CONTENTS:

The Building Block Volume 7 , Issue 7

July 7, 2016

1

BUZZ OF THE MONTH 2

ARTICLE– THE EXPAN-

SION OF DUTIES FOR

CONSTRUCTION

SUPERINTENDANTS

3

HORROR STORIES 4

SERVICE UPDATES 5

MEET CRSG

RANDI SCHWARTZ

GROSS

6

RECRUITMENT 7

CRSG NEWS 9

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

JULY

10

CONSTRUCTION & REALTY SERVICES GROUP

68 Whitehall Street

Lynbrook, NY 11563

Tel: (516) 256-0317

Fax: (516) 256-0335

307 West 38th Street, Suite 1218

New York, NY 10018

Tel: (212)736-6900

Fax: (212) 736-6910

www.crs-group.com

NYC AMNESTY PROGRAM FOR UNPAID BUILDING VIOLATIONS

The City of New York is forgiving some penalties and all interest for many violations issued

by the Department of Sanitation, Department of Buildings, and other city agen-

cies. The New York City Council recently approved a 90-day amnesty program to help

relieve property owners from their outstanding Environmental Control Board

judgments.

During the 90-day amnesty program, which will be administered by the DOF,

respondents who have default ECB judgments will be able to resolve their debt by

paying the base penalty and have additional penalties and accrued interest waived. Re-

spondents who have judgments against them as a result of being found in violation after

an ECB hearing would be able to resolve their debt by paying 75 percent of the imposed

penalty. All ECB violations issued by the DOB and FDNY that are to be settled, must be

certified with their respective agencies. Additionally, the law states all violations against a

respondent name must be settled at the same time.

In addition, respondents with conditions to correct will be allowed six months to

comply. Violations must be in judgment. Criminal violations and violations over $25,000

are excluded.

Amnesty will run from September 12, 2016 - December 12, 2016. Although September is

a while away, it is encouraged that all clients begin working the correction process now.

This will ensure that when the program is in effect, violations will be able to be settled and

resolved as quickly as possible. Take advantage of the amnesty program before it expires!

DOB BULLETINS

Professional Cert. Program

Bulletin 2016-010

This bulletin revises the established

operational procedures for the Pro-

fessional Certification Program,

which allows a PE or RA as an appli-

cant, to certify the job’s compliance

with the New York City Construction

Codes, Zoning Resolution and all

applicable laws and rules on related

application(s).

Side Yard Regulations

Bulletin 2016-011

This document clarifies side yard

regulations and compliance with

structural separations required in BC

1613.7 of the 2014 Building Code.

Floor Surface Area

Bulletin 2016-012

This document clarifies how floor

surface area is calculated with re-

spect to section AC 28-101.4.5.

02

BUZZ OF THE MONTH

DID YOU KNOW…?

DOB NOW provides robust online accounts, making it easier

to submit applications, make payments, schedule appoint-

ments, check the status of an application or inspections, pull

permits, and make renewals.

DOB’s new initiatives/protocols on legal area review of violations

on SWO and DA and DOI review on fatalities have created a severe

“back to work” delay in the industry.

Will the Summer of 2016 be considered in the future to be the

“time of reckoning” in regard to Open Shop and Union

construction in NYC?

Although not a license per se, the safety registration serves as the

foundation of a focused enforcement means by NYC DOB. Without it,

permits cannot be garnered and maintained and reviewed.

Suspension can put a contractor out of business and later

due process” is administrative. A slippery slope.

How will the industry deal with the new 2015 Code requirement of

designing for 90 mph wind loads for temporary structure?

NYCTA vibration monitoring has become an incredible cost during

demolition, excavation, and foundation on new buildings within the

area of influence. Owners have to pay private companies to monitor

as well as pay the NYCTA for their staff.

Is the first non-union, minority based NYSDOL approved apprentice

program rapidly approaching a reality?

03

ARTICLES

THE EXPANSION OF

DUTIES FOR

CONSTRUCTION

SUPERINTENDANTS

On May 30th, 2016, the NYC Department of Buildings introduced the new changes to the requirements for the role of the Construction Superintendent. According to Chapter 33 of the NYC 2104 Building Code, a licensed Site Safety Manager is required to be present during the construc-tion or demolition of major buildings in New York City. Likewise, a registered Construction Superin-

tendent is required to oversee safety on these projects.

