flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

U.S. Appeals Court says general contractors can be cited for subcontractor violations

Codes and Standards

U.S. Appeals Court says general contractors can be cited for subcontractor violations

Ruling will prompt review of OSH decision that said GCs cannot be held liable for subs’ violations.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | January 3, 2019
Contractor on a job site

Courtesy Pixabay

OSHA can cite general contractors who fail to control hazardous conditions at multi-employer worksites, even if those conditions do not directly affect their own employees, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit recently ruled.

The decision will prompt a review of a 2017 case in which a Denver Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Commission administrative judge ruled that GCs cannot be held liable for the safety violations of subcontractors. The Appeals Court said that the case law on which the OSH judge based the decision was obsolete.

The 5th Circuit said more recent rulings have indicated that a general contractor could be held responsible for safety on the multi-employer site as a “controlling employer.”

Related Stories

Digital Twin | Aug 9, 2021

Digital Twin Maturity white paper offers guidance on digital twin adoption

Provides lifecycle map and an approach for incorporating digital twins.

Codes and Standards | Aug 5, 2021

Contractors can be liable for building failures many years after project completion

Personal injury suits could be brought decades after substantial completion.

Codes and Standards | Aug 4, 2021

Mass timber is a natural choice for building recycling through deconstruction

Designing wood buildings to optimize recovery of materials for disassembly aids carbon sequestration.

Codes and Standards | Aug 3, 2021

Dept. of Energy releases initial version of the Spawn of EnergyPlus software

Targets new use cases in advanced controls, district systems, and grid integration.

Codes and Standards | Aug 2, 2021

Several U.S. cities among most expensive places to build in the world

San Francisco, New York, and Boston head the domestic list.

Codes and Standards | Jul 28, 2021

American Concrete Institute creates new director of innovative concrete technology post

Aim is to attract emerging technologies for development.

Codes and Standards | Jul 28, 2021

Higher ed faces infrastructure backlog of $112.3 billion

Study recommends integrated strategic planning for best results.

Codes and Standards | Jul 27, 2021

Add a wobbly moon to flooding risk factors

Earth satellite’s orbit variations will lead to sunny-day flooding in the mid-2030s.

Codes and Standards | Jul 26, 2021

Revamping of Florida building codes on the table after condo collapse

Tragedy could prompt upgrades like post-Hurricane Andrew effort.

Codes and Standards | Jul 21, 2021

Proposal to give Calif. hospitals more time for earthquake retrofits stirs controversy

State hospital association says 2030 deadline should be extended.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Reconstruction & Renovation

Movement to protect historic buildings raises sharp criticism

While the movement to preserve historic buildings has widespread support, it also has some sharp critics with well-funded opposition groups springing up in recent years. Some opponents are linked to the Stand Together Foundation, founded and bankrolled by the Koch family’s conservative philanthropic organization, according to a column in Governing magazine.



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021