Page 142 - Urban Construction Project Management

Safety 101
In general, OSHA visits construction sites on a very limited basis. This is true for most
of the urban centers; one of the few exceptions is New York City, which has its own
safety organization. This is primarily due to the limited number of people employed by
OSHA. However, when a construction accident does occur, OSHA investigates the
cause of the accident and submits reports to the contractor and the local municipality.
OSHA also has the jurisdiction to issue fines.

For further information on OSHA and for obtaining the complete set of OSHA safety
pocket cards, visit their Website: http://www.osha.gov.

NEW YORK CITY SAFETY PROGRAMS

According to the New York Building Congress, New York City’s construction spending
exceeded $26 billion in 2007—more total construction than any other U.S. city. Due to
this volume of construction and the safety concerns of the public, New York City has
one of the most safety conscientious building departments in the United States. New
York City has set up a separate division called the B.E.S.T. (Building Enforcement
Safety Team) squad. The B.E.S.T. squad has the responsibility for inspecting high rise
projects (greater than 15 stories, above 200 feet in height, and more then 100,000
square feet) construction, making sure the work conforms to the safety requirements of
the New York City Building Code (International Building Code was approved in 2007
and will go into effect in July 2008).

Even with New York City’s oversight, 29 construction workers died in 2006. This was
a 60% increase over the 18 deaths reported in 2005. Of the 29 deaths in 2006, 17 were
attributed to falls from buildings and scaffolds. Due to these deaths, New York City
Building Department has set up a Scaffold Worker Safety Task Force. This task force
visits sites and provides safety classes to subcontractors who use scaffolds.
During 2007, New York City has set up other safety initiatives:

1. Superintendents safety requirements
2. Safety week (lectures, seminars, demonstrations)
3. Low rise safety program (buildings greater than 7 stories but less than 14 stories)
4. Increased safety regulations for tower cranes
5. Excavation/earthwork regulations

Additional information on New York City’s safety programs can be found on the
Building Department’s Website: www.nyc.gov/buildings.

TRAGIC ACCIDENTS

On October 30, 2003, a tragic accident occurred in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Trades peo-
ple were placing concrete for the eighth level of a garage that would contain 2400 auto-
mobile parking spaces at the Tropicana Hotel. Without warning, the garage collapsed and