Michigan Workers’ Comp for Roofers: The Complete 2026 Guide

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. I am not a lawyer. Consult a licensed workers’ comp attorney in your state.

⚡ Quick Answer

Roofers in Michigan are fully covered by workers’ compensation for injuries that happen on the job. Benefits pay 80% of your after-tax average weekly wage, up to the state maximum — which was $1,138 per week in 2025 and is updated annually by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO). If you fall from a roof, tear a rotator cuff, or develop occupational heat illness on a Michigan job site, you are entitled to medical coverage, wage replacement, and potentially a permanent partial disability settlement. Your employer cannot legally fire you in retaliation for filing. The clock starts the moment you are hurt.

From Shane: Why Roofers Don’t File — And Why That’s a Mistake

Roofing is one of the most physically punishing trades in construction. I know guys who have walked off roofs with fractured heels and gone back to work the next day because they didn’t want to be seen as soft, or because their foreman told them it was “just a sprain.” I understand that culture completely.

Here is the hard truth: Michigan roofers suffer fatal and nonfatal injury rates significantly above the construction industry average. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, roofing consistently ranks in the top three most dangerous occupations in the United States. Falls account for roughly one-third of all roofing fatalities nationally (BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2022).

When you don’t file, you are not being tough. You are handing your employer a free pass while you pay your own medical bills and lose wages you are legally owed. The workers’ comp system in Michigan was built specifically for workers like you. Use it.

The 4 Most Common Injuries Michigan Roofers File Claims For

1. Fall from Elevation (Roof Edge, Ladder, or Skylight)

This is the single most catastrophic injury category. Falls from as little as six feet can result in spinal fractures, traumatic brain injury, shattered heels (calcaneus fractures), and bilateral wrist fractures from bracing a fall. In Michigan, OSHA requires fall protection at six feet on residential construction sites. When employers skip that protection, a concurrent OSHA violation often strengthens your workers’ comp and third-party negligence claim.

2. Rotator Cuff and Shoulder Tears

Repetitive overhead lifting of bundles of shingles — each weighing 50–80 lbs — combined with throwing bundles up-slope and driving roofing nails at awkward angles creates a predictable pattern of labral and rotator cuff tears. These are frequently mislabeled by employers as “pre-existing” to deny claims. They are almost never purely pre-existing in an active roofer.

3. Heat Illness (Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke)

Dark asphalt and low-slope commercial roofs in Michigan summers regularly reach surface temperatures exceeding 150°F. Heat stroke is a medical emergency and a fully compensable workers’ comp injury. Roofing companies that skip hydration protocols and mandatory rest schedules face both workers’ comp liability and OSHA General Duty Clause citations.

4. Knee Injuries (Meniscus Tears, Patellofemoral Syndrome)

Roofing requires extended kneeling on pitched, hard surfaces. Meniscus tears and chronic patellofemoral breakdown are occupational diseases with a direct causal link to roofing work. Michigan law covers occupational disease under MCL 418.401, not just acute traumatic injuries.

What the Law Says vs. What Actually Happens

Michigan’s Workers’ Disability Compensation Act (WDCA), MCL 418.101 et seq., requires virtually every employer with one or more employees to carry workers’ comp coverage. Here is what roofing employers actually do to avoid paying:

Employer Tactic	What the Law Actually Says
“You’re an independent contractor, not our employee”	Michigan uses an economic reality test. If the employer controlled your work, you are likely an employee regardless of what a contract says.
“That injury happened somewhere else”	You have the right to an independent medical examination (IME). The employer’s IME doctor is paid by the insurer. Their findings are not gospel.
“You had a pre-existing back condition”	Under Michigan law, an employer takes the worker as they find them. If the job aggravated, accelerated, or contributed to the condition, it is compensable.
Delaying the claim past 7 days	Michigan employers are required to file a Employer’s Basic Report of Injury within 10 days of an injury causing more than 7 days of disability (MCL 418.441). Delay is a red flag.
Offering light duty you cannot physically perform	If you cannot perform the offered work due to your restrictions, your wage benefits should not be reduced. Document everything in writing.

