New York Scaffolding Law - Labor Law 200, 240, 241

NYC Labor Law 200

This law requires building owners and general contractors to implement reasonable safety precautions to protect workers and create a safe job site. Labor Law 200 also offers protection for visitors to a construction site. What this means in practice is that building owners and general contractors must ensure the safeguarding of all equipment and machinery by positioning and securing them according to standard construction industry guidelines.

Building owners and general contractors must also provide safety training or ensure construction workers understand safety protocols before using machines or equipment. To protect visitors’ safety to the construction site, building owners and general contractors must arrange for proper lighting and guardrails at every new job site.

New York Labor Law 240

Labor Law 240, also referred to as the Scaffold Law, applies specifically to construction workers injured by falling objects or who fall from a high surface such as a piece of scaffolding. The building owner or general contractor are responsible for preventing construction accidents. This law applies to all building owners and general contractors except for one-family or two-family dwelling owners.

Laws in New York State require building owners and general contractors who contract for another party but do not control a construction site directly to provide or request the following safety items for construction workers:

• Braces
• Hoists
• Irons
• Ladders
• Pulleys
• Ropes
• Scaffolding
• Slings
• Any other safety equipment reasonably required to complete the job

You are eligible to seek financial compensation from the building owner, general contractor, or both if you did not have access to adequate safety equipment on a job site and suffered a serious personal injury as a result. Personal injury claims caused by construction accidents defined under Labor Law 240 can be some of the more challenging cases to pursue due to strict eligibility criteria and timelines. The good news is that our caring and experienced construction accident lawyers are here to help. Please call our law firm today at 212-869-3500 to request your free consultation.

NY Labor Law 241

The purpose of this section of New York Labor Law is specific to construction job sites where excavation or demolition of buildings and other physical structures take place. Labor Law 241 also describes the types of safety equipment building owners, and general contractors must provide.

Specifically, Section 241 of New York’s labor law addresses how to construct flooring, the types of materials to use, elevators’ operation, and safety hoists’ implementation at the construction site. Building owners and general contractors must arrange machinery and equipment to maximize safety for construction workers.

What Do I Do After a Scaffolding Construction Accident?

While New York Labor Law 200 and 241 allow for a broader legal interpretation when filing a personal injury claim, courts require a stricter interpretation of Labor Law 240. The requirements you must meet to file a claim under the Scaffolding Law are stricter because they allow injured construction workers in New York to argue for a higher settlement amount than they would receive under the state workers’ compensation or common law system.

Construction workers must have fulfilled one of these roles to file a personal injury claim under Labor Law 240:

• Building alterations
• Building erection
• Building repairs
• Cleaning
• Demolition
• Erecting safety measures such as pulleys, ladders, braces, hoists, or blocks
• Painting
• Pointing a building

New York Labor Law Section 240 applies only to duties performed at a worksite directly related to construction. That means people completing decorative, maintenance, or manufacturing do not qualify to seek financial compensation under Labor Law 240. The law also excludes motorists, pedestrians, and others passing by the construction site who may have sustained a significant personal injury as a result. If you qualify to file a personal injury claim under Labor Law 240, the statute of limitations in New York gives you three years from the date of your construction accident.

New York Labor Laws And Workers’ Compensation

Sometimes injured construction workers avoid filing a personal injury claim under Labor Law 240 because they assume it will impact their eligibility for workers’ compensation. Fortunately, this is not true since New York’s labor laws operate separately from the state’s workers’ compensation system. Our construction accident lawyers recommend that injured construction workers file for workers’ compensation first and then contact our law firm to arrange a free consultation and legal representation.

Contact New York’s Premier Labor Law 240 Attorneys

Even though you have a legal right to file a construction accident claim in the state of New York, we know from our 40 years of experience fighting for the rights of injured New Yorkers that the other party will attempt to evade responsibility. We also understand that it can feel intimidating to pursue what New York law rightfully grants to you as a construction accident victim.

The best thing you can do to improve the chances of a successful settlement is to work with a construction accident lawyer at Jacob Fuchsberg Law Firm. Our entire team of construction accident attorneys take pride in the strong attorney-client relationships they have built over the years.  A construction accident lawyer will meet with you to answer questions, provide more information about our law firm, and let you know what to expect with your personal injury case moving forward.