Ladders are often the simplest way for construction professionals to reach elevated locations. The right ladders can help professionals replace windows, access roofs or install lighting fixtures. They are movable, making them easier to use than scaffolding. They are a cost-effective solution for helping professionals access the spaces where they must perform work.
Unfortunately, ladders are one of the riskiest devices regularly used at construction sites. Workers can lose their balance and fall from a ladder. The ladder might slide or collapse. Items placed on a ladder could fall
A worker on a ladder is constantly at risk of falling. Workers nearby are at risk of getting struck by the ladder or any items dropped by the worker using the ladder. State law extends unique protections to those involved in ladder-related workplace incidents in the construction sector. How does the state address ladder-related construction risks?
Workers are protected in gravity-related incidents
New York has one of the most thorough rules protecting construction workers from falls and other gravity-related incidents. Under Labor Law 240, building owners and the agents that they hire have direct liability if construction workers end up hurt in a gravity-related incident. Construction firms and contractors hired to erect, repair or improve buildings may have liability if workers get hurt in a gravity-related incident.
Also known as the scaffolding law, Labor Law 240 allows those injured due to an incident involving a ladder to seek compensation for job-related injuries. Injured construction professionals may be able to recover their lost wages and their medical expenses.
They do not need to worry about the state’s comparative negligence law if they may have made a mistake that contributed to the incident. Even if a worker overlooked safety issues or otherwise contributed to the incident, they typically aren’t at risk of losing the right to take action or the right to receive compensation, as can occur in other personal injury scenarios.
In scenarios where ladder-related incidents result in serious injuries that end or alter a professional’s career, the injured professional can sometimes seek compensation for their lost earning potential as well as their lost wages during their recovery.
Those who sustain injuries that affect their earning potential as construction professionals may need help reviewing the law and determining the best way to cover the expenses related to their injuries.