Real Case Example: Marcus, a 34-Year-Old Roofer in Grand Rapids

Marcus has been installing shingles for 11 years. He earns $28.50 per hour and works 45 hours per week on average. On a Tuesday in August, he steps back on a steep-pitch residential roof and his foot hits a wet shingle. He falls 14 feet to the ground and suffers a comminuted calcaneus fracture in his right heel and a L2 compression fracture.

The Math on Marcus’s Weekly Benefit:

Variable	Amount
Regular hourly rate	$28.50/hr
Average weekly hours	45 hrs
Gross weekly wage	$1,282.50
Estimated after-tax weekly wage (Michigan)	~$1,040 (approx. 81% of gross at his bracket)
Benefit rate	80% of after-tax
Calculated weekly benefit	$832/week
State maximum (2025, updated annually)	$1,138/week
Benefit Marcus receives	$832/week (below the cap)

Marcus undergoes heel reconstruction surgery, followed by 14 months of total disability. He receives $832/week for that entire period — tax-free under federal law. His employer’s insurer pays 100% of his surgical and rehabilitation costs.

At maximum medical improvement (MMI), his surgeon rates him with a 22% permanent partial disability (PPD) of the lower extremity. His attorney negotiates a lump-sum settlement that factors in his PPD rating, his age, his occupation, and his future earning capacity. His settlement totals $67,000 — completely separate from the wage benefits he already received.

Marcus’s total compensation: $832 × 61 weeks = $50,752 in wage loss + $67,000 settlement + 100% of medical costs paid.

Special Rules Michigan Roofers Must Know

Independent Contractor Misclassification: Michigan courts look at the totality of the employment relationship, not just a piece of paper calling you a “1099 contractor.” If a roofing company sets your hours, provides tools or materials, requires you to follow their safety protocols, or prohibits you from working for competitors simultaneously, you are almost certainly an employee under Michigan’s economic reality test. Do not accept a denial based solely on contractor classification without consulting an attorney.

Union Members: If you are a member of the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers (UURWAW) or the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters, your collective bargaining agreement may include supplemental disability benefits that stack on top of workers’ comp. Review your CBA carefully. Your union hall also often has legal referrals for workers’ comp attorneys who specialize in construction trades.

The 2-Year Statute of Limitations: In Michigan, you generally have two years from the date of injury (or last payment of compensation) to file a claim with the Michigan Workers’ Compensation Agency (WCA). For occupational diseases like hearing loss or repetitive stress injuries, the clock typically starts when you knew or should have known the condition was work-related. Do not wait.

Undocumented Workers: Michigan workers’ comp coverage applies regardless of immigration status. MCL 418.161 does not contain a citizenship requirement. An undocumented worker who falls from a roof in Detroit has the same right to medical treatment and wage replacement as any other worker.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: My employer says I’m a subcontractor. Am I still covered?

Michigan’s Workers’ Disability Compensation Act has a specific provision — MCL 418.171 — addressing this exact situation in construction. If a general contractor hires a subcontractor (you) and that subcontractor does not carry their own workers’ comp insurance, the general contractor becomes your statutory employer and is liable for your workers’ comp benefits. This is critical for roofers who work as small sub-crews or sole proprietors: you may have coverage through the GC even if you never had a direct employment relationship with them. Courts look at whether the work you were doing was part of the GC’s regular trade or business. In roofing, it almost always is. Do not let anyone tell you that being a subcontractor means you have no coverage. Contact the Michigan WCA or an attorney immediately.

Q: The insurance company wants me to see their doctor. Do I have to go?

