Buildings News - December 2019

Buildings news

December 2019

service notices

forms

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codes

jobs

Department of Buildings 2019 Year in Review

2019 was a momentous year for the
Department. We welcomed Commissioner Melanie E. La Rocca to the Buildings
family, rolled out our unprecedented site safety training outreach
campaign, and oversaw a historic decline in construction-related
accidents. We steadily improved processing times for job applications
and inspection requests, even as the building boom shows no signs of
slowing.

The Department has also been instrumental in furthering Mayor de Blasio's
vision for an equitable and sustainable New York by implemented new,
groundbreaking legislation to combat construction-related tenant
harassment and address the crisis of climate change by improving the
energy efficiency of our city's buildings.

Read more about these milestones in the
links below, and stay tuned. Big things are coming in the new year, as
we continue our work to ensure the safety of all who live, work, and
build in NYC!

Site-Safety Enforcement Sweep Press Release

Site Safety Day of Action Press Release

Construction Accident Decline Press Release

Site Safety Training

Office of the Tenant Advocate

NYC Green New Deal

Local Law 92/94 Buildings News Bulletin

Climate Advisory Board

New Gas
Inspection and Qualification Requirements

Attention plumbers and property owners: Two new mandates regarding gas plumbing work are in effect as of January 1st, 2020. Anyone performing gas work must now possess a Department-issued Master Plumber License or Qualification for Gas Work. And in addition, periodic gas piping systems are now required for all buildings, with the exception of buildings with R-3 occupancy, including single-and two-family homes.

Local Law 152 of 2016: Periodic Inspection of Gas Piping Systems Required

New Gas Work Qualification Requirement

Follow-up #1: New Gas Work Qualification Requirement

Elevator Door
Monitoring System Requirement Now in Effect

Effective January 1, 2020 all automatic
passenger and freight elevators must be in compliance with the
retroactive requirements to install elevator door monitoring systems. To
assist property owners and the industry in expediting these jobs, the
Department has allowed inspections of Door Lock Monitoring (DLM) work to
be performed by approved elevator agencies in the presence of a
witnessing agency.

Service Notice

Notice
Regarding The Use of Cold-Formed Steel

Following the tragic worker fatality earlier
this year due to a building collapse caused by overloading of
cold-formed steel, the Department is reminding contractors that
overloading and improper installation of cold-formed steel including
joists, rafters, trusses, and structural wall studs, etc., can result in
injury and property damage.

Service Notice

Attention
Building Owners: Notifying Tenants of Violations

Effective December 5, 2019, building owners
must post copies of any violations issued for the property in the lobby
of the building where the violation was issued. Owners are also required
to distribute copies of violations, along with DOB's Tenant
Information Flyer, to the tenants of the occupied dwelling unit, and any
adjacent occupied dwelling units, where the violating condition
occurred.

Tenant Information Flyer

Service Notice

Major
Disciplinary Cases

$25,000 in penalties issued to Safety
Registrant All-Rite Construction Co. for failure to safeguard their
construction site at 1473 Fulton Street, Brooklyn. DOB inspectors
observed that a twenty square foot section of the building façade
had collapsed on to the sidewalk below.

$20,625 in total penalties issued to
General Contractor Ambrosino Construction Corp. after DOB inspectors
observed their construction site at 146 West 92nd Street, Manhattan,
had multiple safety violations including inadequate overhead
protection, and unsafe storage of combustible materials.

$19,875 in total penalties issued to
Safety Registrant NY Skyline Gen Const. Corp. for multiple
violations related to improper use of a suspended scaffold system at
725 West 175th Street, Manhattan. DOB inspectors observed that the
scaffold system stirrups were placed incorrectly, the lifelines were
not properly protected, there were no bearing blocks used for the
C-hooks, improper installation of tiebacks, and missing designs and
inspection letters for the system.

$25,000 in penalties issued to General
Contractor Wing Jay Construction Inc. for failure to safeguard a
construction site located at 134-19 Blossom Avenue, Queens, after
they removed the building facade, causing insulating material and
construction debris to fall onto a neighboring property.

Following an audit of sixteen
professionally certified applications submitted by Registered
Architect Jeffrey Geary, the Department found multiple code
non-compliances including inadequate egress, inadequate handicap
accessibility, inadequate fire ratings, proposing work under
Alteration Type 2 applications that require an Alteration Type 1
application for a new or amended Certificate of Occupancy,
infractions of the Zoning Resolution relating to side yards and
parking, as well as inadequate light and ventilation in habitable
rooms. Geary agreed to a voluntary surrender of his Professional
Certification and Directive 14 privileges, effective November 1,
2019.

DOB publishes monthly bulletins detailing
the agency's efforts to sanction and deter bad actors in the
construction industry. You can find this information posted on the

Enforcement Action Bulletin page of our website.

Additional Disciplinary Actions & Voluntary Surrenders

Industry Code of Conduct for Construction Professionals

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Service Updates

Interim Guidelines for Structural Work Type Filing in DOB NOW: Build

2014 Construction Code Updates

Update Page # 85 reflects changes made by

Local Law 114 of 2019 (effective 12/05/2019), amends the Administrative Code of the
City of New York, in relation to denying permits for occupied buildings.

Update Page # 84 reflects changes made by

Local Law 110 of 2019 (effective 12/05/2019), amends the Administrative Code of the
City of New York, in relation to providing residents with copies of
notices of violations.

Update Page # 83 reflects changes made by

Local Law 107 of 2019 (effective 12/05/2019), amends the Administrative Code of the
City of New York, in relation to identifying unlawful statements in
submissions to the Department of Buildings.

Update pages are printable
inserts to keep your hard copy Construction Codes up to date.

All

update pages for the 2014 NYC Construction Codes.

Hearings + Rules

1 RCNY 105-03 Construction Site Safety Training Rules
(Department-Approved Courses Amendment)

Promulgated Effective Date 01/19/2020

1 RCNY 3321-01 Construction Site Safety Training Rules

Promulgated Effective Date 01/19/2020

All Department Rules

Buildings Bulletins

2019-011: This bulletin highlights cold-formed steel light-frame construction
requirements for special inspectors, construction superintendents,
design professionals, and permit holders.

All Buildings Bulletins

Local Laws

Local Law 219 of 2019 (Int. No. 720-C) A Local Law to amend the Administrative Code of the City of New York and
the New York City Building Code, in relation to clarifying the
requirements for site safety training providers and persons required to
obtain site safety training.

Website Updates

Living Safely

Construction Safety & Compliance

DOB NOW: Build FAQ

HPD CONH Pilot Program Service Notice Follow Up #1

HPD CONH Pilot Program Service Notice Follow Up #2

Licensing

Department Approved Course Providers

Department Approved Course Provider Application

Did
You Know?

DOB's YouTube channel has surpassed 1,000 subscribers and 100,000 views! Our channel offers
PSAs, DOB NOW tutorials, and more. And stay tuned... we'll be adding more new content in 2020!

Melanie E.
La Rocca Commissioner

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