DOB rapped over scaffold permits.

The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) doesn't have the proper systems in place to track and inspect the removal or permit renewal of scaffolding sidewalk sheds in the city, according to a recent audit conducted by the comptroller's office.

The audit, released June 21, inspected 175 major construction sites and while it concluded that the DOB correctly issued permits for the fabrication of sidewalk sheds, at 15 sites it found sidewalk sheds with expired permits.

Although the sheds are erected to protect pedestrians from potential falling debris, a shed without a permit could be indicative of a lapse or absence in liability insurance, which is a necessary component for permit renewal and guards against injury and property damage

"There weren't any safety or injury incidents," said Jeff Simmons, press secretary for the office of NYC Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr.. "But every place should have a permit in accordance with the law. When the rules are followed, that's the best level of prevention."

Citing that only 12% of the buildings the audit inspected lacked the proper permits, the DOB at least partially rejected the auditor's recommendations for reform, which amount mainly to a tracking system and more thorough inspection of sites along with the assessment, where applicable, of civil penalties. According to DOB director of communications llyse Fink, such regulation is extraneous to the department's primary mission of addressing safety issues in buildings and on construction sites. Combined with budget cuts and lack of personnel, she fears added responsibility will compromise the department's ability to do its most essential task.

"We'd all like to have a police officer on every corner and an inspector at every site to check to see if the paperwork for sidewalk sheds is in order, but the fact remains the department has limited resources and these resources have to be allocated where they're needed most," she said. "Public complaints have gone up markedly and so have emergency situations which we put a priority on dealing with, and our manpower hasn't increased."

"We just don't agree with devoting resources to this type of expiration date regulation that's not linked directly to safety."

Simmons agreed. "There are staffing issues," he said. "It's an agency that has had cutbacks."

Instead of ferreting out offenders alone, the DOB feels that communities should take a more active part in reporting unsightly situations or instances of neglect. To encourage this, for one day each month, the DOB has allocated to an inspector to investigate concerns to every community board in the city.

Audit recommendations the DOB did agree to institute pertained to controls over cash received for renewal permits. According to the auditors: "during a walkthrough, we identified undeposited cash receipts (for renewal applications) totaling $35,600."

Whether the recommendations are adhered to remains to be determined by a follow up audit that may or may not happen anytime soon.

"We hope that they will use our recommendations, but we can't predict what they're going to actually do," Simmons said. "Sometimes the auditors follow up to see what's going on, but I can't say now when we'll revisit or even if that will happen in the near future."