Construction Site Accidents in NY: Why Contractors Should Be Held Strictly, Or Even Absolutely, Liable

At first glance, it seems unfair that contractors and building owners can be held liable - almost automatically - if a worker is injured in an elevation-related fall (and in fact, I believe that is why the number of successful construction accident cases is dwindling). But this past Friday, a construction site accident occurred in the Park Slope area of Brooklyn where the scaffolding upon which a job supervisor was standing in suddenly gave way, as a result of which he fell to his wrongful death, and that, unfortunately, issues a stark reminder why New York's Labor Laws governing construction site safety are written the way they are: by holding accountable these parties, who have far greater financial ability to assure job site safety than many of these workers (many of whom are economically disadvantaged, and may be unable to afford the necessary safety equipment), it is hoped that far fewer of these incidents will occur.