What’s New
The New York State Legislature is considering two proposed bills that would authorize municipalities to permit self-certification by NYS licensed Professional Engineers with respect to both building permits and certificates of occupancy. As President-Elect of the NYS Society of Professional Engineers, Andrew R. Yarmus, P.E., F.NSPE works with the state society’s Legislative and Legal Counsel to monitor the progress and implementation of such measures, and to ensure that we can keep our clientele well informed of such measures which may affect their projects and properties.
Recent Projects
- Forensic engineering consultation regarding roof hatch access ladder safety for a premises located in West New York, NJ
- Site safety and building code compliance evaluation of aspects of construction for a national fast food franchise location in Staten Island, NY
- NYS Labor Law and Industrial Code Rule 23 forensic engineering safety evaluation regarding the storage and transportation of construction materials on a New York City worksite
Existing building code essentials: Fire escapes
On June 16th The International Codes Council’s Building Safety Journal reported that “many jurisdictions prohibit the use of fire escapes due to concerns about lack of maintenance, exposure to the elements, structural integrity and how fire escapes are accessed. Many building owners install security measures over windows to mitigate security risks, but such measures must be readily operable or removable from the interior in order to access the fire escape in an emergency”. Existing fire escapes in NYS, including NYC, are permitted to remain, and must be regularly inspected in order to ensure their structural adequacy and safety.
Yarmus Engineering, P.C. is available to provide the mandatory 5 year cycle fire escape stairway and balcony inspections mandated by the NYS Fire Code. We make it a priority to remain aware and knowledgeable of ongoing building code, industry safety updates, and similar regulatory changes so that we can incorporate same into our designs and inform our clientele of such regulations which might affect their properties and projects. Firm President Andrew R. Yarmus, P.E., F.NSPE, maintains his certification as a NYS Code Enforcement Official to ensure same. Please contact our office if we can be of assistance to you or your clients regarding such matters.
Deep Dive into NYC Construction Incidents
On June 28th The New York City Department of Buildings reported reported that they had “released a first of its kind Construction Safety Report that provides deep insights on construction safety trends in the five boroughs over the 2019 and 2020 calendar years and examines Department initiatives that led to declines in building construction-related incidents and injuries during that time…The two-year report delves into Department data on enforcement actions, incidents, and inspections to provide a deeper look at the factors impacting construction safety in New York City. With an eye on preventing future incidents from occurring, the report puts forward a detailed analysis of the where, when, what, and how of construction-related fatalities and injuries taking place in the city”.
Andrew R. Yarmus, P.E., F.NSPE, as a Forensic Engineering consultant, licensed Professional Engineer, and State Certified Code Enforcement Official, has consulted on numerous construction site safety matters. As a Past Chair of the National Society of Professional Engineers PE’s in Construction Interest Group, he has also helped to facilitate discussions between Professional Engineers across the country on such matters. Yarmus Engineering, P.C. is available to consult with building owners, operations managers, property managers, real estate developers, builders, attorneys, contractors, insurance professionals, adjusters, and other related parties regarding such construction site accidents and other site safety related issues. Please contact our office if we can be of assistance to you or your clients regarding such matters.