PILOTS AND SKYDIVING INSTRUCTORS WERE EMPLOYEES ENTITLED TO WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE.

The Third Department determined a stop-work order was properly issued against a skydiving company for failure to provide workers’ compensation insurance to its pilots and skydiving instructors. The owner of Saratoga Skydiving, Rawlins, argued that the pilots and jump instructors were independent contractors, not employees:

… [W]e find that substantial evidence supports the decision that Saratoga Skydiving, which is controlled, owned and operated by Rawlins, is required to maintain workers’ compensation coverage for its pilots and jump instructors because they are employees. Foremost, considering the relative nature of their work, the pilots and jump instructors are indispensable and integral to Saratoga Skydiving’s business of offering skydiving experiences to clients … . Further, Rawlins supplied all of the equipment, including the planes and parachutes through companies solely owned and controlled by him … . He also exercised sufficient control over the work, scheduling and services provided on behalf of Saratoga Skydiving, selected who to hire for each jump and determined whether they were sufficiently efficient to be paid or should be discharged. Matter of Saratoga Skydiving Adventures v Workers’ Compensation Bd., 2016 NY Slip Op 08575, 3rd Dept 12-22-16

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION LAW (PILOTS AND SKYDIVING INSTRUCTORS WERE EMPLOYEES ENTITLED TO WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE)/SKYDIVING (WORKERS’ COMPENSATION LAW, PILOTS AND SKYDIVING INSTRUCTORS WERE EMPLOYEES ENTITLED TO WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE)