For the second time this month, Commissioner LiMandri has commended a Buildings Inspector for reporting a bribe attempt to the Department of Investigation which led to an arrest. On Wednesday, October 28, DOI investigators arrested Marcos A. Nunez, 50, after he allegedly attempted to bribe an inspector with $1,000 to ignore potential violations at a Brooklyn site.

On October 28, Mayor Bloomberg signed legislation that provides safety and security at construction sites where permitted work has been suspended. The new bill encourages property owners with faltering or halted projects to design a plan to increase safety on their sites. The bill also makes it easier for work to resume once the owners financing is in place.

On Thursday, October 22, the American Society of Safety Engineers Metropolitan Chapter recognized the Department’s Cranes and Derricks Unit, Scaffold Safety Team, and Buildings Enforcement Safety Team (BEST) for their tireless efforts in protecting New Yorkers and dedication to safety. The awards were presented at the ASSE October 2009 Chapter Meeting.

We’ve created a new page to help keep track of our monthly operation changes.

Three finalists have been selected to continue to the second stage of the urbanSHED International Design Competition. The finalists are: “urbanCLOUD,” developed by Kevin Erickson, Brodie Bricker, Dan Campbell, Johann Riscahu and Mathew Strack of KNEStudio in New York, NY; “Urban Umbrella,” developed by Young-Hwan Choi from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA; and “Tripod MOD(ule),” developed by Jonace Bascon, AIA, Derrick Choi, AIA, and Lynn Hsu, RA, Stephen Lew, PE, and Andrew Stark, PE, of XChange Architects in Brookline, MA.

On September 2, Department of Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri, Department of Design and Construction Commissioner David J. Burney, FAIA, and Department of Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn announced plans to build a city-owned and operated concrete-testing laboratory, the creation of a new Concrete Unit at the Buildings Department and the implementation of a new concrete re-testing protocol for 82 buildings and construction sites under the City's jurisdiction that were named in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office indictment of Testwell Laboratories.

The Department of Buildings has issued more than 1,000 violations for illegal smoking at construction sites throughout the City. The new citywide enforcement initiative began last September as another way to improve safety on construction sites and prevent hazardous conditions.

Individuals and organizations performing or supervising construction projects (some exceptions apply) must secure a registration number by December 1.

Note: The new requirement applies even if the individual or organization already has a tracking number.

The Department is now using global-positioning system (GPS) technology to track the locations of its 379 inspectors during their daily inspection routes. This new tracking system will better ensure the integrity of inspections and help the Department dispatch resources more efficiently. By the end of September, the Department will electronically monitor the routes of all construction inspectors, as well as inspectors from the Boilers, Cranes and Derricks, Electrical, Elevators and Plumbing units.

The deadline by which Special Inspectors must obtain all required certificates to conduct inspections has been extended until after December 31. Registration will begin in 2010. Keep reading Buildings News for more information.

Licensed Class C Hoisting Machine Operators must submit documentation of CCO certification to the Licensing Unit to maintain qualification to operate in New York City.

All workers (as defined by the new Codes) are required to complete a 10-hour construction safety course approved by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Visit OSHA's website to locate an authorized training facility and for information on how to become an authorized trainer.