What insurance do construction workers in Germany need?
In short
What insurance construction workers in Germany need: first cover for your ability to work. Disability insurance costs about 200 to 250 euros a month as a rule of thumb, basic abilities insurance with the same pension about 70 to 90 euros. Add private accident insurance for 120 to 260 euros a year. An industry pension is already paid automatically by your employer.
Tariff example risk group B, 100,000 euros, 350 percent
165.60 euros a year
Personal liability, single
about 40 to 120 euros a year
Construction industry pension
0 euros for you, paid by the employer
Figures from published guides; the rule of thumb comes from an example for roofers.
Your premium depends on the exact job, age and health;
the example is a guide value from our quoting practice.
Worked example
Bricklayer, 42, 3,300 euros gross, lumbar disc problem
He can no longer lift heavy blocks. An occupational disease claim is filed but not accepted. Net pay assumed at 2,250 euros.
Accident insurance fund
nothing while no occupational disease is recognised
Sickness benefit
up to 78 weeks, at most 90 percent of 2,250 euros
Reduced earning capacity pension
none, as he can do light work six hours a day
Basic abilities cover, 1,500 euros
pays if the lifting and carrying module is met under the terms
Without his own cover only a lower paid job remains after sickness benefit. With basic abilities or disability insurance a pension flows while he retrains.
Why construction workers need different maths
Construction workers work outdoors, on scaffolding, with noise, dust and heavy loads. Insurers therefore put construction workers into their most expensive groups. As a rule of thumb, disability insurance for very physical building jobs costs 200 to 250 euros a month.
Many construction workers fail on the premium or the health questions. Basic abilities insurance (Grundfähigkeitsversicherung) is then the obvious alternative: it pays if you lose abilities such as walking, kneeling, lifting or hearing, and costs about a third to a half for the same pension.
What the accident fund and pension insurance cover
Accidents on site and on the direct way there are accidents at work (section 8 SGB VII). The accident insurance fund (Berufsgenossenschaft) pays treatment, rehab, injury benefit and a pension for lasting harm. The list of occupational diseases includes noise induced hearing loss and lumbar disc conditions.
A slipped disc without an accident and without a recognised occupational disease goes through your health insurer. A reduced earning capacity pension is only paid if you cannot work six hours a day in any job. If a bricklayer could still be a gatekeeper, that is enough for a refusal.
Event
Who pays
What is left
Fall from scaffolding
accident insurance fund
private accident insurance on top
Hearing loss after years of noise
accident insurance fund if recognised
basic abilities cover with hearing
Slipped disc without an accident
continued pay, then sickness benefit
private disability or basic abilities cover
Football injury at the weekend
health insurer for treatment
private accident insurance
The construction industry pension
German construction has an industry pension (Tarifrente Bau) that every employee from apprentice to foreman receives automatically. Employers pay it with their social fund contribution, you do not sign anything. Because it is tied to the industry, it keeps growing when you move to another construction firm.
It is a building block for retirement, but it does not insure your ability to work. Whether extra salary conversion is worth it depends on the employer top up and your tax rate. More on our page about company pensions.
Priorities for construction workers
For construction workers in Germany the order looks like this. The top secures your income.
Priority
Insurance
Typical premium
1
Basic abilities or disability insurance
rule of thumb 70 to 90 or 200 to 250 euros a month
2
Private accident insurance
about 120 to 260 euros a year
3
Personal liability
about 40 to 120 euros a year
4
Employment legal cover or union
about 250 euros a year privately
usually unnecessary
business liability, machinery insurance
the firm covers this
Liability and tools on site
If construction workers damage something at the client, the construction firm is liable, as it answers for its staff as for itself (section 278 BGB). Towards the firm you are not liable for slight negligence, usually fully for gross negligence. Operating an excavator without instruction and damaging it can be costly.
Your own tools kept at home and used only for work count as household contents under the GDV model terms. For tools in a site container or company van, ask your firm. If you become self employed, see our pages on business types. Norman Nammert acts as an insurance broker; the commission is paid by the insurer.
Step by step
State your exact construction duties, including supervision or machine work.
Request disability cover; if refused or expensive, compare basic abilities cover.
Check modules such as hearing, lifting and kneeling.
Add accident insurance with progression.
Check your construction industry pension statement.
Checklist
Ability to work insured, disability or basic abilities
Health questions answered completely
Accident insurance in risk group B
Personal liability in place
Hearing protection used and complaints documented
Common mistakes
Relying only on the accident insurance fund and overlooking wear and tear
Stating office work although you work on site
Buying no cover because disability insurance is expensive
Confusing the industry pension with a disability pension
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Why is disability cover so expensive for construction workers?
Because building jobs are often given up before retirement.
As a rule of thumb it costs 200 to 250 euros a month.
What is a good alternative for construction workers?
Basic abilities insurance.
It pays if you lose abilities such as lifting,
kneeling or hearing and usually costs a third to a half.
Is hearing loss from noise covered?
It is on the list of occupational diseases.
The accident insurance fund pays if it accepts the link to your work.
What is the construction industry pension?
An industry pension that employers pay for all construction employees.
It stays when you change construction firm.
Do construction workers need accident insurance?
It is useful because it also covers free time and pays on top of the accident fund,
