The Scaffold Safety Team issued Stop Work Orders for a range of violating conditions, including building the structure contrary to Department-approved plans and failing to provide a permit for the structure. The Department will re-inspect sites that were issued violations for safety-related issues to ensure that violations are resolved. Civil penalties range from $2,000 for a first offense to $10,000 for a third offense, and a violation of a Stop Work Order can result in a fine as high as $10,000. The Buildings Department may pursue criminal prosecutions against builders who continuously disobey a Stop Work Order.
The newly-expanded Scaffold Safety Task Force - which examines the construction, use and maintenance of suspended and supported scaffolding company NY and Sidewalk Bridging or otherwise known as Sidewalk Scaffolding, will use the inspection sweep results to identify areas for improvement and strategize solutions to increase the safety of these structures. The Task Force will develop a set of recommendations by the end of the month to enhance oversight and enforcement of the contractors erecting and utilizing these structures, as well as to bolster outreach and training to the construction workers who use supported scaffolding company NY and sidewalk bridging. These recommendations will build upon the increased enforcement, operational and regulatory initiatives announced as part of the SAFE Scaffold and Bridging Initiative, which includes developing a new notification requirement for particular supported scaffolding company NY under 40 feet in height and increasing coordination with the NYPD and the Criminal Justice Coordinator to hold drivers who damage scaffolding company NY and sidewalk bridge accountable.
In addition, the Task Force is developing a campaign to educate design professionals, contractors and scaffold and bridging companies about proper procedures. The Buildings Department is also working with the Department of Design and Construction and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services to design a prototype of a new sidewalk bridge that would improve pedestrian safety. The Scaffold Safety Task Force is comprised of more than 70 members from Federal, State and City government agencies, labor, immigrant-advocacy groups, workers-rights representatives, and representatives from the scaffold and sidewalk bridging industry and sidewalk scaffolding.