Buildings Department Cracks Down on Scaffolding

The city is attempting to crack down on scaffold and sidewalk sheds that are not up to code by inspecting 1,500 sites over the next 30 days and issuing orders to halt work until the safety problems are fixed.

Buildings commissioner Patricia Lancaster said yesterday that recent incidents have shown that proper design standards and installation techniques for scaffolding and sidewalk sheds, the wraparound paneling that clads scaffolding on its lowest walkway, have not been consistently followed, according to a news release.

"We are significantly stepping up enforcement of these requirements and putting developers, contractors, and workers on notice: Scaffolds and sidewalk sheds must be up to code, or we will halt your work until you comply," she said.

In late January, a laborer died after pipe scaffolding collapsed underneath him at a residential tower being built in Brooklyn. A spokeswoman for the city's Department of Buildings said a preliminary investigation indicated that the scaffold required a permit, but didn't have one, and should have been designed by a professional, but wasn't.