Another cautionary tale for contractors

We’ve seen all sorts of news stories lately in which contractors can be held liable for accidents suffered by their workers when negligence is at play.

Here’s a case currently being argued in the Washington state Supreme Court in which the court upheld that a contractor could in fact be liable for a severe brain injury suffered by a worker in 2013.

In reversing a lower court decision, the Washington Supreme Court ruled that general contractors “have expansive statutory and common law duties to provide a safe workplace.”

You’ve probably heard a version of this story a 100 times, but it bears repeating: If you are the GC, the legal boobytraps you face if someone is hurt on your watch are… extensive (in Canada no less than in the U.S.).