New Construction Regulations
The city of New York is putting in more strict guidelines for construction work in the city, and it seems to be resulting in a more vigilant Buildings Commission. Newsday.com reports on the new rules and the early results:
In June, the Council and Bloomberg laid out a 15-point legislative package for stricter enforcement and regulations for crane operations and to improve overall safety at construction sites citywide.
The package led to a series of requirements, including mandatory safety training for tower crane workers, requiring mandatory submission of detailed rigging plans and banning the use of nylon slings to secure tower cranes. Nylon slings were cited as a cause in one of the crane collapses.
Buildings Department Commissioner Robert LiMandri said yesterday that since the March 15 collapse, his department issued more than 400 stop-work orders in 2008, or more than double the previous year. The city in May also added $5.3 million to the Buildings Department budget to fund dozens of new positions for oversight and enforcing construction safety requirements.