PLAINTIFF’S WORK, DELIVERING TILES TO THE WORK SITE, WAS COVERED BY LABOR LAW 240(1) AS “NECESSARY AND INCIDENTAL” TO THE PROTECTED CONSTRUCTION-ACTIVITY (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff’s work, delivering tiles to the construction site, was covered by Labor Law 240(1). Therefore plaintiff was entitled to summary judgment for injury suffered after stepping in the two-foot-deep hole near the loading ramp:

Labor Law § 240(1) protects persons engaged “in the erection, demolition, repairing, altering, painting, cleaning or pointing of a building or structure.” The task that a plaintiff is performing at the exact moment of their accident is not dispositive of whether they were engaged in a protected activity for purposes of liability under this statute … . Rather, the inquiry includes whether the plaintiff’s employer was contracted to perform the kind of work enumerated in the statutes … and whether the plaintiff was performing work “necessary and incidental to” a protected activity … . Because plaintiff’s work in delivering and unloading tiles to be used in the activity covered by Labor Law § 240(1) was “necessary and incidental” to the protected activity, he was within the class of workers protected by those statues, notwithstanding that he was not assigned to participate in the installation of the tiles … . Rodriguez v Riverside Ctr. Site 5 Owner LLC, 2025 NY Slip Op 00411, First Dept 1-28-25

Practice Point: Although plaintiff was not involved in installation of the tiles, delivery of the tiles to the work site was a protected activity pursuant to Labor Law 240(1) as “necessary and incidental” to the installation.