When it comes to safety, the law in most states holds the general contractor responsible for everything that goes wrong on a project, because the general contractor is assumed to have the most control over the work. But control can be illusory. Even though the general contractor has the power to hire and fire, does he or she really have the knowledge and expertise to know what safety measures are most appropriate? If not, does it make sense for the general contractor to accept all of the risk? While it may not be possible to shift the overall responsibility for providing a safe workplace, in many cases the risk can be shared. A builder or remodeler can often
