FOR RELEASE:

NYC Dept. of Buildings Increases Inspections, Improves Tracking Following Critical State Audit

More Inspections, New Databases to Support Oversight and
Safe Operation of Cranes, Derricks and Scaffolds

The New York City Department of Buildings has increased inspections and revamped or instituted new databases to improve its oversight over the issuance and monitoring of permits for cranes, derricks and scaffolds to maintain public safety following a State Comptroller’s audit, Comptroller Alan Hevesi said today.

“Effective and rigorous inspection of cranes, scaffolds and other equipment at building sites is vital to the safety of every single person who lives, works and visits New York City,” Hevesi said. “I am pleased that the Department of Buildings has moved quickly to address the problems identified in our audit.”

“Ensuring the safe installation of construction equipment is a priority of the architects, engineers and inspectors of the New York City Department of Buildings. We appreciate that State Comptroller Hevesi shares our passion for making New York City a better place to live, work and build, and that his office recognizes that we moved quickly to address the problems identified in this audit,” said Buildings Commissioner Patricia J. Lancaster, FAIA.

Auditors made random unannounced site visits in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens during August and September 2005 to observe cranes and scaffolds and determine if valid permits were in place. Auditors determined that there was no valid permit on record for 43 of 144 pieces of equipment (30 percent), including 41 of 104 scaffolds (39 percent) and 2 of 40 cranes (5 percent).

Department of Buildings inspectors followed up auditors’ findings by visiting the sites where the 43 equipment items without valid permits were located. The inspectors issued Stop Work Orders (SWO) at five of the sites, where seven scaffolds were still operating without permits. Auditors later visited these five sites and found that work continued at three of them, despite the SWO.

In late September and early October 2005, auditors visited 78 sites where scaffolding permits had expired between August 1 and September 12, 2005. At 12 of the 78 sites (15 percent) scaffolding was still present, and work was underway at four of those 12 sites.

When Buildings’ inspectors issue SWOs, they usually also write a Violation. SWOs are lifted when a contractor corrects the problem for which the order was written and Buildings’ inspectors re-inspect the site. Violations also include a fine, but the process of assessing and collecting the fine is handled by the Environmental Control Board (ECB) an administrative court that is part of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

Auditors found that the Department of Buildings had no database or tracking system for SWOs, and that there is no follow-up for SWOs unless requested by a contractor. In fact, auditors determined that only 25 of 277 (9 percent) SWOs issued from January 2004 through June 2005 had been documented as lifted. Auditors also found that there was no system in place to ensure that all Violations were accurately recorded in both Buildings’ and the ECB’s databases. As a result, some of the fines may not be collected.

Auditors made a number of recommendations to the Department of Buildings. The Department agreed with all of the recommendations and has already implemented some of them:

• Improvements have been made to the Department’s databases to more effectively track SWOs and support other oversight duties as well.
• The Department is working to reconcile the information in its Cranes and Derricks database with ECB’s violation system.
• An additional inspector has been hired so that the Department can visit more job sites.

The complete response from the Department is included in the audit.

Click here for a copy of the audit.

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