Labor Unions Lend Support to New York Scaffold Injury Law

Labor unions throughout the state of New York have expressed their support for a new piece of legislation that would force insurance companies to disclose all of the costs related to the state’s scaffold laws. 

There have been many vocal opponents to the scaffold laws in New York over the years.  Most opposition comes from insurance companies and property owners. Scaffold laws were enacted in order to force construction companies and building owners to comply with safety laws in order to protect construction workers.  However, Assemblyman Francisco Moya (D-Queens) says that insurance companies that oppose the laws never have actually supplied any hard factual evidence to back up their claims that they increase costs. The law as it currently exists puts all scaffold-related accident liability on building owners and general contractors.

New York construction workers need all the protections they can get through the law, given the inherent dangers of their profession. From 2009 to 2011, there were 101 construction accident fatalities in the city alone.

As insurance companies, construction companies, building owners and landlords continue to battle against scaffold laws in the state, labor unions and their allies have decided to fight back with the new proposed bill. By forcing insurance companies to disclose costs associated with current scaffold law, they would essentially be forcing those companies to prove that they have actually seen significantly higher costs as a result of the laws.

There will likely be some political battles over this issue, particularly between the unions and the Lawsuit Reform Alliance, which has been the leading force in the fight to repeal the current scaffold laws in the state. We will continue to monitor and fight against any weakening of laws that promote safety for construction workers.

A scaffolding accident is just one of the hazards present on construction sites. If you’ve been injured in a workplace accident, speak with a knowledgeable New York construction accident attorneys at [ln::firm_name] today.