Regulation Changes Regarding Construction
This week the mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg announced sweeping changes in city regulations regarding building sites and the ability to share information between agencies involved in the inspection process. After a six month study by mayoral staff, 33 recommendations of changes were made to reform inspections at construction locations, demolition sites and regarding the removal of asbestos.
“It has been nearly one year since the deadly fire broke out during the deconstruction of the former Deutsche Bank building,” Mr. Bloomberg said during a press conference inside City Hall. “The fire, which took the lives of two of New York’s bravest, underscores the inherent danger in asbestos abatement and demolition, especially when these two operations happen simultaneously.”
While the reform to help keep workers at the job site itself safer will go a long way towards fewer accidents and fatalities, the real winner in the new regulations is the open lines of communication between pertinent departments.
But the most striking differences will involve the ways that certain city agencies will communicate. Mr. Bloomberg said that the Department of Environmental Protection, Fire Department and Buildings Department will share information about work sites, exchange inspection reports and create a computerized system under the control of the Fire Department that will store a wealth of data accessible to all three agencies.
The changes are meant to increase the efficiency of construction and demolition site inspections.
Jack Glaser, senior partner at Trolman, Glaser and Lichtman, weighed in on this very important construction reform:
It is great news that a review of construction work has led to 33 recommendations (approved by Mayor Bloomberg) to improve public safety in New York City. Today, Mayor Bloomberg and city officials have demonstrated their concern for New York consumers, and we are delighted that the city is taking steps to prevent unnecessary accidents.
July 18th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
New York Mayor Bloomberg’s companies allowed numerous tax warrants, tax liens, Department of Labor judgments to occur that are scattered across the country from California to New York.