PlanNYC: New York City Building Code News

Manhattan Borough President Wants Everyone to Comply with Building Code

2008-08-13 00:00:00

Manhattan borough president, Scott Stringer, called for more oversight at government-owned buildings to comply with the building code. Currently more than 800 government-owned buildings are exempt from certain safety inspectors. In order to increase safety and prevent accidents, Stringer would like to see all buildings comply.

Inspection Finds Faulty Crane at Construction Site

2008-07-16 00:00:00

An inspector ordered a faulty crane be removed from a construction site. The crane is said to be a Kodiak, the same type of crane that collapsed earlier this summer. DOB commissioner stated that all Kodiak cranes were inspected after the collapse.

Revised Building Code in Effect

2008-07-02 00:00:00

The majorly overhauled NYC Building Code went into effect yesterday. All contractors now have one year until all projects must comply with the revised code. The revised code is intended to streamline the complicated construction process in the City while also making it safer and more energy efficient.

DOB Urges Congress to Increase Funding for Safety Measures

2008-06-25 00:00:00

Department of Buildings acting Commissioner, Robert LiMandri, addressed a Congressional Hearing the other day in order to promote additional funding and attention to construction safety standards. He promoted the rigorous changes currently being made in New York City to improve safety standards, while urging the government to also pay attention and give OSHA funding it needs to provide the support necessary to local governments for site inspections and other pertinent safety protocol.

Some Raise Concern over New Buildings Commissioner Qualifications

2008-06-11 00:00:00

Since the exit of Patricia Lancaster as Commissioner of the Buildings Department, the City has been trying to find a suitable replacement. The Bloomberg Administration has come up with somewhat more lenient qualification guidelines in hopes of expanding the pool of applicants, however experts in the field have raised concerns about the changes. The main change under contention is that the new commissioner will not be qualified to be an architect or engineer if the first deputy is one. Due to the immense technicalities in the construction field experts believe this could only diminish safety standards further.

Mayor Resists Federal Oversight of City�s Construction Safety

2008-06-06 00:00:00

Mayor Bloomberg has spoken out against a request by New York Representative Carolyn Maloney for federal oversight of construction safety following the recent crane collapse in Manhattan. Maloney asked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to inquire into standards of safety at locations where cranes are utilized. Bloomberg resisted the request, citing the need for Congress to concentrate on other matters as well as confidence that the City was capable of handling construction safety on its own. Council Speaker Quinn also cited recent legislation introduced by herself and the mayor that seeks to improve construction safety standards.

Bloomberg Announces New Building Safety Regulations

2008-06-04 00:00:00

Prompted by a second deadly crane collapse in the span of three months, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced new safety regulations for construction sites. The proposed regulations, which would be administered by the Department of Buildings, include assigning tracking numbers to contractors and sub-contractors so that their safety record can be tracked across sites, increased monitoring of construction sites that have had previous violations, and increased training for crane operation. Council Speaker Christine Quinn committed to getting the legislation passed quickly. However some officials are concerned about giving the Department of Buildings more responsibility and say that responsibilities for monitoring safety conditions in buildings and construction sites should be shared by several agencies, including the police and fire departments.

New Fire Code Includes Construction Sites and Vacant Buildings

2008-06-02 00:00:00

The new New York City Fire Code passed by City Council last week includes fire safety management regulations for construction sites and temporarily vacant buildings. The new provisions are a general response to the changing times (the fire code was last updated in 1913), as well as to recent incidents such as the Deustche Bank Building fire.

Crane Inspection Rules Revamped

2008-05-29 00:00:00

The Department of Buildings is revising the modified rules it put in place following the fatal collapse of a crane 10 weeks ago in Manhattan. Instead of inspectors being on site for all crane jumps (the process for making cranes taller) and for when cranes are erected, inspectors will now make unannounced spot checks on crane jumps and at construction site safety meetings. Other new requirements include �relevant training� and �practical experience� for crane jumping crews.

Fire Code Overhaul Passes City Council

2008-05-28 00:00:00

The fire code overhaul, being done for the first time since 1913 to coincide with the building code overhaul, passed the City Council today. It will now go to the Mayor's office. He is expected to pass it as well, in which case it will go into effect in July. Once passed the code will need to be revised every three years.

DOB Program Has Controversial Results

2008-05-25 00:00:00

A recent report shows that over 80 percent of the building plans proposed using the �self-certification� program violate zoning requirements. Over a four-month period, examiners from the Department of Buildings (DOB) found 727 out of 869 plans to be non-compliant. Some believe that DOB should eliminate the self-certification program because of the high number of violations. However, this may be unrealistic since nearly 50 percent of all projects use the self-certification program to receive permits. The acting Commissioner of DOB, Robert LiMandri, claims that the department will be more actively regulating the self-certification process.

Lack of Qualified Crane Inspectors Could Slow Construction Says Industry

2008-03-27 00:00:00

At a meeting between construction industry leaders and city officials, a concern was raised that the city lacks enough well-trained and qualified crane inspectors and the dearth of inspectors could lead to expensive delays in construction projects. The Buildings Department claims they have sufficient personnel but were still receptive to the concerns heard at the meeting.

City Council to Hold Construction Site Safety Hearing

2008-03-19 00:00:00

In the wake of several high-profile construction accidents, including the crane collapse in Midtown, the City Council will hold a hearing to discuss worker and bystander safety at high-rise construction sites. Elected officials have expressed their worries about building safety standards, and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has said that the Council will respond aggressively.

City Officials Recommend New High-Rise Safety Laws

2008-02-04 00:00:00

In response to an upswing in construction worker fatalities and injuries, the New York City Buildings Department will recommend more stringent safety laws for high-rise construction. The proposed laws will require site safety managers for all projects over 10 stories high; safety managers are currently only required on projects over 15 stories. The Buildings Department is also focusing on site maintenance and contractor registration.

More Construction Oversight Suggested After Accident

2008-01-18 00:00:00

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is calling for increased governmental oversight of high-rise construction in the wake of a deadly construction accident this week. Stringer�s proposal calls for surprise visits made to construction sites by an interagency task force. While Stringer believes that the Mayor�s Office of Special Enforcement should also provide oversight of mega construction projects, Mayor Bloomberg maintains that the Department of Buildings already handles such investigations.