11,484 Violations: Surprise Inspections Hit N.Y. Construction Sites
Date Posted: November 25, 2019
Posted In: Ideas, Organizations, Workforce,
From NY Times: “Get rid of it right now,” an inspector barked when he saw a dangerous power tool. With injuries soaring, the city is tightening oversight.
The million-dollar view of the Manhattan skyline was wasted on Nolan Gutierrez.
He cared only about the danger lying at his feet: a missing railing atop an 11-story luxury condominium building under construction in Brooklyn. All that kept a distracted or careless worker from falling was some flimsy yellow hazard tape.
Mr. Gutierrez, a New York City construction inspector, shows up without warning at major construction sites to conduct spot safety checks. He is part of a new SWAT team of inspectors who swoop in to ferret out any safety lapses, often leaving behind frayed nerves and a stack of violations that can bring hefty fines or even stop the work.
The surprise inspections are New York’s most aggressive effort to tighten oversight of construction sites after a surge in worker injuries as the city undergoes its biggest building boom in more than half a century.
Construction injuries soared by 61 percent to 761 last year from 472 in 2015, according to city data. Construction fatalities, however, remained constant at 12 a year during that same period.
Before, the city had typically dispatched building inspectors only for scheduled visits, or in response to accidents and complaints about possible violations.
“It’s a total game-changer,” said Melanie La Rocca, the commissioner of the city’s Buildings Department. “This is the first time that we’ve had a unit dedicated to 100 percent proactive visits to larger construction sites.”