Banks asks about controls after DOI falsification findings; Greene cites photos, labor logs, and audits

2016, after the Butler House fire, DOI inspected 240 apartments and five developments to check whether the maintenance staff were inspecting and reporting safety items on work orders.

And they found that a staff had falsified documents claiming to have performed safety checks they had not performed.

What controls did NYCHA put in place after the report to confirm that and what worker enters a work order that matches the condition of the apartment?

Thank you, Chair, for that question.

That's a report predates my time a little bit, NITRA, but I can talk about the HUD agreement.

I was the chief compliance officer for NITRA for the first few years of the HUD agreement.

We've put in numerous controls in Maximo to prevent deceptive practices, including photograph requirements, labor logs.

In addition, we have a quality assurance team, a compliance team, and environmental health and safety team that also follow up on work orders to check on conditions.

And if any malfeasance is found.

Is timestamp also used?

Everything is addressed in Maximo as far as I understand that term.

Location verification as well?

Location, yes.

Yes, each work order is somewhat different on location.

Yes, location, everything is tied to an apartment string, a room in the apartment.

So how many closed work orders did NITRA audit?

By physical inspection in 2025, and what share were found to be inaccurately reported?

Thank you, Chair, for that question.

I don't have that number for 2025, but I do have that number for the first quarter of 2026.

You can get us those numbers and then...

Sure.

You can give us another 2026.

So 2026, if I recall correctly, it's in my notes, but I won't.

About 3,500 inspections were done, QH inspections were done, and about...

About 3% were found to be unsatisfactory.

And that would then require a follow-up by the property to address the condition.

Okay.

And in December of 2020, the DOI report reported 163

letter abatement work orders with false signatures of an EPA certified supervisor and said it had believed that the

True number was much higher.

Can a work order in Maximo be signed or closed under a supervisor's credential or by someone other than that supervisor?

So thank you, Chair, for your question.

I am familiar with that, and much of my time at NYCHA has been building the lead paint abatement program.

So the inspections that you're referring to, I believe, in DOI were things that were submitted to HPD for apartment exemptions, the HPD apartment exemption process.

They weren't really associated with Maximo.

What we have done in Maximo, though, is for lead abatement, we now have strict closure requirements.

So all of the required reports must be uploaded by the NITRA staff and the vendor and verified before they can be closed out.

We also are audited every six months on lead abatement by our environmental health and safety, and we're under the federal HUD agreement, which allows the monitor full access to our lead abatement files.