New York City Council Approves Two Construction Safety Bills The New York City Council approved bills Intro 783-A and Intro 790-A by a vote of 49-0 on August 14, 2008. Specifics of Intro 783-A include: An additional site safety personnel to be employed to oversee concrete operations at major buildings defined in section 3310.2 or on buildings designated by the Buildings Commissioner. Beginning January 1, 2009 a concrete safety manager has to be designated by the concrete contractor at sites where the concrete portion of the project involves the pouring of a minimum of 2,000 cubic yards Concrete safety managers to have five years of experience in concrete operations and will need to complete a 30-Hour course by July 1, 2009 The 30-Hour course will have to be approved by the buildings commissioner that is sufficient to OSHA standards of a competent person Specifics of Intro 790-A include: A site safety plan to include a statement prior to performing any work on the project that all workers have successfully completed a 10-Hour OSHA course Successful completion of the training must be proven by: Showing of the course completion card Copy of such card A training roster, attendance record Other valid proof that may be approved by the commissioner A statement that all workers employed on the site will receive a site specific safety orientation program addressing hazardous activities on the job The law will take effect ninety (90) days upon enactment It is anticipated that Mayor Bloomberg will sign these bills into law in the very near future.

	City Council Approves New Requirements for the Department of Buildings Commissioner The City Council approved a bill by a vote of 36-12 on August 14, 2008 that would require the Buildings Commissioner or the First Deputy Commissioner to be a licensed architect or engineer. This bill will allow greater flexibility in choosing a candidate by the Mayor to run the Department of Buildings while still maintaining the technical expertise of a licensed architect or engineer. As a result of this legislation, Mayor Bloomberg has named current acting Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri to head the department permanently.