Sanchez asks how DOB oversees safety at small sites
Sanchez asks how DOB oversees small sites below the site safety manager threshold; Tigani says trained competent individuals are still required, same rules and enforcement apply, and proactive enforcement builds a hotspot database, while Shamash notes construction super requirements extend to all new buildings and major alterations and the new one-job-site limit takes effect at year's end.
So my last question, just to close, you know, coming back to the issue of small sites, how would you describe the ways in which DOB oversees safety at small sites that fall below the threshold for a site safety manager or coordinator?
So we still require competent individuals with training that includes being aware of both culture and best practice on safety to be on new construction on small sites.
We still have the same rules and regulations apply and expectations apply, including the same enforcement actions.
Additionally, with the proactive enforcement work, we're able to get more data
and build a better database of where we think hotspots or dangerous activities happening, which can include small sites as we build up the proactive enforcement work.
And then, of course, we always have our reactive work that's either feeding the proactive work or continuing to rely on our borough enforcement, real-time enforcement, and emergency response teams to make sure that workers are safe.
Beyond that, when we do construction safety outreach education, there's no division between small sites and big sites.
We're trying to...
Disseminate and instill that education to everyone.
I'll just add with regards to, and you mentioned this earlier, a major building, seven stories or 75 feet and above, require the site safety manager coordinator requirements.
However, the construction super requirements are for a much larger pool of buildings, any new building.
Any major alteration where you're renovating more than 50% of the floor area,
vertical or horizontal enlargements, full demolitions, all must have a registered construction super, and that is a registration that they have with the Department of Buildings.
And lastly, we have new regulations on the number of job sites a construction super can oversee.
At the end of this year, that will be one job site per construction super, and that is a change that originally started from...
10 sites that you mentioned it's hard to get to six locations.
So these folks supposedly were getting to 10.
Over the years, we have reduced that from 10 to 5 to 3 and now to 1.
So we will have one very dedicated individual that is responsible to oversee construction safety and ensure that the work on that site.
Is happening according to plan.
And that is a big step for the department.
and for the city as a whole.
And one, two, and three homes, contractors are licensed through the department's DCWP, Consumer Worker Protection.
So there is additional layers of licensing oversight for that level.