Do 1099 climbers need their own insurance coverage?

Yes. Independent contractor climbers (1099) are not covered under the hiring company's workers compensation policy. They need their own coverage, either workers compensation (if available to sole proprietors in their state) or occupational accident insurance. From the hiring company's perspective, uninsured 1099 climbers create two problems: (1) many states will treat them as de facto employees for WC purposes at audit, resulting in premium charges on all payments made to them, and (2) turf vendor MSAs typically require that all subcontractors carry matching coverage or be included under the prime's policy. Occupational accident policies are commonly used for 1099 tower climbers but do not provide the same statutory protections as true workers compensation. They are accident and health products, not WC, and do not satisfy state WC requirements if the worker is later reclassified as an employee. The safest approach is to require all 1099 climbers to carry their own WC policy and provide a certificate before starting work. If they cannot obtain WC as a sole proprietor in their state, occupational accident with minimum $1M coverage is the fallback. Document the independent contractor relationship carefully using IRS guidelines to support the classification if challenged.