Seminars Highlight NYC's Construction Safety Week
The sixth annual event by New York City's Department of Buildings includes events in each of the five boroughs. Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri and others visited an 11-story building under construction in Brooklyn on Monday.
Seminars about demolition, new fire safety regulations, and maintaining safety at stalled construction sites are being held this week in New York City as the city's Department of Buildings hosts its sixth annual Construction Safety Week in all five boroughs of the largest U.S. city. During the week, DOB inspectors and administrative staffers will visit construction sites in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens to distribute safety brochures and talk with workers. In Staten Island, DOB officials will join with the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, federal OSHA, and immigrant advocacy groups to offer a safety training session for construction workers.
DOB has oversight responsibility for 975,000 buildings citywide.
Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri and others from the department visited an 11-story building under construction in Brooklyn on Monday to start the week.
"A safer construction site means a safer city," LiMandri said. "In the past year, fatal construction accidents have dropped significantly, but we must continue to reinforce the importance of safety at all levels of the construction process. With the support of Mayor Bloomberg and the city council, we have implemented 25 new safety laws and worked closely with the FDNY and other agencies and industry leaders to increase safety awareness on job sites across the city. But more can still be done, and that's why we have reached out to more industry and community groups for this year's Construction Safety Week. Safety education is the key to preventing construction accidents and better protecting all New Yorkers."
Seminars on the agenda include:
- "Maintaining Safety at Stalled Construction Sites." DOB's Stalled Sites Unit will explain what property owners must do to ensure their sites are safeguarded while construction is suspended.
- "Requirements for Site Safety Professionals and Special Inspections." Requirements for a Concrete Safety Manager on site will be covered, as will requirements for demolition.
- "Safe Practices at High Rise Construction Sites." This covers new fire safety regulations that must be followed at construction sites, including requirements for color-coded standpipe and sprinkler systems. Department experts will discuss best practices for high-rise operations and the use of new technology, such as cocooning systems.
- "Building in a Dense Urban Environment." This will be an in-depth look at the importance of creating a historical profile of a building or site before the start of any construction work.
- "Safety and Sustainability in the Building Code & Zoning Resolution." DOB calls this "a great opportunity for industry professionals to learn about fire safety and egress requirements in the 2008 Building Code with a focus on Chapters 4, 9 and 10."
"Construction workers face a variety of potential dangers and hazards each day, and it is important that they are able to get the job done without injury," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. "Construction Safety Week is a great tool to help our city construction employees know the potential dangers that can exist on any site, minimizing the number of construction injuries and fatalities. I am pleased to be part of this educational program, and I look forward to joining Commissioner Robert LiMandri to work for the improvement of our city workers' safety."
"New York City's construction boom has brought jobs and redevelopment to places like Downtown Brooklyn, but no project is worth the loss of a human life," said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. "The Department of Buildings and Commissioner LiMandri have worked hard to dramatically reduce the number of construction-related injuries and fatalities citywide, and I look forward to working with them, Brooklyn Commissioner Tom Fariello and my fellow borough presidents during Construction Safety Week to discuss even more ways to protect residents and the men and women who build our great city."