NYC announces results of ‘zero tolerance’ construction safety sweeps

New York — New York City Department of Buildings inspectors issued nearly 3,700 violations during a citywide “zero tolerance” construction safety enforcement campaign, DOB Commissioner Melanie E. La Rocca recently announced.

The three-month campaign, launched June 1 in response to a string of construction worker deaths, also resulted in 1,499 stop-work orders for safety conditions that put workers or the public at risk.

A total of 3,666 violations were issued after inspections of 7,443 construction sites, which included new building, demolition and alteration worksites. The inspectors focused specifically on the use of proper safeguards to prevent falls and related injuries among construction workers.

In a Sept. 13 press release, DOB says it’ll return to its program of routine unannounced site safety inspections of the city’s largest construction sites and follow-up on continued interventions at specific sites that were identified during the campaign as having egregious safety violations.

In addition, a renewed push for construction safety legislation will take place, the release states. Five construction safety bills were introduced in April by the city council in an effort to enhance oversight and accountability on worksites. Among the proposals are a licensing requirement for general contractors who perform construction work and a requirement for more site safety supervision at larger worksites.

According to DOB, seven building-related construction fatalities occurred in the city between January and May.

“To protect the lives of the working men and women who are building in our city, we need our partners in the construction industry to step up and join us in pushing for enhanced round-the-clock supervision and greater accountability,” La Rocca said in the release.