THE INSTALLATION OF LARGE INDVIDUAL LETTERS FOR A SIGN ON THE FRONT SOFFIT OF A BUILDING CONSTITUTED “ALTERING” THE BUILDING TO WHICH LABOR LAW 240(1) AND 241(6) APPLY; BECAUSE THE DEFENDANT DID NOT DEMONSTRATE IT DID NOT HAVE ACTUAL NOTICE OF THE DANGEROUS CONDITION OF THE SOFFIT (WHICH COLLAPSED), THE LABOR LAW 200 CAUSE OF ACTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined Labor Law 240 (1), 241 (6) and 200 causes of action should not have been dismissed. Plaintiff was hired to install a sign made up of large individual letters on the front soffit of a business. Plaintiff used a ladder to climb inside the soffit through an access door to attach washers and nuts to bolts holding the letter which were passed through drilled holes by a co-worker. The floor of the soffit gave way and plaintiff fell 15 feet to the concrete below. Installing the sign constituted “altering” the building such that Labor Law 240 (1) and 241(6) applied. Also the Labor Law 200 cause of action should have survived because defendant did not demonstrate it lacked actual notice of the condition of the soffit:
… “[A]ltering,” within the meaning of Labor Law § 240(1) [and 241 (6)] , involves “making a significant physical change to the configuration or composition of the building or structure” … . Here, the evidence … failed to establish … that the injured plaintiff was not engaged in “altering” the building at the time of the accident … . …
… “[W]here a plaintiff’s injuries stem … from a dangerous condition on the premises, a landowner may be liable under Labor Law § 200 if it ‘either created the dangerous condition that caused the accident or had actual or constructive notice of the dangerous condition'” … . …
… [Defendant] failed to establish … that it lacked actual notice of the allegedly defective condition in the soffit … . Alberici v Gold Medal Gymnastics, 2021 NY Slip Op 04651, Second Dept 8-11-21