If an electrical contractor's employees use unsafe scaffolding set up by the general contractor, who would be cited for a violation?

When it comes to workplace safety, the responsibility for ensuring a safe working environment often falls on the employer of the workers at that site. In this scenario, although the general contractor set up the scaffolding, the electrical contractor is responsible for the safety of their employees. If the scaffolding is found to be unsafe and leads to a violation of OSHA standards, the electrical contractor can be cited because they have a duty to ensure that their employees are working in a safe environment.

OSHA regulations create an obligation for employers to provide a safe workplace, and that includes ensuring that any equipment or structures used by their employees, such as scaffolding, meet safety standards. Therefore, in situations like this, the electrical contractor would hold ultimate responsibility for the safety of their workers, regardless of who set up the scaffolding. This concept emphasizes the importance of vigilance and accountability within the hierarchy of contractors present at a job site.