175 Kent Avenue

Via Brownstoner, a rendering of the future of 175 Kent (aka the former cement plant on Kent between North 3rd and North 4th). We are not impressed.

Construction Accidents Fall

11/20/2007 | Comment

The Oberserver reported today that DOB fatalities and accidents resulting in injury are down for the year to date. That is good news, indeed (though as the Commissioner herself reminds us, one fatality is one too many).

Before everyone declares victory, let’s keep in mind that the data sets are pretty small. Scaffold fatalities, for instance, fell from 6 in 2006 to 1 in 2007 (all figures are YTD), or 83%; scaffold injuries fell from 17 to 11, or 35%1. Construction-related fatalities fell from 14 to 8, or 43%; but construction-related injuries only fell from 105 to 104, or less than 1%. And citywide, accidents on high-rise construction sites rose by 83% (from 23 to 42), while accidents on low-rise sites fell 23% (66 to 51).2

For the most part, DOB’s powerpoint presentation (warning: PDF) does not provide much in the way of apples to apples to data. For instance, fatalities are down, but what are the comparisons on a per job or per worker unit basis? They do report the total number of high-rise and low-rise construction projects for YTD 2007. From that, we can learn that the rate of accidents per high-rise project rose by 65% (vs. the 83% rise the overall number of accidents) – still an unacceptable number, but at least a number that takes into account the number of project sites active in a given period. Similarly, the rate of accidents on low-rise sites has fallen a rather remarkable 43% (a combination of a 31% increase in the number of low-rise construction sites and the 23% decrease in accidents). That 43% decrease, in statistical terms, is probably a lot more meaningful than the reported 43% decrease in construction-related fatalities.3

Beyond this year-over-year comparison of 2006 to 2007, DOB does not provide any trend data. What are the comparable fatality, injury and accident rates going back 10 years? Was 2006 an anomaly? 2007?

Also missing from the report card are any data on crucial areas of DOB deficiency in recent years. How are we doing on stopping damage to neighboring buildings?4 What are the trend figures in the numbers of complaints, inspections, stop work orders, etc.?

1. The number of scaffold injuries, and construction-related injuries in general, is probably woefully underreported. Still, I’m sure that was the case in 2006 as in 2007, so all we can compare is what was reported.↩

2. Again, I would suspect massive underreporting, particularly on low-rise sites, which tend to be non-union (union sites are much more likely to report even minor accidents).↩

3. If you are doubting my skepticism in notes 1 and 2, above, take a closer look at the numbers in this last paragraph. Citywide, there were 202 active high-rise construction sites in 2007, and 4,126 active low-rise construction sites. But despite representing just 4.67% of the city’s overall construction activity, these 202 high-rise sites accounted for a whopping 45.2% of all construction accidents citywide. If that were true – and it isn’t – the city would be best served by shutting down every high-rise construction site.↩

4.DOB does report 335 inspections by the Excavation Safety Team, resulting in 153 stopped jobs. This, too, is a good thing. And based on anecdotal evidence, I do suspect the number of catastrophic accidents affecting neighboring properties is down, but DOB provides no data to support this assumption.↩



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DOB Uniforms

Evan Thies, in a News letter to the editor, isn’t happy about DOB’s new uniforms.

While I agree that $385,000 is a bit much to pay for new uniforms (over $1,200 per uniformee), I’m not so sure the concept is as wrong-headed as Thies makes out. For one thing, anything that brings a greater sense of, well, uniformity, to the enforcement of building regulations can’t be a bad thing. Second, if inspectors are wearing uniforms, they’ll be easier to spot when they show up Monday morning to inspect weekend variance complaints. Finally, I have to think that it is harder to buy off someone in uniform.

[UPDATE:The News doesn’t provide links to individual letters to the editor, only to the whole day’s run of letters. To save you the trouble of wading through all of the others, here is the letter referenced above (in its entirety):

Brooklyn: I read with sheer disgust the news that the city’s Department of Buildings is spending almost $400,000 worth of taxpayer money on spiffy new uniforms for its inspectors.
The agency has pleaded poverty in the face of unbridled development for the past six years, as neighborhoods such as mine in Greenpoint-Williamsburg have dealt with dangerous construction sites and related accidents that have put residents at risk and even cost people their homes.
Unbelievably, fewer than 200 inspectors are deployed citywide to (futilely) deal with tens of thousands of new projects a year. That money for new uniforms could have added a half-dozen more – which is no solution, but certainly would have been money much better spent.
Evan Thies Community Board 1 Environment Committee

Art at Ladder 104

Ladder 104, on South 2nd Street, has a great new dining room table. Thanks in part to firefighter (and City Reliquary founder) Dave Herman.

Carroll Gardens Rezoning

Carroll Gardens has been making a lot of noise about context recently, and it has certainly gotten the attention of BP Markowitz (and his putative successor, Bill DiBlasio). But Marty et al are little late to the party, and there is a pretty long line ahead of CG. That line includes the contextual rezoning of Greenpoint & Williamsburg, which is now a two and a half year old promise. Happily, City Planning has said that this rezoning will go into serious study phase shortly, hopefully resulting in action (in two separate areas) in 2008.

Anti-displacement funding

Via Greenpoint Star, word that the City has finally funded three local initiatives to fight displacement in north Brooklyn. The $2 million in funding was committed as part of the waterfront rezoning (two and a half years ago) in order to help lower-income tenants who are being forced out their apartments by development. The funding is going to Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council ($475,000), United Jewish Organization ($217,000) and a consortium of 8 local housing groups led by North Brooklyn Development Corporation ($1,300,000).

Of course none of this money helps the people who have been priced out of the neighborhood over the past 30-plus months.

Sam Hindy

11211 expresses its deepest condolences to Sam Hindy’s family.

Landlord Forgery

Via the Times, a cautionary tale on the lengths to which some landlords will go to evict a tenant. The rule should be “trust but verify”. Before you sign anything, agree to anything, or (God forbid) go to housing court, know the rules and know where you stand.

Greenpoint?

I know there are debates about geographical boundaries in North Brooklyn, but does anyone really think that Fortunato Brothers (on Manhattan and Devoe, south of Metropolitan) is in Greenpoint?? Apparently the Post does.