As our housing industry emerges from the worst downturn in our lifetimes, now is a prime time to look at ways to lower costs for businesses and, consequently, the home-buying public by reforming New York's 19th-century Scaffold Law.
A more upbeat attitude exists this year that reform is at hand as the true cost of this law is no longer confined to just the homebuilding industry. The high cost of liability insurance — perhaps the highest in the nation — is passed on by builders and remodelers to their customers and by commercial contractors as they build our schools and public buildings. Even a pragmatic Gov. Andrew Cuomo now sees where reform could save hundreds of millions on the cost of his marquee highway project: the new Tappan Zee Bridge.
Contractors are routinely held 100 percent liable for accidents when it is clear the injured worker is partially or even substantially at fault. And in the case of public projects, local and state taxpayers can ultimately be left to foot the bill. When the state of Illinois reformed its version of their Scaffold Law in 1995, worker injuries dropped 25 percent in short order. There is no reason to believe New York would not enjoy the same safety improvement once the injury lottery is ended. Workers compensation will not be affected.
Bipartisan support has existed in the Senate for a decade and is growing toward critical mass in the Assembly. Passage will send a positive message to the state's business community, the home-buying public and taxpayers.
Michael P. Roarke
2010 president, Capital Region Builders and Remodelers Association, Castleton