FALL FROM A SCAFFOLD WHICH DID NOT HAVE GUARD RAILS ENTITLED PLAINTIFF TO SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON HIS LABOR LAW 240 (1) CAUSE OF ACTION (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department determined a fall from a scaffold which did not have guard rails entitled plaintiff to summary judgment on his Labor Law 240 (1) cause of action, noting that comparative negligence is not a defense:

Plaintiff was injured in a fall from a scaffold. It is undisputed that the scaffold he was supplied with and directed to use lacked guard rails and that he fell off when the scaffold tipped. Plaintiff was not provided with any other safety devices. This evidence establishes prima facie a violation of Labor Law § 240(1) … .

In opposition, defendants failed to raise an issue of fact. Contrary to defendants’ claim, the alleged failure to unlock the wheels does not raise an issue of fact … . Plaintiff’s fall from the scaffold, without guard rails or other protective devices, was a proximate cause of the accident … . Camacho v Ironclad Artists Inc., 2019 NY Slip Op 05475, First Dept 7-9-19