“Wear Your Hardhats” – A Memorial Mass for Workers Killed on Job Sites in 2022 and 2023 | | |
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The date is Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. All construction workers, their families, and friends are invited to join with the Building & Construction Trades, union leaders, members and management are invited gather at 3:30 p.m. at 460 Madison Avenue (between 50th and 51st Streets) for a Hardhat Procession into the Cathedral.
The Memorial Service begins at 4 p.m. For more information, please contact: Father Brian Jordan at (917) 566-5214, Linda Camacho, BCTC, (212) 647-0700, ext. 2
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Welcome to Building Trades Employers Association of New York’s (BTEA New York) monthly Safety Brief, your virtual briefcase of important safety news and updates. This digital publication contains highlights from BTEA New York’s Construction Safety Committee meetings with New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) representatives.
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February 2023 Incident Report/There were 51 incidents in February, down from 69 in January. February also marked the second consecutive month without a fatality, although a recent March fatality ended the run, unfortunately – a preventable tragedy. | |
February 2023 Stop-Work Orders/Compliance and Enforcement issued 305 stop-work orders (SWOs), consisting of 20 full and 185 partial stop-work orders. DOB conducted 467 inspections, including 373 fully rescinded SWOs – the highest number of rescinds in the past 13 months. There were 94 partial rescinds. The response time average went up from 1.9 to 2.4 days. DOB is looking into possible causes for the increase. | |
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Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA)
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March is Ladder Safety Month – a reminder to pay attention to proper use, storage, and inspection, ensuring equipment is used according to the manufacturer's recommendation. More ladder safety resources can be found here.
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Guest Presentation: Advance Visibility | | |
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Advance Visibility CEO Justin Krook presented on GlowGuard, he company's photo-luminescent material for use on high visibility garments, as well as marking tape and other uses. The high-visibility material is a means to reduce struck buys and other accidents at low-light worksites. Learn more about GlowGuard and Advance Visibility at https://glowguard.com/safety-apparel/
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MTA Construction & Development | | |
- For February, there was a total of 6 lost times with 5 recordables, bringing totals for the year to 11 and 12, respectively. The totals are a bit higher than expected but understandable given the high number of projects and capital projects running for the month. There was one serious injury resulting from an electrical mishap, but the worker is recovering.
- Looking ahead, MTA is rolling out its new safety management system at all levels to ensure safer environments and fewer injuries.
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New SST Cards are in Force/After a soft launch in February, DOB enforcement begins this month. Site Safety Training (SST) cards are required for all construction and demolition workers on large and complex work sites. Please ensure all workers onsite have the new NYCDOB Training Connect SST ID card to avoid costly violations.
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Return of the General Contractor Licensing Bill/The legislation creates a "designated defendant" of the license holder in the case of an accident or fatality. The bill is structurally flawed, and BTEA has managed to halt its progress over the past two years, but legislation remains in play. Serious discussions about GC licensing and what that might look like lay ahead.
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Quarterly Meeting with DOB Acting Commissioner Kazimir Vilenchik/Important issues raised with the Acting Commissioner included staff shortage problems and potential project stops caused by the new construction superintendent rule. The Commissioner agreed to further discussion to work out a short-term solution – it's not DOB's intent to "hamstring" the industry. Also discussed was the serious backlog in Licensing Unit, which is causing delays in renewals. Finally, the Commissioner confirmed a new DOB process for stop-work orders. Inspectors must get approval from the Deputy Commissioner of Enforcement before issuing an SWO.
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A Reminder of Available Web Resources | |
This report was provided by BTEA New York | |
Building Trades Employers Association Building Trades Employers Association of New York is the construction contractor's unified advocate for construction safety standards, professional development, government affairs, public relations and fostering communication between public officials, public and private owners, labor, and the public. Realizing that a construction industry is essential to the vibrant future of New York City, its activities are dedicated to a building environment meeting the highest of environmental standards, integrity, cost efficiency, productivity and value that contributes to improving the quality of life in New York City. BTEA represents 26 Construction Manager, General Contractor, Subcontractor and Specialty Trade contractor associations with over 1,200 individual contractor members. | | | | |
