Class code 5606: Contractor executive supervisors and project managers

Class code 5606 is the workers' compensation classification for construction executives, project managers, and superintendents who oversee projects through job-site foremen rather than directing workers or doing construction work themselves.

What 5606 covers

  • Project managers, construction executives, construction managers, and superintendents with administrative or managerial responsibility for projects.
  • People who split time between the office and job sites, checking progress with the site superintendents or foremen.
  • Supervision exercised through the contractor's own foremen, or through subcontractors that have their own supervisor on each job.

What doesn't belong in 5606

  • Anyone directly in charge of the crew at a job site — site superintendents and foremen take the construction classification of the work.
  • Anyone who performs any actual construction work, even occasionally.
  • Sole proprietors or owner-operators with no employees working as a subcontractor.

Official titles by state

Each rating bureau publishes its own definition. Titles below are quoted exactly as the bureau publishes them; follow the link for the full official description.

StateOfficial title for 5606Source
North CarolinaCONTRACTOR - PROJECT MANAGER, CONSTRUCTION EXECUTIVE, MANAGER OR SUPERINTENDENT.North Carolina bureau lookup
MassachusettsCONTRACTOR - PROJECT MANAGER, CONSTRUCTION EXECUTIVE, CONSTRUCTION MANAGER OR CONSTRUCTION SUPERINTENDENTMassachusetts bureau: 5606
New YorkContractor – Executive Supervisor, Construction Executive, Construction Manager, Construction Superintendent or Project ManagerNew York bureau: 5606
How states differ

New York separately rates corporate executive officers who perform these duties under its executive officer classification, provided they don't regularly work as foremen, workers, or outside salespeople.

Codes 5606 is often confused with

What a premium audit looks at

  • Organizational charts showing who reports to whom on each project.
  • Whether each person in 5606 has foremen or subcontractor supervisors between them and the crew.
  • Any evidence of hands-on construction work, which disqualifies the classification.

Frequently asked questions

Can a superintendent be classified as 5606?

Only if they supervise through job-site foremen. A superintendent who is directly in charge of workers at a site is assigned the construction classification for that job.

Does occasional hands-on work disqualify someone from 5606?

Yes. The bureau descriptions exclude anyone performing any degree of actual construction work, so even occasional hands-on work typically moves the payroll to the construction classification.

Check the official manuals

Related terms

General information, not a classification ruling. Summaries on this page are written in plain English from the bureaus' published descriptions; the classification manual for the state where the work was performed governs, and the carrier and rating bureau determine the classification for any policy.

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