Since 1885, workers have been protected by a New York state law concerning injuries and scaffolding. According to the law, the premises owner or a contractor or supervisor of construction workers can be held responsible if one of the workers is injured while working on scaffolding during a construction project. For example, if a worker trips and falls off the scaffolding to the ground below, one of the listed parties may be responsible to cover all medical costs and give the worker workers’ compensation benefits to aid in his or her recovery.
Critics are asking the New York government to strike down the law, claiming that this law adds taxes and expenses that restrict the ability to hire new workers. The law is currently protected by a host of labor unions. Personal injury attorneys in New York cite the law often as a means to gain compensation for their clients when they are injured at a construction site.
At present, the law is still in action, which means that if you are injured in scaffolding you can use this longstanding regulation to get the financial damages that you need. With the right New York workers’ compensation lawyer on your side, you may be able to secure payments that will help you as you recover and cover your wages while you are unable to get to work.
The scaffolding law regards all construction workers who were harmed because of negligence or recklessness while working on scaffolding. For example, if a contractor fails to provide necessary safety equipment, or demands that workers do their job on scaffolding that is not secure, then these may be reasons that they would be held liable in the event of an injury. Contact Katz, Leidman, Freund & Herman today for more information about this debate concerning a very important law!
