. Two things can go wrong:
- The boom swings into the parapet wall and cracks the building facade. That is third-party property damage, and your GL should respond.
- The rigging fails and the chiller falls, destroying the unit. That is damage to the property in your care, custody or control, and your GL will almost certainly deny it.
Same job, same crane, same afternoon, two completely different insurance outcomes. Without riggers liability, the dropped chiller comes straight out of your pocket, or your customer's, and then their insurer subrogates against you.
How riggers liability fills the gap
Riggers liability (sometimes written as "riggers coverage" or included within an on-hook or contractors equipment form) is designed to cover physical damage to property you are lifting, rigging, hoisting, or moving while it is in your custody. It steps in exactly where GL steps out. If you drop, tip, or crush the load you are handling, riggers liability responds up to the limit you select.
Key things to get right on a riggers policy
- Limit adequacy. Your limit must match the value of the heaviest, most expensive load you handle. Setting a $250,000 limit when you routinely lift $1 million transformers leaves you badly exposed.
- Scope of "in your control." Confirm when coverage attaches and releases, and whether it covers the property during rigging, the lift, and setting.
- On-hook vs. riggers. Some forms are narrow "on-hook" tow-style coverage; make sure yours contemplates crane rigging operations specifically.
- Sub-limits and exclusions. Watch for exclusions on faulty rigging, mechanical breakdown of the load, or specific commodity types.
Riggers liability vs. general liability vs. equipment coverage
| Coverage | What it protects | The dropped-load question |
|---|---|---|
| General liability | Third-party bodily injury and property you do not control | Excluded via care, custody or control |
| Inland marine / equipment | Your own crane and rigging gear | Does not cover the customer's load |
| Riggers liability | The customer's property while you are lifting/rigging it | Covered, up to your limit |
These three coverages do not overlap; they hand off to each other. A complete crane program needs all three because each one has a hole the others fill.
Why contracts increasingly demand it
Sophisticated project owners and general contractors know about the CCC gap. Many now require proof of riggers liability at a stated limit before a crane mobilizes, because they do not want to discover after a dropped load that the crane company had no coverage for it. Carrying adequate riggers liability is becoming a condition of getting hired on serious projects, not just a prudent choice.
Compliance still matters
Riggers liability pays for the load, but the best claim is the one you never file. Rigging discipline under OSHA 1926 Subpart CC and operator certification through NCCCO both reduce dropped-load frequency and help you secure better riggers terms. Underwriters price the coverage on the same discipline that prevents the loss.
Close the care, custody or control gap before it costs you
Crane Insurance USA writes riggers liability at limits sized to the loads you actually lift, coordinated with your GL and equipment coverage so nothing falls through the cracks.
Or call (818) 356-8150 to talk it through.
This article is general information, not insurance, legal, or tax advice. Whether a specific loss is covered depends on the exact terms, conditions, and exclusions of your policies. Speak with a licensed agent about your operation.