# Bright Coast Insurance **Florida-Licensed Independent Insurance Agency** | Florida License #L103957 Phone: (239) 475-0361 | Email: support@brightcoastins.com Address: PO Box 417, Pineland, FL 33945 Website: https://brightcoastins.com Google Business Profile: https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Bright+Coast+Insurance&query_place_id=ChIJ2bHi4scRv4gRzuxlEjQ0a84 --- # Class 8103: clippings dealers, wiping cloths, wool and cotton merchants Class 8103 is not a general wholesale code. FWCJUA (Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association) groups five narrow fiber trades under it: dealers in textile clippings, wiping cloth dealers that launder their own stock, wool merchants and their warehouses, cotton merchants, and cotton storage. Earlier versions of this page called 8103 "Store - Wholesale NOC". That description belongs to Florida class 8018, which carries a different rate. ## Verified facts about code 8103 - The FWCJUA (FL assigned-risk) 2026 table lists 8103 as Clippings Dealer at $2.029 per $100 of payroll, effective January 1, 2026. Florida is a rate state, so carrier pricing starts from the OIR-approved approved rate, then the carrier's deviation, schedule rating, premium discount and your experience mod. ([Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (I-File 25-055760, acknowledged January 26, 2026), published by FWCJUA](https://www.fwcjua.com/Home/DisplayDocument?intDocId=16046)) - FWCJUA (Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association) divides 8103 into five suffixes: 01 Clippings Dealer, 02 Wiping Cloth Dealer & Laundry Operation, 03 Wool Merchant-Including Warehouse, 04 Cotton Merchant and 05 Cotton Storage. ([Montana State Fund](https://montanastatefund.com/web/docs/class-codes-py2026.pdf)) - OSHA's cotton dust standard, 29 CFR 1910.1043, does not apply to cotton classing or warehousing, except that those employers must give NIOSH access for a health study if NIOSH asks. ([OSHA](https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1043)) - 8103 does not appear among the construction class codes adopted in Rule 69L-6.021, so a clippings or cotton business is a non-construction employer for Florida coverage purposes. ([Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Workers' Compensation](https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleNo.asp?id=69L-6.021)) ## FWCJUA (FL assigned-risk) 2026 rates per $100 of payroll for 8103 and its neighbors | Class | Florida description | Rate | |---|---|---| | 8103 | CLIPPINGS DEALER | $2.029 per $100 of payroll | | 8018 | STORE: WHOLESALE NOC | $2.918 per $100 of payroll | | 8292 | STORAGE WAREHOUSE NOC | $2.458 per $100 of payroll | | 8264 | BOTTLE DEALER - USED | $3.822 per $100 of payroll | FWCJUA (FL assigned-risk) 2026 rate, effective January 1, 2026: [OIR-acknowledged exhibit](https://www.fwcjua.com/Home/DisplayDocument?intDocId=16046), checked 2026-10-24. Florida is a rate state, so carrier pricing starts from the OIR-approved approved rate, then the carrier's deviation, schedule rating, premium discount and your experience mod. 8103 is priced below Florida's general wholesale class 8018, below 8264 (the class for used rag and paper stock dealers) and below general merchandise storage in 8292. Because those classes sit so close together, the deciding question at audit is what fiber the business handles and whether it launders it, not whether it sells at wholesale. **Illustration (not a quote):** A cotton merchant employs a buyer who grades bales, two warehouse hands and a forklift operator. Together they earn $180,000 a year. The business is too new to have an experience mod, so the mod is 1.00. $180,000 ÷ 100 × $2.029 = $3,652; × mod 1.00 = $3,652. FWCJUA (assigned-risk) estimate: $10,335, before the $160 expense constant, $475 flat fee and minimum premium. ## The five fiber businesses that share class 8103 Clippings dealers buy the trimmings left on garment cutting-room floors, sort them by fiber and color, bale them and resell them. Wiping cloth dealers turn used textiles into shop rags, and FWCJUA (Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association) keeps their laundering inside 8103 instead of sending it to a laundry class. That is unusual, because most laundering is classified on its own. Wool merchants are covered together with their warehouse. Cotton merchants buy and sell lint cotton. Cotton storage covers warehouses that hold bales for others. The common thread is handling loose or baled fiber, not retailing finished goods. ## Fiber-adjacent work that is rated outside 8103 Used paper stock and rag dealers that do not launder rate under 8264, suffix 02. Ginning raw cotton is a separate farm-processing operation. A warehouse that stores mixed general merchandise for others is 8292, not cotton storage, even if a few bales sit in it. Office-only staff and outside salespeople are listed by FWCJUA under their own classes, 8810 and 8742. Whether a particular employee qualifies for those classes depends on duties the carrier verifies at audit. ## Who reports payroll under 8103 on a typical day The duties that put a worker in this class are physical contact with fiber stock: - A sorter grading cutting-room clippings by fiber content before baling - A laundry operator washing and drying used textiles that the dealer sells as wiping cloths - A warehouse hand stacking wool bales and pulling samples for buyers - A cotton merchant's employee checking bale tags and weights on receipt - A forklift operator moving bales in and out of a cotton storage building ## Bales, lint and wash chemicals: the 8103 injury picture Bale handling is mostly forklift work. OSHA lists the recurring forklift injuries as trucks driven off loading docks, trucks falling between a dock and an unsecured trailer, workers struck by