As insurers exit New York due to the 'Scaffold Law,' remaining carriers dictate terms. This has caused a massive spike in deductibles for contractors, from around $25,000 in the past to as high as $750,000 per occurrence today, forcing firms to self-insure a huge portion of risk.

Despite having the nation's strictest liability standard (the 'Scaffold Law'), New York's construction industry has a higher fatality rate than the national average — 12 per 100,000 workers versus under 10. This data challenges the primary argument that the law enhances worker safety.

Beyond zoning debates, the complexity and outdated requirements of building codes massively inflate construction costs. Drew Warshaw proposes a novel approach: auditing the building code itself to create a streamlined, model version that could strip 15% from project costs, making it a powerful tool for affordability.

To manage excavator blind spots, construction sites employ people to stand dangerously close and give verbal directions to the operator. This "human camera" system is a primary cause of accidents and fatalities, representing a significant, unaddressed safety and efficiency problem.

Unlike fixed industrial robots, a simple emergency power-off is unsafe for humanoids. They require constant energy to balance, so an emergency stop would cause them to fall over, creating a new and unpredictable hazard. This fundamental difference requires an entirely new set of safety protocols for the industry.

Insurers like Zurich now require AI-powered cameras on NYC job sites. The AI analyzes daily footage to identify dangerous movements and near-misses, not for live surveillance, but to provide data for correcting worker behavior, improving safety protocols, and reducing future incidents.

New York's absolute liability standard holds contractors 100% at fault for height-related injuries, regardless of worker negligence. This drives insurance to 10% of project costs, compared to just 2% elsewhere, as insurers flee the state or charge exorbitant premiums.

Project delays aren't just about lost time; they generate tangible costs. Contractors must continue paying salaries for project managers, supervisors, and safety personnel who are assigned to the stalled project and cannot be reassigned, leading to significant 'indirect overhead' claims.

Without clear government standards for AI safety, there is no "safe harbor" from lawsuits. This makes it likely courts will apply strict liability, where a company is at fault even if not negligent. This legal uncertainty makes risk unquantifiable for insurers, forcing them to exit the market.