Call for tougher safety laws.

In an attempt to make New York City construction sites safer for both workers and passersby, several industry organizations have called for a stricter enforcement of construction safety regulations and a creation of a special task force, charged with overseeing safety conditions at sites around the City.

On May 24, the Building and Construction Trades Council and the Building Trades Employers Association sent a letter to the New York City Building Commissioner and the U.S. Department of Labor, citing the need for a more vigilant safety watch. The move came after a metal beam accident killed one worker at a Brooklyn construction site and unsafe conditions caused several serious accidents in the Bronx.

"Government is simply not doing enough to enforce its own orders and prevent accidents at work sites," said Edward J. Malloy, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council, in an official statement. "We cannot wait for more tragedies to occur."

Malloy and his colleagues would like to see the creation of a joint task force, made up of City and federal officials, who would review construction projects for adherence to New York's safety rules. They would also like the Site Safety Law review to be concluded by June 1 of 2001.

"Our recommendations will at least assure workers and the public that the site they are working on or passing by is safe and has been inspected by the proper authorities," Malloy said.

Virtually everyone in the real estate industry applauded the organization's sentiment, but some felt that a thorough examination of all aspects of the industry should be made before any drastic measures are taken.

"We are all in favor of observing and enforcing the laws," said Edward A. Rytter, president of the Building Owners and Managers Association. "And it's important that all parties of the industry sit down and discuss fairly and openly and realistically what can be done on everybody's part to improve safety conditions. There are lots of proposals that I am sure would be just impractical, so you have to look at the practicality and the possibility for enforcement of any proposal before anything is endorsed."

On the other hand, Marolyn Davenport, senior vice president of REBNY, feels that the City's construction industry has been unfairly criticized.

"We certainly support added safety measures, we have been working on a committee with the Building's Department that looks at site safety," she said. "At the same time, it's important to note that considering the amount of construction that takes place here, it has been a very safe industry. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't do everything possible to increase safety in construction."

As part of its joint work with the Building's Department, REBNY hopes to install a site safety manager at every construction site and enforce safety reviews at buildings below 15 stories in height.

But minor amendments aside, everyone seems to be ready to support stricter regulations.

"We feel that site safety is probably one of the most important factors of good construction, so we are in agreement," said Lenore Janis, president of Professional Women in Construction. "Training and strict enforcement would be the measures we'd recommend."