New York Construction Lawyers at Gersowitz, Libo & Korek, P.C. Commend the State Assembly For Refusing to Reform New York’s Scaffold Law
New York, NY (PRWEB) July 03, 2013 -- A furious battle by powerful business interests to make construction workers more responsible for their own safety ended on Tuesday, June 18th when the State Assembly refused to change New York’s 128-year-old Scaffold Law. The New York Daily News reported on June 19th that a State Assembly spokesperson said the proposed reforms would die in the legislative session ending on Friday, June 21st.
Many of those who wanted to see the law changed are representatives from the construction and insurance industries, reported the New York Daily News in a June 15th article.
“This law allows injured construction workers to bring lawsuits against their employers who are responsible for their injuries, so it should be no surprise that these particular groups want to see the law abolished,” said Jeff Korek, a partner at Gersowitz, Libo & Korek, P.C., one of New York’s leading construction and personal injury law firms.
The Scaffold Law, which is the last one of its kind in the nation, is specifically designed to give some justice and relief to injured construction workers whose injuries could have been prevented had the contractor or property owner taken simple safety precautions, the article further noted.
Despite these basic requirements, contractors and insurance companies are pouring resources into lobbying to avoid responsibility and jeopardizing the safety of workers, noted a June 14 Stargazette.com article.
“Essentially, the Scaffold Law was created to keep workers safe,” said Korek. “We shouldn’t be talking about weakening a law that is designed to make construction sites safe. We should be talking about making the workplace for construction workers even safer to prevent life altering accidents and deaths.”
This line of thinking was echoed by advocates of the law, as well as State Assembly members, who believe that a weakened Scaffold Law would hurt all construction workers, especially minority and immigrant workers, who are more likely to work for low wages and under unsafe conditions, the June 19th New York Daily News article noted.
“Construction workers do not control the manner in which the work is performed, nor do they supply the material or safety devices used on the project,” said Korek. “Since workers don’t have control over safety issues on the construction site, the responsibility for safety should fall on those who own or control the site.”
We Are Here For You
The personal injury lawyers at Gersowitz, Libo & Korek, P.C. have represented construction injury victims and the family members of those who are wrongfully killed at construction sites.
Serving residents of New York and New Jersey for over 25 years, the lawyers at Gersowitz, Libo & Korek, P.C. are committed to the relentless pursuit of victims and their loved ones’ rights. They urge anyone in need of assistance to contact them immediately.
Contact:
Jeff S. Korek
Gersowitz Libo & Korek, P.C.
111 Broadway, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10006
[email protected]
(212) 385-4410
Jeff Korek, Gersowitz Libo & Korek LLC, http://www.lawyertime.com, 2123854410, [email protected]
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