City to inspect 1,500 scaffolds

With scaffolding accidents in the headlines, the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) is stepping up efforts to curtail incidents at unsafe scaffolds and sidewalk sheds.
DOB Commissioner Patricia Lancaster said the department is launching a 30-day crackdown on more than 1,500 scaffolds and sidewalk sheds throughout the city as part of the DOB’s new Safety Analysis and Field Evaluation (SAFE) Scaffold and Shed Initiative.
The initiative involves a comprehensive package of increased enforcement, operational and regulatory initiatives and design improvements to limit the number of accidents occurring at construction sites.
Members of the DOB’s Scaffold Safety Team will inspect the sites and make sure that the scaffold structure complies with the regulations, and if the sites do not meet the requirements, the DOB will issue a stop work order.
In addition to increasing inspections, the DOB is also instituting a new rule mandating that contractors who install supported scaffolds less than 40 feet in height notify the department 48 hours prior to the installation. Previously, the DOB only required scaffolds above 40 feet to file reports before installation.
The announcement came only two weeks after Queens worker Jose Palacios, 43, died from injuries he suffered after a high gust of wind caused him to plummet 12 floors from a scaffolding he was working on in Brooklyn.
After the 30-day sweep, the DOB will use the information it collects and work with the Scaffold Worker Safety Taskforce to implement further measures to promote safety.
New Yorkers are encouraged to call 3-1-1 to report non-compliant conditions at work sites or call 9-1-1 if there is an emergency at a construction site.