The construction industry is an undeniably dangerous one, and if you make your living as a general contractor, you may have more work-related hazards to worry about than the average American. In some cases, things may go wrong during the construction process, which has the capacity to lead to potential lawsuits and litigation. Your employees also face higher injury and fatality risks than those in most other injuries, further compounding the dangers.
Recognizing the ways in which others could potentially attempt to hold you liable is important, because doing so may help you work to eliminate or minimize these risks to the fullest extent possible. Often, today’s general contractors find themselves embroiled in costly, time-consuming litigation because of:
Internal conflicts
Employee-employer conflicts are not uncommon in construction. The good news is, you should be able to avoid many of them by being abundantly clear about a job and the expectations you have for the person who holds it. Common reasons general contractors find themselves involved in conflicts with employees include terminating a worker who takes a leave of absence or forcing your workers to perform particularly dangerous tasks.
Contract disputes
As a general contractor, you may also find yourself the subject of a breach of contract lawsuit if a client believes that your work was insufficient. Similarly, you may wind up in litigation if someone alleges that a breach of implied and express guarantees of fitness occurred.
When it comes to defending yourself against lawsuits as a general contractor, prevention goes a long way. By carefully drafting and reviewing all business contracts and exercising extreme care when it comes to your workers’ health and safety, you should be able to significantly reduce your risk of litigation.
