Exempt New Home Builders

What's happening

Why it matters

1. 1

   Reduces legal liability and safety obligations. for contractors building new one-family homes by removing them from the strict requirements of New York's “Scaffold Law” (Labor Law Sections 240 and 241), which currently imposes absolute liability for worker injuries related to falls or safety equipment failures.

2. 2

   Could lead to fewer mandated safety precautions. (like scaffolding, hoists, and harnesses) on new one-family home construction sites, potentially increasing risk for construction workers and shifting responsibility for safety from contractors to individual workers or other parties.

3. 3

   May lower construction costs and insurance premiums. for contractors, possibly making it more attractive or affordable to build single-family homes, but at the potential expense of worker protections and compensation avenues in the event of injury.

4. 4

   Signals a shift in regulatory approach. , setting a precedent for carving out exceptions to long-standing labor protections, which could have broader implications for labor standards in residential construction and future legislative efforts.

Who cares

• Contractors building new one-family homes

  The bill would exempt them from the contractor requirements in Labor Law sections 240 and 241 governing protective equipment and construction, demolition and excavation safety.

• Construction workers on new one-family homes

  The bill would remove these contractors from statutory duties that include providing scaffolds, ladders and other devices designed to protect workers.

• Owners of one- and two-family dwellings

  The bill would retain their existing exemption when they contract for work but do not direct or control it, while adding a separate exemption for contractors building new one-family homes.

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