These changes are being presented in phases as outlined below:

PHASE ONE: Effective May 30th, 2016

Assure compliance with Chapter 33 of NYS building Code

Assure work conforms to plans

Designate competent person for full time safety supervision at the jobsite

Notify the department of accidents, damage to adjoining property and certain other conditions

by contacting the BEST hotline

Promptly correct any unsafe conditions discovered

Upon each visit to the jobsite, inspect the entire work area and maintain a jobsite log

PHASE TWO: Effective August 30, 2016

The construction superintendent must visit the jobsite each day work occurs

Alteration permits will require a construction superintendent if the job includes vertical or

horizontal enlargement or demolitions of more than 50% of floor area of the existing building

Phase One of this rule revision is especially important. It shows a great deal of overlap in duties for

both the Site Safety Management Company and the Construction Superintendent. The Site Safety

Manager is responsible for advising compliance with Chapter 33 building code, ensuring that all

work conforms to the approved plans, notifying BEST Squad of accidents/incidents and keep a

daily log on site for record.

One of the major differences between the Construction Superintendent and the Site Safety

Manager’s duties is that the Superintendent is responsible for the “correction” of any unsafe

conditions. The Site Safety Manage is only responsible to observe, advise, notate and alert the

Superintendent of any issues.

Part of these changes effect the PW2 permit applications. If the superintendent that is listed on the

PW2 is unable to perform his/ her duties, a substitute may take their place for up to two weeks.

However, if the alternate will be on site for any longer than this, the department must be notified. If

this changes is permanent, the PW2 must be refiled with the name of the new superintendent

within the 14 allowable days otherwise the project is subject to a violation and a possible stop work

order. This rule is also true for the Site Safety Manager.

The superintendent and site safety manager must work together as a team in order to ensure safety throughout the project. This is why it is so important for the Site Safety Management

Company to be aware of the rules and regulations of the Construction Superintendent.

A while back I filed a simple interior removal

application for 5 floors of a building. All

paperwork supplied to me by the client was

submitted to the HUB when filed and initially

accepted. The job was audited prior to the permit

being issued, which seems to be more and more

common over the last few month. This is usually

not an issue as we answer any objections that the auditor may present (usually only small plan changes) and we go

about our business once they issue the permit. This particular time we answered all of the objections that were

presented and after reviewing a second time the auditor (an "auditor in training") issued a second round of

objections including the request to justify the cost of the job that was submitted. To justify the cost of the job I

obtained a copy of the proposal to the ownership company from the construction company and resubmitted. The

auditor would not accept and told us that the job cost from the "cost validation team" was roughly 10 times higher

than what we had submitted. When I asked to speak with his supervisor I received no response for day on end. I

reached out directly to the supervisor and was told that there was nothing they could do to help me even if I met

them halfway on the cost, it was completely up to the auditor. When I spoke with the auditor again he them told me

that whatever amount I could justify using the current RS Means manual or any other standard estimation tool is

what he would accept as long as I could provide when I pulled the info from in the manuals. I looked through the RS

Means book and pulled out all or the information related to any work that was being done and came up with an

estimated cost that was roughly double that of the initial cost estimation. I supplied all relevant proof from the RS

Means manual and submitted the new cost with proof to the auditor again. Again, he rejected my estimate and told

me that now I needed to provide an itemized cost breakdown because my estimation did not include "labor,

equipment, removal of debris, material or labor". I am not sure what he thought I was including in my cost estimate

since "labor, equipment, removal of debris, material or labor" covers everything that could be needed, but he didn’t

seem to think any of that was being accounted for. Now its 2 months later, I just received an itemized breakdown

from the client that still puts the cost at the same as I estimated and now I am trying to resubmit and have

accepted. I'm sure the plan examiner is just going to make this an even bigger headache.

06

HORROR STORIES

Inside Scoop From

Domani Expediters

When applying for DOT permits, our jobs are usually within four of the five boroughs. Manhattan, Queens,

Brooklyn and occasionally the Bronx. The turnaround time for permits in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx is typical-

ly 24-48 hours. It's so nice when the turnaround time is quick and clients can get their permits in a timely fash-

ion. It becomes frustrating when the same clients are waiting for permits in Lower Manhattan or Midtown wonder-

ing why its taking so long since their permits come so quickly from the other boroughs. Yes of course there

is far more construction going on in Manhattan, but have you driven through Brooklyn or Long Island City late-

ly? There are construction sites everywhere and the examiners do a really great job of getting everyone their per-

mits quickly. We are constantly pushing the Manhattan examiners by calling, emailing and sitting at the DOT to

speak to them even if just for five minutes. It is a constant battle and continuous fighting just to get a basic set of

DOT permits. Some of them will just sit on the permit applications for up to a month or two which can really delay

a concrete pour or a special operation a contractor has scheduled. It becomes very frustrating when they finally

take a look at the application and just flat out deny it for the smallest reason. We reapply immediately just for the

examiner to sit on it for another month. It really makes you scratch your head sometimes.

