New York Law News Vol VI
-New York City introduced very strict measures for construction workers pursuing crane operating licenses. Previously, crane operators just had to posses two years of experience and pass a written test.
Under the new rules, applicants must get certified with the National Commission for the Certification of Crane operators, a nonprofit that develops performance assessments for safe crane operations.
Applicants must pass the commission’s written and practical exams, undergo criminal background checks and demonstrate physical fitness. Crane operators must meet new the requirements by Sept. 30, 2009.
-Former New York City buildings inspector James Delayo has recently been indicted on charges of bribery for forging inspection reports from Nu-Way Crane Service. He was also charged with supplying an advanced copy of the crane exam to the Nu-Way company.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office expanded charges against James Delayo, who was the city’s acting chief crane inspector when he was arrested in June on charges he took thousands of dollars in bribes from Nu-Way Crane Service since 2002.
Mr. Delayo accepted $200 to $500 payments from Nu-Way official Michael Sackaris to file false paperwork indicating the Copiague company’s cranes had passed inspections, and to certify Nu-Way employees’ crane operator exams, prosecutors said.
-Landlords in New York City are now required by law to notify tenants of what is being called “indoor air contamination”.
New York State has recently enacted a new section (27-2405) of the Environmental Control Law which shall now require Landlords and Owners to Notify Tenants of "Indoor Air Contamination." Effective December 2008, property owners and landlords will be required to to disclose the results of environmental testing to tenants (both current and prospective).
-According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction accidents were down in 2007 from the previous year. However, accidents for this year are quickly approaching the 2007 numbers with three months to go.
The 2007 total shrank from a high of 43 in 2006, the city construction industry’s deadliest year in at least a decade. The 2006 toll was up 87 percent from the previous year, and it came as construction deaths rose just 3 percent nationally.