a truck, and falls from elevated pallets and tines. Cotton and wool warehouses involve all four. Cotton dust contains plant matter, bacteria, fungi, soil and pesticide residue, according to OSHA. The full federal cotton dust standard is aimed at yarn, slashing and weaving mills, and it expressly excludes warehousing and classing. That exclusion means a cotton storage operation gets no ready-made exposure program from the standard. A wiping cloth laundry adds detergents and solvents, which fall under OSHA's hazard communication rules. ## Controls that fit a cotton, wool or rag warehouse The practices below follow from the OSHA material cited for each hazard: - Train and evaluate every forklift operator as 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1) requires, and keep anyone under 18 off the trucks - Chock or lock trailers before a forklift enters, which closes off the dock-gap hazard OSHA describes - Keep safety data sheets and labels current for every laundry chemical used on wiping cloths - Clean up lint and fiber regularly in sorting and baling areas even though the cotton dust standard does not reach warehousing ## 8103, 8018, 8264 or 8292? How the auditor sorts it out The most common error is filing a fiber business under 8018 because it "sells wholesale". FWCJUA prices 8018 higher than 8103, so that mistake costs money. The reverse error also happens: a used-rag dealer that only sorts and bales, with no laundering, has been treated as an 8103 wiping cloth dealer when its phraseology points to 8264. Cotton storage versus 8292 turns on what the building holds. A warehouse holding bales for cotton merchants fits 8103 suffix 05. One holding pallets of mixed consumer goods fits 8292. Keep receiving logs that show what came through the door. ## Florida coverage rules a fiber merchant has to meet Because 8103 work is not construction, Florida requires coverage once four or more employees work for the same employer. That threshold is in s. 440.02(17)(b)2. A sole proprietor or partner of a non-construction business is not counted as an employee unless they elect to be included. Corporate officers of a non-construction company may elect exemption by filing notice with DFS under s. 440.05. Each must own at least 10 percent of the stock and be listed as an officer with the Division of Corporations. ## Questions buyers and merchants ask about class 8103 **Is 8103 the code for a wholesale store in Florida?** No. Florida's general wholesale class is 8018, Store: Wholesale NOC. 8103 is limited to clippings dealers, wiping cloth dealers with their laundry, wool merchants, cotton merchants and cotton storage. **Does a wiping cloth dealer need a separate laundry code?** FWCJUA (Florida Workers’ Compensation Joint Underwriting Association)'s 8103 suffix 02 reads "Wiping Cloth Dealer & Laundry Operation", so the dealer's own laundering of its rag stock is part of 8103 rather than a separate laundry class. **Does OSHA's cotton dust rule apply to a cotton warehouse?** Not in full. 29 CFR 1910.1043(a)(6) excludes knitting, classing and warehousing operations, apart from a duty to give NIOSH access for a health study if requested. **What should a cotton merchant keep for the year-end audit?** Keep receiving tickets that name the commodity, the warehouse location, and the hours of anyone who also drives. An auditor reconciles those tickets to the payroll split, and the rate card on this page is not a substitute for that file. ## Sources - Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (I-File 25-055760, acknowledged January 26, 2026), published by FWCJUA: [1-1-2026 Rate Filing: OIR Acknowledgement of Filed Rates, class rates effective January 1, 2026](https://www.fwcjua.com/Home/DisplayDocument?intDocId=16046) - Florida Workers' Compensation Joint Underwriting Association (FWCJUA): [2026 rates and minimum premiums by class, effective January 1, 2026](https://www.fwcjua.com/Rates) - Montana State Fund: [Classification Codes PY2026: classification phraseologies and suffixes](https://montanastatefund.com/web/docs/class-codes-py2026.pdf) - OSHA: [29 CFR 1910.1043, Cotton dust: scope and application](https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1043) - Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Workers' Compensation: [Rule 69L-6.021, F.A.C.: Construction Industry Classification Codes, Descriptions, and Operations Scope of Exemption](https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleNo.asp?id=69L-6.021) - OSHA: [Powered Industrial Trucks (Forklifts): hazards, operator training under 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1)](https://www.osha.gov/powered-industrial-trucks) - OSHA: [Hazard Communication](https://www.osha.gov/hazcom) - Florida Senate: [Section 440.02, Florida Statutes: Definitions (employment, employee, employer, exemptions)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/440.02) - Florida Senate: [Section 440.05, Florida Statutes: Election of exemption; revocation; notice](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/440.05) --- ## About Bright Coast Insurance Bright Coast Insurance is a Florida-licensed independent insurance agency (Florida License #L103957) specializing in commercial insurance for Florida contractors, builders, property owners, and HOA/condo associations. As an independent agency, we represent multiple carriers including US Assure (builders risk), Employers Holdings, AmTrust Financial, and others — allowing us to find the best coverage at the most competitive rate for each client. **Contact:** (239) 475-0361 | support@brightcoastins.com **Address:** PO Box 417, Pineland, FL 33945 **Website:** https://brightcoastins.com **Hours:** Monday–Friday, 8 AM–5 PM ET *Bright Coast Insurance is an authorized FWCJUA placement agency and an authorized US Assure builders risk agency.*