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PLAINTIFF WAS STRUCK BY A BOARD FROM A DISMANTLED FENCE WHICH FELL OFF A FORKLIFT; DISMANTLING THE FENCE WAS A COVERED ACTIVITY AND THE ACCIDENT WAS THE RESULT OF A COVERED ELEVATION-RELATED HAZARD; SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE LABOR LAW 240(1) CAUSE ACTION PROPERLY GRANTED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department determined plaintiff was properly awarded summary judgment on his Labor Law 240(1) cause of action. Plaintiff was struck by a board which fell off a forklift. The boards were part of a fence which was being dismantled. Dismantling the fence constituted “demolition” and “altering” within the meaning of the statute. And the accident involved an elevation-related risk:

… [T]he disassembly and removal of the boards from the soccer field was a partial dismantling of a structure (see 12 NYCRR 23-1.4[16]), and constituted “demolition” within the meaning of Labor Law § 240(1). Contrary to the defendant’s contention, the disassembly and removal of the boards was also a significant physical change to the configuration of the structure … , and constituted “altering” within the meaning of Labor Law § 240(1). The plaintiff’s role in hauling away the boards after they had been removed by the defendant was an act “ancillary” to the demolition and alteration of the field structure, and protected under Labor Law § 240(1) … . * * *

… [T]he plaintiff established that the forklift was being used to lift heavy soccer boards. The boards were stacked on top of the forks of the forklift, and lifted into the air so they could be transferred and stacked in the back of the box truck. The plaintiff testified at his deposition that a portion of the forklift had been removed so that it could fit through a certain doorway on the premises. At the time of the accident, the plaintiff and his coworkers were attempting to slide one of the boards from a stack on the raised forklift into the back of the truck. The stack was raised to a height of approximately 8 or 9 feet at the time of the accident. The plaintiff was struck in the head by a board, weighing approximately 200 pounds, when it slid sideways off the stack and over the cab of the forklift while the plaintiff stood at ground level. The plaintiff’s submissions … demonstrated that the forklift had been modified and lacked certain safety devices, including “load guides and/or guide rails,” which could have been used to “constrain the boards as they were moved from the elevated forks into the truck.” Hensel v Aviator FSC, Inc., 2021 NY Slip Op 05697, Second Dept 10-20-21

 

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