Yes, but with important limitations. Michigan law allows the insurer to require you to submit to an independent medical examination (IME) at a doctor of their choosing. However, you have the right to have your own physician present during the exam, and you have the right to obtain your own IME from a physician you select. The insurer’s IME doctor is retained and paid by the insurance company — their financial incentive is to minimize your injury rating. Courts and magistrates at the Michigan WCA are fully aware of this dynamic. Always get your own treating physician’s opinion documented thoroughly before the IME. Never go to an IME without reviewing your medical records first and, ideally, without first consulting an attorney.

Q: I worked for two different roofing companies in the past year. Which one is responsible for my injury?

Michigan uses an “occupational disease” framework for injuries that develop over time — like repetitive shoulder tears or hearing loss. Under MCL 418.435, liability is assigned to the employer for whom you were working at the time the disability manifested, regardless of where the exposure actually occurred. For acute traumatic injuries like a fall, liability is straightforward: it falls on the employer whose site you were on at the moment of injury. If you split time between employers in the same week using a union hall dispatch, document your payroll records carefully. Multiple-employer situations require an experienced workers’ comp attorney to navigate correctly.

Q: Can my employer fire me for filing a workers’ comp claim in Michigan?

Retaliation for filing a workers’ comp claim is explicitly prohibited under MCL 418.301(11). If your employer terminates you, reduces your hours, demotes you, or otherwise penalizes you within a timeframe that suggests retaliation, you may have both a workers’ comp retaliation claim and a separate civil cause of action. Michigan courts have awarded significant damages in retaliation cases. Document everything: save all texts, emails, and voicemails from your employer and supervisor. Note the exact date and time you reported your injury and to whom. If you are terminated within weeks of filing, that timeline alone can be compelling evidence of retaliation. Report it to the Michigan WCA and consult an attorney immediately.

Q: How long do I have to report my injury to my employer?

Under Michigan law, you should report your injury as soon as possible and in writing whenever you can. While there is no rigid statutory deadline for notifying your employer (separate from the 2-year filing deadline), courts have dismissed claims where workers waited unreasonably long without a valid excuse. More importantly: the longer you wait, the easier it is for your employer and their insurer to argue the injury did not happen at work, or that it is not as serious as claimed. Report your injury the same day it happens. If you cannot speak, have a coworker or family member report it on your behalf. Get the name of the person you reported to and note the time. This single step protects more claims than almost anything else you can do.

Q: My injury happened on a job site owned by a third party, not my employer. Can I sue them?

Yes. Michigan law does not prevent you from pursuing a third-party liability claim against a property owner, general contractor, equipment manufacturer, or another subcontractor whose negligence contributed to your injury — in addition to your workers’ comp claim. These are separate legal actions. Workers’ comp covers you regardless of fault; a third-party lawsuit requires proving negligence, but can recover damages that workers’ comp does not cover, including pain and suffering and full lost wages. Michigan roofing accidents frequently involve defective ladders, scaffolding failures, or unsafe job sites controlled by a GC who is not your direct employer. If a third party’s negligence contributed to your injury, the potential recovery can be substantially larger than workers’ comp alone.

Q: What is a “closed period” settlement and should I take one?

A closed period of disability settlement pays you a lump sum for a defined period of past wage loss, typically when the insurer disputes ongoing disability. These settlements are sometimes appropriate, but roofers with serious injuries should be very cautious. Once you settle, you typically cannot reopen wage loss claims for that period. If your injury is permanent and limits your ability to return to roofing — a high-roof, high-physical-demand trade — you may be entitled to significantly more through an open-ended settlement that accounts for future wage loss, retraining costs, and permanent partial disability. Never accept any settlement offer from a workers’ comp insurer without first having an experienced Michigan workers’ comp attorney review it. Most take cases on contingency, meaning you pay nothing upfront.

Last updated: January 2026. Michigan maximum weekly workers’ comp benefit is adjusted annually by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. Verify the current maximum at michigan.gov/leo before calculating your specific benefit amount.