We were trying to obtain permits for concrete pour operations on a certain job. The

application was submitted back in April. In speaking with the examiner he advised us that the

permits were going to be reviewed and released. Weeks went by, then a month, then another

month. The examiner literally kept telling us that he had to go to the site to inspect before he

would approve our permits. Waiting and Waiting and waiting and still nothing. The jobsite

was pretty much at a standstill because they couldn’t complete there concrete pours. We

finally had to complain to the supervisor and beg and plead to finally get these permits issued

2 and a half month later. Is this what getting permits comes down to? Months of fighting and

seeing supervisors just to obtain simple permits to pour concrete?

05

40 Hour Safety 30 Hour Concrete 30 Hour OSHA 7 Hour SSM Refresher

Tues. 7/5: 4-9:30pm

Thurs. 7/7: 4-9:30pm

Tues. 7/12: 4-9:30pm

Thurs. 7/14: 4-9:30pm

Tues. 7/19: 4-9:30pm

Thurs. 7/21: 4-9:30pm

Tues. 7/26: 4-9:30pm

Thurs. 7/28: 4-9:30pm

Mon. 7/4: 4-9:30pm

Wed. 7/6: 4-9:30pm

Mon. 7/11: 4-9:30pm

Wed. 7/13: 4-9:30pm

Mon. 7/18: 4-9:30pm

Wed. 7/20: 4-9:30pm

Mon. 7/25: 4-9:30pm

Wed. 7/27: 4-9:30pm

Wed. 7/6: 4-9:30pm

Fri. 7/8: 4-9:30pm

Fri. 7/15: 4-9:30pm

Fri. 7/22: 4-9:30pm

Fri. 7/29: 4-9:30pm

Wed. 7/27: 4-9:30pm

Sat. 7/9: 8-3:30pm

Sat: 7/23: 8-3:30pm

10 Hour OSHA

Sat: 7/16: 8-7pm

Sat: 7/30: 8-7pm

SAFETY COURSES

SERVICE UPDATES

As of July 5, 2016

Temporary Certificate of Occupancy Payments (TCO): Change in Payment Location at 280 Broad-

way

As of Tuesday, July 5, 2016, the DOB will no longer be accepting payments for Temporary Certificate pf Occu-

pancy (TCO) payments on the 4th floor at 280 Broadway.

TCO payments will only be accepted at the Manhattan Borough Office 280 Broadway, 3rd floor, New York, NY

10007.

To make a TCO payment, customers must obtain a Cashier ticket.

As of June 2016

UPK Projects: Construction, Plumbing, Electrical, Elevator, and Boiler Inspections

The DOB has created a dedicated Inspection Request process for property owners and contractors participat-

ing in the City’s Universal Pre-K program.

Schedule a plumbing, construction, electrical, elevator, and/or boiler inspection appointment as follows:

Register for a DOB NOW: Inspections account or login to schedule if you already have an account.

Schedule the desired type of inspection through DOB NOW: Inspections– make sure to include the con-

tact persons name and number when scheduling. You will receive a confirmation email indicating your

inspection request was received.

Forward the confirmation email from DOB NOW: Inspections to UPKinspections@buildings.nyc.gov

As of June 6, 2016

Elevator Application (ELV1) Form: Updates

An updated Elevator Application (ELV1) form will be released.

The form is being updated to improve the review process, accommodate the 2014 Building Code, and incor-

porate following Title 1: Rules of the City of New York 3610.2, 3610.3, 3610.4, including:

1. Safety Code for Machine Room Less Elevators (MRL)

2. Occupant Evacuation Elevators (OEE)

3. Fire Service Access Elevators (FSAE)

4. Multi-Compartment Elevators

Be advised, effective July 5, 2016, only the updated ELV1 form that specifies a revision date of April 2016 at the

bottom right corner will be accepted.

06

MEET CRSG

RANDI SCHWARTZ

GROSS

LITIGATION COUNSEL

NYC FUN FACTS

The oldest standing building in New York City is the Wyckoff Farm-

house, originally built in 1652.

Q: What is your title?

A: My exact title with Construction & Realty Services Group is Litigation Counsel.

