New York City Department of Buildings
05/06/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/06/2024 14:02
Buildings News: May 6, 2024
Construction Safety Week in New York City
Starting today, DOB is celebrating Construction Safety Week here in New York City. From May 6th to May 10th, our staff will be fanning out across the five boroughs to talk with workers about construction safety, as well as the potentially deadly consequences of cutting corners on the job site.
Every year during Construction Safety Week, DOB participates in events with our industry partners, helping to strengthen that partnership as we continue to work towards our shared goal of improving safety on construction work sites. We also engage with licensees and registrants this week to discuss new safety code requirements and best practices, while amplifying these important messages on our social media platforms.
Construction Safety Week coincides with OSHA's National Safety Stand-Down Week, which raises awareness about fall hazards in the construction industry nationwide. Worker falls continues to be the leading cause of injuries on building construction work sites in New York City. To support OSHA, DOB staff will be joining stand-down awareness events on construction sites across the city all this week.
2023 Construction Safety Report Released
Every year, DOB puts out an annual report on construction safety, which includes a comprehensive review of the building construction-related work site incidents in the five boroughs, as well as a deep dive into building construction safety trends.
This year's report, which was released on the first day of Construction Safety Week, covers calendar year 2023 and shows that building construction-related fatalities in the five boroughs in DOB's jurisdiction are at the lowest number in nearly a decade, with seven deaths in 2023 as compared to 11 deaths in 2022. While fatalities are down, the report also shows an increase in both work site incidents and injuries.
This annual report is an important document in support of our mission for greater transparency and accountability within the construction industry. The report also helps to promote safe work practices, which can be used by construction professionals to help reduce the potential for hazardous conditions and incidents.
Read The 2023 Construction Safety Report
Free Site Safety Training Available
Earlier this year, the Manhattan District Attorney filed criminal charges against Valor Consulting for allegedly selling Site Safety Training (SST) cards to construction industry workers without providing them with the required 40-hours of training. Following this announcement, DOB revoked Valor's status as an approved training provider, and announced the invalidation of approximately 17,000 SST active cards provided by this company.
Construction workers with SST cards and training certificates issued by Valor impacted by these recent actions are not able to work on SST work sites without first acquiring a new, legitimate SST card from a different training provider.
To assist these impacted workers, NYC Small Business Services (SBS) is offering free SST training to help them obtain new cards from a legitimate training provider. The program is operated through the SBS Workforce1 Career Centers located in each of the five boroughs. Those interested in this program should fill out the interest form below.
Fill Out The Construction Site Training Program Interest Form
Find More Information About Site Safety Training Here
�Get Summonses Corrected� Hits Queens
Throughout the month of May, DOB's Administrative Enforcement Unit (AEU) will be visiting the Queens Borough Office for the agency's "Get Summonses Corrected" campaign, aimed at providing property owners with the guidance they need to resolve open DOB-issued summonses associated with their buildings.
Getting these open violations officially resolved is important in making sure that a property is in a safe condition. In addition, closing out these violations can help property owners avoid major headaches when applying for a mortgage, home insurance and even when attempting to sell the property.
AEU staff will be will be stationed at our Queens Borough office in Kew Gardens during regular business hours on the following Wednesdays, May 8th, May 15th and May 22nd, available to offer 1-on-1 assistance to any Queens property owner who needs help resolving their open DOB-issued violations. The team will also be in Queens Borough Office for our Buildings After Hours customer service event on May 7th and May 21st from 4pm to 7pm.
DOB is also hold virtual events for property owners in all five boroughs, including a live seminar on completing certificate of correction paperwork on May 31st at 10 am, and another seminar on filing paperwork with DOB to correct a violation May 31st at 2 pm.
Learn More About Correcting DOB-Issued Summonses
Find Out About Other Upcoming Events
New DOB NOW Login Requirement
Starting on June 3rd, 2024, a free NYC.ID account will be required to access DOB NOW. This announcement impacts all new and returning users who are accessing DOB NOW: Build, DOB NOW: Safety, DOB NOW: BIS Options, and DOB NOW: Licensing.
This new measure is aimed at better integrating city services across different agencies with a single sign-in account, and is part of the administration�s MyCity initiative. In the lead up to June 3rd, DOB NOW users can continue to use their eFiling accounts to access DOB NOW.
NYC.ID User Guides for DOB NOW Users
Visit the DOB NOW Public Portal
Check Out 'DOB NOW: Build Release Notes' For More Updates
Countdown to Local Law 97 Deadline
It�s May, which means flowers, warm weather, and the start of the one year countdown to May 1, 2025 deadline, when buildings covered under Local Law 97 will be required to file their first carbon emission limit compliance reports with DOB.
Buildings account for approximately two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions in NYC. Local Law 97, a cornerstone of NYC�s climate plan, mandates emissions limits for larger buildings in our City. The goal of the law is to slash emissions over several compliance periods, achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Is your building ready to meet the energy efficiency standards? Now's the time to act! Join us to help make New York a greener, more sustainable city.
Get Assistance From NYC Accelerator
Get Sheds Down Update
Buildings Commissioner Oddo recently sat down with the New York Times to discuss the agency's multifaceted approach to tackle the persistent issue of long-standing sheds on our public sidewalks, and how the agency is looking to improve the look of pedestrian protection equipment in our city.
As part of our "Get Sheds Down" initiative, we are taking a hard look at the regulations that are on the books to see how we can remove unnecessary sidewalk sheds while still keeping New Yorkers safe from hazardous building conditions and construction activity. Commissioner Oddo recently announced that we are launching a formal study into the city's building facade inspection requirements, that will help the agency and lawmakers to make informed decisions on potential changes to Local Law 11 facade regulations, which could impact when a sidewalk shed is mandated to go up.
Read The New York Times Story on Sidewalk Sheds
Council Hearing on Building Structural Integrity
In late April, Buildings Commissioner Oddo attended a city council committee hearing in order to update the public on the status of several ongoing DOB investigations recent building collapses, and to discuss new proposed legislation related to building structural integrity.
During this hearing, Commissioner Oddo reminded New Yorkers about the upcoming August 1, 2024 deadline for parking structure owners in the Upper East Side, Upper Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island to submit an initial assessment observation reports to DOB.
These initial assessment reports will help DOB get eyes on every parking structure in the City, in order to catch unsafe conditions before a collapse occurs.
Read About The Hearing in Crain's New York Business
Read our Service Notice About the Initial Observation Reports