We’ve returned from Japan and notice other differences concerning safety besides the seat belt requirement in motor buses.  For one thing, at every construction site there was one and sometimes two men in official looking outfits that somewhat resembled police uniforms, wearing helmets, standing on the street or on the sidewalk to direct vehicular and pedestrian traffic.  They were there even if nothing going on inside the work-site appeared to be effecting the street or sidewalk. (more…)

Earlier this year the New York City Department of Buildings had a No-Penalty Retaining Wall Inspection Program, in which  homeowners could call 311 to request an inspection of their retaining wall without the penalty of violations.  Retaining walls are important because they are designed to hold back soil that would move to a more natural slope or incline if the wall was not in place.  Were that to occur, damage could be sustained not only to the building’s foundation, but to the foundation of an adjacent property.  Additionally, there is a potential for injury or even death where construction work is being done below street level of the adjacent property and a retaining wall collapses.  Similarly, when major excavation causes damage to adjacent structures, Administrative Code of the City of New York § 27-1031(b)(1) (now Administrative Code § 28-3309.4) imposes liability on an owner and contractor for such damage. (more…)

Every homeowner is required by law to maintain their decks and their properties in a safe condition at all times. To prevent accidents from occurring, on June 21, 2010 the New York City Buildings Department launched the No-Penalty Deck and Porch Inspection Program, an initiative to help property owners throughout the City ensure their decks and porches are structurally sound and in compliance with City regulations. Under the program, there is no risk or violation for the initial visit by the Department. In the event that repairs are needed, or unsafe conditions that do not present an imminent danger are found, inspectors will defer issuing violations to allow property owners sufficient time to take corrective action. The program ends on August 1, 2010. (more…)

Two deadly crane collapses in 2008, ignited furious investigations into the world of construction cranes and their safety, or lack thereof. Crane rigger William Rapetti has been indicted for manslaughter. Although not involved in the crane collapses, one investigation led to the guilty plea by James Delayo, the city’s former chief crane inspector, pleaded guilty in March to approving cranes that he had not inspected, and issuing operator’s licenses to people who had not earned them.  (more…)

Retaining walls are designed to hold back soil that would move to a more natural slope or incline if the wall was not in place.  Every homeowner is required by law to maintain their walls and their properties in a safe condition at all times.  Under the No-Penalty Retaining Wall Inspection Program, homeowners may call 311 to request an inspection of their retaining wall without the penalty of violations.   Every once in a while you hear a story in the news about a retaining wall that collapsed on a worker engaged in a construction project on an adjoining property where the worker is injured or dies. (more…)

The New York City Buildings Department’s Construction Safety Week has, since 2005, been a week-long series of events aimed at raising awareness about safe construction practices. Construction-related fatalities dropped 84% in 2009 when compared to 2008, and these events are a critical way to continue that trend.  This year Construction Safety Week will run from April 26 to April 30, 2010. Events during the week will include construction site visits to discuss safety issues with workers, information seminars to review construction trends and specific operations and community meetings in all five boroughs. (more…)

Last week New York City’s former chief crane inspector, James Delayo, admitted that he took “more than $10,000″ in bribes to fake inspections and overlook unqualified crane operators. Prosecutors have said Delayo’s individual payoffs ranged from $200 to $3,000. Delayo’s crimes are said to be unrelated to the two fatal crane collapses that occurred in 2008.

Delayo’s plea deal shaved his prison time from seven years to just two to six years. A good deal for him, but what message does it send?  (more…)

On March 8, 2010, two individuals and two corporations were indicted on criminally negligent homicide, manslaughter and other charges related to the May 30, 2008 crane collapse in New York City that killed two people and seriously injured a third.  The indictment describes the callous indifference to safety by the defendants who decided, in an effort to lessen the down-time of and lost rental income from a broken crane, to use a cheaper and quicker means of repair from a Chinese company whose qualifications had not been verified.  The collapse of the crane was caused by the failure of a structural weld in the crane’s turntable, a mechanism that enables the upper portions of the crane to swivel.  The weld failure caused the crane’s cab, boom, and other upper sections to break off and fall to the sidewalk and street from an elevation of approximately 200 feet. (more…)

New York City Buildings Commissioner announced an 84% decrease in fatal construction-related accidents in New York City in 2009 when compared to the previous year. However, the total number of construction-related accidents and injuries rose in 2009. The Department attributes the increase primarily to more accident reporting by industry members. The total number of reported construction accidents rose from 151 in 2008 to 224 in 2009, and the total number of reported injuries rose from 178 in 2008 to 246 in 2009. (more…)

New York City didn’t get the snowstorm forecasted for this past weekend, but the City Department of Buildings issued what’s become its customary and standard warning to contractors to secure construction sites when the forecast calls for severe weather and gusts of high winds. A review of the Buildings Department’s website reveals that it has been routinely issuing such advisories on-line for several years. Yet just 2 weeks ago a 15-block area near City Hall Park was closed to pedestrians and traffic after high winds scattered debris from a nearby construction site where a 77-story tower is being built on Spruce Street.  A piece of metal was found two blocks away at City Hall Park.  (more…)