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De Blasio Cracks Down On Construction Sites That Flout Safety "In The Name Of Greed"
By
Katie Whittaker
Published Feb 12, 2016
Modified Apr 10, 2018
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By
Katie Whittaker
Published Feb 12, 2016
Modified Apr 10, 2018
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Standing in front of a residential construction site in the East Village where a worker recently fell four stories to his death, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a series of initiatives to increase worker safety at construction sites.
"We're here at a site where a tragedy occurred. We wanted to be at a site like this to make a point that we will not tolerate unsafe construction conditions," de Blasio told reporters gathered in front of 356 East 8th Street earlier today. "We won't tolerate anyone putting profit ahead of the lives of their workers and the people that live in our communities, and that's what's happened too often in the name of greed."
While de Blasio acknowledged the positive aspects of increased construction—in 2015, the city saw 88 million square feet of new construction—he said that "no building is worth a person's life."
In 2015, 11 construction workers were killed on the job, and 432 others were injured in accidents, a 98% increase since 2009, according to data from the Mayor's Office. Last year's fatalities were primarily from undocumented immigrant laborers, meaning they would not have been encouraged to point out safety concerns.
In the past, construction companies with safety violations had little incentive to change their ways.
The new initiatives include mandatory supervision at sites citywide, increased penalties for safety violations, and a "90-day enforcement blitz" at 1,500 building sites around the city. The Department of Buildings will inspect 1,000 construction sites on buildings less than 10 stories and around 500 buildings over 15 stories in the next 90 days, penalizing construction companies for unsafe conditions.
Additionally, all major construction projects on buildings with less than 10 stories will have to employ a construction superintendent, with stop-work orders and fiscal penalties for companies that fail to comply. These supervisors will be required to inspect the work site on a daily basis, which de Blasio believes will minimize risk at the site.
"Many construction accidents are preventable. Most are preventable with strict adherence to safety rules," he said.
A superintendent's presence could have prevented Luis Alberto Pomboza from falling four stories to his death in December, de Blasio said. The construction permit at 356 East 8th Street listed a construction superintendent, when in fact there was none.
"We won't accept no supervision as an excuse for an accident," said de Blasio. The site later received two Class 1 violations, and the mayor indicated that the DOB was investigating another construction site run by the same company.
A NY Times investigation from November 2015 pointed out that many of these incidents were caused by a lack of supervision. It also cited the fact that few sites encouraged measures against falling, so the workers did not wear harnesses or hats.
EV Grieve reported that Pomboza was also undocumented.
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