Did you know that we have several construction safety units that monitor construction throughout the city? These units from the DOB, such as the BEST Squad, Excavation/Interior Demolition and Scaffold Safety units, have now been merged and re-organized to form two new units, namely, The Construction Safety Enforcement Unit and the Construction Safety Compliance Unit. These two new units aim to significantly intensify the safety compliance monitoring of construction sites throughout city, including requirements for LL 196 of 2017.
Construction Safety Compliance Unit (CSC)
The CSC unit will perform periodic inspections on all active construction sites. They are also tasked to check and examine site safety and full demolition plans. The unit will also be tasked in processing site safety waiver requests and conduct interior and full demolition inspections.
Construction Safety Enforcement Unit (CSE)
The CSE unit conducts emergency inspections and is the one tasked to respond to construction incidents and accidents. They are also the unit to call for inspections of construction related complaints and violations, including Stop Work Orders and those issued by the CSC units. The CSE unit is also tasked to perform technical reviews and check construction documents for code compliance verification.
All BEST squad forms have been replaced with the new Construction Safety Compliance forms, effective February 11, 2019. Applicants are also required to make use of these new forms, notably for CSC appointment requests for Site Safety Manager and Site Safety Coordinator program removal, pre-demolition inspection, demolition sign-off, suspended scaffold pre-use inspection, and sidewalk shed removal. Information on the new forms can be found in the Industry Notice of the DOB and new forms can also be accessed within the DOB website.
P. Wolfe Consultants routinely monitors violations on the DOB Agency databases, and has observed a notable presence and increase in the types of violations related to the above. If you require assistance with violation removal, please contact us.