A New York City Council proposal that would mandate a sliding-scale system be used when awarding civil damages for construction-related injuries or fatalities has drawn fire from two prominent unions.
The measure would limit city penalties to $500,000 for companies and $150,000 for individuals when safety violations result in serious injury or death. The Building Trades Employers' Association and the General Contractors Association slammed the proposal, saying that ability to pay should not be a consideration when upholding safety regulations and determining damages.
In civil cases related to construction injuries and deaths, judges would have to consider the degree of injury, the defendant's violation history, the extent of willfulness or negligence, and the defendant's ability to pay before making a monetary award. The bill seems designed to prevent companies from being penalized so heavily that they have to go out of business.
One union representative said that the bill sends a message that workers’ lives at larger, more established companies are more valuable than workers’ lives at smaller, less established firms.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Feb 26, 2019
AAMA updates two specifications for test methods related to seismic drift
For evaluating window wall, curtain wall and storefront systems.
Codes and Standards | Feb 22, 2019
California’s carbon reduction goals to be aided by programs to convert heating, hot water systems
Switch from propane to electricity is critical to plan.
Codes and Standards | Feb 21, 2019
Researchers develop software that can calculate potential solar energy yield at any location
Accounts for dynamic shading from trees, buildings and other structures.
Codes and Standards | Feb 20, 2019
Hospitals not making much progress in reducing their carbon footprint
Energy benchmarking survey shows flat emissions pattern over past 20 years.
Codes and Standards | Feb 15, 2019
Super Bowl stadium helps alleviate Atlanta’s flood problems
Capacity to store more than 2 million gallons of storm water on site.
Codes and Standards | Feb 14, 2019
ISO publishes first global BIM standards
Based on British standard and a publicly available standard.
Codes and Standards | Feb 12, 2019
Property technology adoption accelerates in commercial real estate industry
New business models create disintermediation.
Codes and Standards | Feb 11, 2019
Investing in downtowns pays off for cities, regions
Benefits include driving tax revenue, business activity, and smart development.
Codes and Standards | Feb 8, 2019
Oslo, Norway’s downtown goes virtually car-free
Parking spots converted to bike lanes, transit is fast and easy.
Codes and Standards | Feb 7, 2019
New North Carolina energy code has extensive lighting control requirements
Includes automatic shut offs for buildings of all sizes.