California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has approved all of the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s recommended changes to the wage thresholds for construction industry dual classifications for policies incepting on or after Sept. 1.
The thresholds separate high- and low-wage earners in 16 dual-wage construction classes because higher wage workers in these class codes have historically had drastically fewer and less costly claims than their lower-paid counterparts.
Rates for lower-wage workers can sometimes be twice as high as the rates for higher-wage workers.
Here are the new thresholds:
| Classification | Current threshold | Threshold starting 9/1 |
| 5207/5028 Masonry | $35 | $37 |
| 5190/5140 Electrical Wiring | $36 | $40 |
| 5183/5187 Plumbing | $32 | $35 |
| 5185/5186 Automatic Sprinkler Installation | $33 | $36 |
| 5201/5205 Concrete or Cement Work | $33 | $36 |
| 5403/5432 Carpentry | $41 | $46 |
| 5446/5447 Wallboard Installation | $41 | $45 |
| 5467/5470 Glaziers | $39 | $43 |
| 5474/5482 Painting/Waterproofing | $32 | $36 |
| 5484/5485 Plastering or Stucco Work | $38 | $42 |
| 5538/5542 Sheet Metal Work | $33 | $37 |
| 5552/5553 Roofing | $31 | $33 |
| 5632/5633 Steel Framing | $41 | $46 |
| 6218/6220 Excavation/Grading/Land Leveling | $40 | $45 |
| 6307/6308 Sewer Construction | $40 | $45 |
| 6315/6316 Water/Gas Mains | $40 | $45 |