🔴 LIVE: Hearing on Construction Safety in NYC

The New York City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings held a construction-safety hearing on October 22, 2026, with Department of Buildings (DOB) Commissioner Ahmed Tagani and agency officials. The discussion focused on construction-site safety rules, enforcement, worker training, and staffing. DOB reported 266 construction-related injuries and four fatalities so far in 2026, and described increased proactive inspections, enforcement actions, and audits of site-safety training providers. Officials said the department had 609 active inspectors, planned to expand proactive enforcement, and would continue implementing sidewalk-shed reforms; approximately 1,200 sheds had come down since January. The agency also discussed a mayoral construction-safety committee and an affordable and efficient construction-code reform task force. DOB said it plans to engage two firms this fall to develop software supporting enforcement, but no contract award, vendor selection, or spending amount was identified.

Council members raised concerns about unsafe worksites, after-hours construction, falls, fraudulent safety cards, small-site oversight, and delays in removing sidewalk sheds. DOB cited 154 audits of safety-training providers in fiscal year 2026 and 260 summonses for missing, incomplete, or falsified safety logs. Public testimony included concerns about enforcement at a demolition site and a contractor association’s request to let employers verify safety cards by ID in advance. No procurement vote or spending approval was identified; the hearing addressed enforcement and regulatory implementation that may affect construction activity and industry requirements.