What is the Scaffold Law and how does it affect safety at construction sites in New York?
Labor Law Section 240, the Scaffold Law, requires building owners and general contractors to provide workers proper scaffolds, hoists, harnesses and other appropriate work site safety and equipment. If a construction worker is injured because the owner or general contractor failed to provide safety equipment, then the owner or contractor can be held fully liable. New York State’s Scaffold Law applies only to work at elevated heights and does not apply to the owners of one or two family dwellings. 2. Question: How does the Scaffold Law make New York different from other states? Answer: New York State’s legitimate construction industry is virtually the safest in the nation, thanks in large part to the Scaffold Law and other safe construction work site state laws: Labor Law sections 200 and 241. According to statistics compiled by the United States Department of Labor, New York State consistently ranks as the second lowest rate of construction injury among the fifty states. Many states ha
