The Duties and Responsibilities of General Contractors
By Travis Clark | Associate Attorney | Seattle Office
Most construction projects in Washington have what is called a “general contractor”. A general contractor is a contractor that oversees the construction project. The general contractor hires and supervises specialty subcontractors, who perform discrete tasks on the jobsite. Under Washington law, the general contractor is responsible for keeping the jobsite safe for all workers that are working on it. In fact, our State Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasized that general contractors owe a duty to all workers, including employees of subcontractors, to provide a safe place to work and to comply with our state’s comprehensive construction site regulations. These duties are nondelegable, meaning that the general contractor cannot transfer or assign them to another contractor.
The reason general contractors owe these non-delegable duties makes sense. Our courts have recognized that general contractors are in the best position to control the jobsite and ensure that it is safe for everyone working on it. So, general contractors can be held liable for injuries on their jobsite if subcontractors (or their employees) are working without proper safety equipment, working in a dangerous or unsafe manner, or working in way that violates one of Washington’s many regulations that regulate construction jobsite safety. A general contractor who lacks knowledge of our great state’s safety regulations, fails to provide proper safety equipment, and/or neglects to enforce jobsite safety regulations can face a civil lawsuit if a worker of another contractor is injured or dies on the jobsite.
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If you or someone you know is injured or has died because of a construction injury, you should immediately seek medical help and get a qualified lawyer. Construction injury or wrongful death cases can be highly complex. The lawyers at GLP Attorneys have nearly 40 years’ experience resolving construction injury cases. Give us a call at 800-273-5005 or email our attorneys at attorneys@glpattorneys.com to schedule your free consultation with an experienced construction injury lawyer today.
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