New Standpipe Inspection Rules Take Effect

NEW YORK CITY-Standpipes at high-rise construction and demolition sites must now be inspected more frequently, under new safety requirements announced Friday by Robert LiMandri, the city’s buildings commissioner. The standpipe protocols, developed in the wake of the fatal 2007 fire at the former Deutsche Bank building, take effect immediately.

Site safety professionals are now required to conduct a weekly “tracing” examination of the standpipe on each floor to verify that no breach exists throughout the building, according to a release from the Department of Buildings. The new requirements also increase the frequency of standpipe inspections, including daily inspections of the water and Siamese connections and the valves at each story below the construction floor. Previously, such inspections were conducted on a periodic basis or as appropriate, according to DOB.

The new daily and weekly inspections will be performed by a site safety manager and/or a site safety coordinator–both of whom are hired by a private contractor and must be certified by the DOB. The dates and results of these inspections are to be recorded in a site safety log that must be kept on the job site at all times. If site safety logs are found not to be in compliance during the inspection of construction sites, the DOB will issue violations and stop-work orders if necessary, according to a release.