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ISSUE 38 • FALL 2020/WINTER 2021 • VOLUME 11
THE DOB 2020 DIGITAL: SAFETY, INNOVATION & SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE
FOSTERING A “CULTURE OF SAFETY” Heralding the statistic as “something we all should celebrate,” LaRocca was quick to offer widespread credit for the achievement: “Collectively as an industry we’ve all participated to make sure we get those numbers lower…This is something we’ve done together.” Hogan applauded the reduced number of incidents saying, “This was accomplished in great part through the Construction Safety Compliance team initiative and the expansion of the Construction Safety Enforcement team.” DOB Commissioner Melanie E. LaRocca spoke at the Worker Safety Report Card session of the Build Safe | Live The centerpiece of DOB safety initiatives is Local Law 196 of Safe Digital 2020: Safety, Innovation and Sustainability Conference. Presentations are available to watch on2017. The legislation, detailed demand at https://www1.nyc.gov/site/buildings/about/construction-safety-week.page in Worker Safety Days 1 and 2 said LaRocca, noting how sessions (see page 8), mandates “The pandemic has given us the the DOB’s job site education Site Safety Training (SST) on opportunity to look at who we campaign helps workers learn all sites requiring a site safety are, what we do, and why we ways to protect themselves and professional. Though the increase do it. We’ve grown our scope, their surroundings. She pledged from 30 to 40 hours of SST has we’ve grown our repertoire,” too that the DOB will always align been delayed from September 1, said DOB Commissioner Melanie itself with industry goals. 2020 to March 1, 2021 (see page E. LaRocca, speaking on Friday, “We have expanded our core 17), LaRocca urged all not to wait September 25, at the Worker mission but never lost sight of until the last minute to comply as Safety Report Card session of your core mission,” said LaRocca. “Safety doesn’t live by deadlines, the Build Safe | Live Safe Digital “The DOB is more than just it’s there every day.” 2020: Safety, Innovation and regulatory.” Sadly, the number of fatalities Sustainability Conference, the She pointed to a “transformation has not dropped, remaining at department’s first-ever free into a department that wants to 12. The department will continue virtual event. help you grow, learn and teach.” to commit resources to lower or eliminate the number. Hogan The presentation given offered a comprehensive and First Decline in Injuries and by LaRocca and Deputy sobering rundown of incidents Incidents in Nearly a Decade Commissioner, Enforcement and fatalities that occurred in The year 2019 marked the first Timothy Hogan culminated a 2019. time in nearly a decade that week-long series of over 20 LaRocca concluded by asking: injuries and incidents on site have webinars on topics ranging from “What have we done in the past, declined. provisions of the new NYCECC what can we get rid of and what Construction-related incidents code to storefront accessibility can we do differently in the future dropped 19.7% and total and tenant protection plans. to make us faster, more efficient construction-related incidents “A culture of safety is the most and safer? Safety being the with injuries fell 24.2%. important thing on a job site,” priority of those three always.”
Safety remains first and foremost as the Department Of Buildings expands its scope and commits to helping the industry ‘grow, learn and teach’
