Scaffold Safety Law

“I was never given a safety harness and I was not given a secured line to attach a safety harness. My boss was more concerned with production than safety… It’s painful to explain to my young children why I cannot play with them. That accident forever changed my life — I have not and will never been the same.”
–Cresencio Pantoja, injured on a Bronx construction site

“The Scaffold Safety Law is fair: If your construction site is unsafe, you are responsible for workers who suffer devastating injuries or even lose their lives because you did not follow the rules. Minority- and women-owned businesses are a very important part of New York’s construction industry, and they need and deserve support from our leaders in Albany. But sacrificing the safety of workers, especially minority workers, by gutting the Scaffold Safety Law should not be on the agenda.”
–Barrie Smith, President of 100 Black Construction Workers

“I worked in that job for five years before the accident and took great pride in my work. Sadly, I won’t be able to work again in construction…the contractor and owner controlled the safety of that job site and never provided me with the right equipment.”
–Pedro Corchado, injured on a Manhattan construction site

“The Scaffold Safety Law creates a strong incentive for contractors and owners to do the right thing…Property owners and general contractors control the worksite and are in the best position to oversee safety. As a result, they are justifiably held responsible for providing all necessary equipment to workers on site.”
–Bertha Lewis, President of The Black Institute

“The bottom line is that if projects don’t have safety deficiencies on work at heights, those responsible for projects won’t have cases brought against them. The obvious answer is to improve safety and prevent accidents, but the campaign against the Scaffold Safety Law isn’t saying anything about this, which speaks volumes about what’s really going on.”
–Gary La Barbera, President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York

“This is an issue that is affecting construction workers of color—that is a fact. When you read about the accidents that happen, most of them are fatalities. A lot of them are immigrants. These workers come in here, they get hired, contractors don’t provide them with any safety training or the appropriate safety equipment, and we’ve seen it time and time again.”
–Assemblyman Francisco Moya (39th District-Queens)