Today the NYC Department of Buildings shared some additional information that is important to note as New York City construction fully reopens on Monday, 6/8, as follows:

The Department of Buildings will largely be following the same requirements as New York State to ensure compliance with these new health requirements. DOB inspectors will be conducting a safety inspection sweep of every permitted construction site in New York City, and following up with additional periodic checks of active work sites.

• DOB will be adding the following points to their inspections which are not covered by NYS guidelines as follows:
  • There must be a capacity listing onsite for any elevators or hoists being utilized.
  • Your Affirmation to New York State must be with your specific COVID Health and Safety plan for that project, and available for inspectors and employees.
• During these sweeps, DOB inspectors will be looking for the following:
  • Compliance with social distancing protocols. Six feet of distance should be observed between all personnel unless safety or work functions require shorter distance.
  • Anyone on site, including workers, other construction professionals, and approved visitors, who are less than six feet apart must wear face coverings.
  • Maintaining this practice at all times is highly encouraged.
  • Readily available hygiene and handwashing stations
  • COVID-19 safety measures signage visible to workers, reminding everyone to adhere to all safety protocols while on-site, including proper hand hygiene, physical distancing rules, appropriate use of personal protective equipment, and cleaning and disinfecting protocols.
  • Tightly confined spaces (e.g., elevators, hoists) occupied by only one individual at a time, unless all occupants are wearing a face covering and the space is kept under 50% maximum capacity.
    • 50% capacity signage must be posted within the cab and at each landing.
  • A site safety monitor must be designated. The role’s responsibilities include continuous compliance with all aspects of the site safety plan.
  • Safety plan(s) are conspicuously posted on-site and include a copy of the submitted State affirmation.
  • Properly completed and updated cleaning and disinfection logs.
  • A communication plan for employees, visitors, and clients is on-site.
  • Correctly completed and updated logs of every person who may have had close contact with others on-site to ensure effective contact tracing.

Please note that the first 30 days of enforcement will be treated as an education period for the industry on the best practices and assisting with implementation of the new guidelines. Furthermore, the initial DOB violations for noncompliance with these regulations, issued during these first 30 days, carry no financial penalty. HOWEVER, following this initial 30-day period, subsequent violations will result in financial penalties, and continued noncompliance may result in Stop Worker Orders and additional summonses with accompanying civil penalties of up to $5,000 for each offense.

As discussed over the past two months, every shutdown project needed to have a weekly Safety Report update submitted to the Department. That practice will stop starting Monday. Safety Managers will not need to submit the weekly report UNLESS the project will remain shut down at which point, you will need to continue to submit the weekly update.

Please know that we are here should you have any specific questions or concerns. Do not hesitate to contact us at 212- 825-1205 or email us at cahill-construction-division@cahillstrategies.com with any questions or concerns.

Robert “Bobby” D’Alessio, is a former New York City Department of Buildings Senior Executive Director of Construction Safety. Mr. D’Alessio’s focus is predominately in the areas of construction code and safety analysis for our clients’ major new building and renovation projects in the New York City and surrounding regions.

As Cahill Strategies’ Construction Code and Safety Consultant, Bob brings an unparalleled level of knowledge and practical experience to our growing construction solutions practice area.

More about Bob D’Alessio…