Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri announced the release of an extreme weather guide to aid contractors and construction site managers in safeguarding construction sites during potential severe weather events.
As a precaution, contractors must always properly secure and prepare construction sites to withstand high winds and rain.
ROBERT LIMANDRI
These safety measures also include taking steps to ensure the safety of areas accessible to pedestrians and other properties adjoining construction sites.
As a part of the weather guide, responsible contractors and construction site managers should develop an action plan that includes proper task-planning, pre-storm preparation, an emergency response team and post-storm inspection and repair procedures for their construction sites.
Before severe weather events, the Department issues a weather advisory to thousands of property owners and contractors, warning them to properly secure their buildings and construction sites.
his new guide expands on those advisories and provides more detailed information about the precautions necessary to protect construction sites and fellow New Yorkers.
To sign up for the Department’s weather advisories, visit www.nyc.gov/buildings.
“Hurricane Sandy presented our City with unprecedented challenges, and this new guide is designed to help builders prepare for the next serious storm based on what we have learned,” said Commissioner LiMandri.
“The key to any pre-storm plan is to anticipate the unexpected and take the necessary steps to make sure pedestrians and adjacent properties are protected. Property owners and contractors are responsible for their sites – and they must do everything they can to ensure public safety. Simply put — always prepare for the worst.”
The Department recommends that an action plan be initiated in three major areas including, but not limited to:
• General Construction: Remove construction materials from the perimeter of the building and tie them down. Provide shoring and bracing for areas under construction or demolition; and cover open areas to protect against water infiltration.
• Temporary Installations: Secure tiebacks on supported scaffolding and increase attachments on construction fences and barriers. Remove any temporary structures or add-ons not engineered to withstand high winds. Remove concrete formwork not weighted down in consultation with an engineer. Ensure netting is cleaned of debris and retracted. Anchor sidewalk shed deck parapets against displacement.
• Material and Personnel Hoists: Crane engineers and contractors must implement pre-storm procedures that are a part of approved plans for the securing and storing of cranes and derricks. For construction hoists, properly secure mast connections, overhead protection, nettings, outriggers and landing plates.
