“General Contractor, Did You Know You May Have to Provide Workers’ Compensation for your Subcontractors?”

In Workers’ Compensation Fund v. Wadman Corp., a decision issued by the Utah Supreme Court yesterday, the Court decided that a general contractor was the “statutory employer” of a subcontractor’s employee for purposes of workers’ compensation coverage. Although the case presented a unique set of facts, the decision illustrates the necessity for general contractors to assure that their subcontractors have independent workers’ compensation coverage for their own employees.