Q: What precisely do you do? What are the duties/functions/responsibilities of your job?

A: I help manage all phases of the litigation process beginning with an initial investigation into the Plaintiff’s

case, as well as a review of the pleadings, discovery material exchanged between the parties, and deposi-

tions, to determine what, if any, role out client played in the accident/incident, and then work to resolve the

case.

Q: How does your time use vary? Are there busy and slow times or is the work fairly constant?

A: Given the nature of litigation, the work flow varies depending on the status of each case. When one case

is slowing down, one is usually picking up speed.

Q: Which other departments, functional units, or levels of hierarchy do you regularly interact with?

A: So far, I have mostly had to interact with the Site Safety Managers who have either prepared an accident

report or managed a work site where there was an accident/injury.

Q: How much flexibility do you have in determining how you perform your job?

A: There is not much flexibility with regard to court mandated dates for conference, motions and depositions,

but day to day there is some flexibility with drafting responses and reviewing documentation.

Q: Is your work primarily individual or predominantly in groups or teams?

A: My work is mostly team oriented. A lot of it requires strategizing with the other attorneys.

Q: What particular skills or talents are most essential to be effective in your job?

A: The most essential skills for litigation work include attention to detail, extensive analysis and high quality

work product. A litigator must also be personable and able to work well with adversaries to reach the best

result for his or her clients.

Q: What are the educational requirements for this job? Are there other things you are expected to do

outside work hours?

A: The educational requirements for a lawyer include an undergraduate degree, completion of the Law

School Admission Test (LSAT), a juris doctorate from law school and a passing score on the Bar Exam

in the state in which you seek to practice law. In order to maintain your law license, you must take Con-

tinuing Legal Education courses (24 credits every 2 years).

Q: How did you get your job?

A: I saw a post by Patricia Pastor that caught my eye because we attended law school together.

07

CRSG NEWS

Please visit www.crs-group.com and check it out!

You can find useful information on our companies, our services, personnel,

recruitment, and safety training and events.

Tell us how we’re doing! Send an email to info@crs-group.com

CRSG procures the highest quality of services for your project, providing One Stop Shopping

for Compliance, Engineering, Labor and Site Safety services for every phase of the construction

and development process.

Domani Consulting, Inc. This team of experienced compliance representatives works closely

with governing agencies, including the DOB, DOT, FDNY, DEP, Landmarks and Zoning

Commission, to provide comprehensive compliance services, from the initial filing and sign off

of a D14 application through acquisition of a temporary and/or final Certificate of Occupancy

and beyond.

Domani Inspection Services, Inc. A leader in the development of inspection protocols,

“Domani Inspections” is licensed by the DOB as a special inspection agency. Its accredited

and certified staff of professional engineers and inspectors are proficient in managing,

performing and navigating the controlled inspection and testing process on all construction

projects.

Domani Technical & Design Services, Inc. This group’s talented architects and design

professionals offer full-service design, analysis and production to meet the needs of your

construction project.

CR Safety serves all of your project’s site safety requirements including safety management,

site safety logistics plans, staffing and training.

The expertise of each of these entities provides today’s owners, construction managers and

contractors with custom-tailored services that meet the specific needs of every project. Our

unique, “One Stop” approach offers an efficient, reliable, cost-effective solution for all of your

real estate and construction needs.

ABOUT US

Don’t forget to check

out our website at

www.crs-group.com

08

Our Construction &

Realty Services Group

seeks dynamic

individuals to join our

team!

RECRUITMENT

08

Our Construction &

Realty Services Group

seeks dynamic

individuals to join our

team!

RECRUITMENT

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

The following will be some of your tasks, but will not be limited to:

1. Responsibilities of the Site Safety Manager (SSM), Site Safety Coordinator (SSC) and Concrete Safety

Manager (CSM) are to monitor compliance with the safety requirements of Chapter 33 of the NYC Building

Code, as well as OSHA and to perform all other safety duties assigned by CRSG, the owner or contractor to

meet legal requirements by record-keeping and reporting on major buildings in New York City.

2. The SSM, SSC CSM shall maintain a daily log book notating any unsafe acts or deficiencies with locations as

well as maintain a permit log.

3. Check Site Safety Plan daily to ensure that the approved Plans are current and up to date.

4. Meet on a weekly basis with the designated representative of each subcontractor to ascertain that all

subcontractors are complying with the applicable provisions of Chapter 33 of

the NYC Building Code, OSHA, FDNY and any applicable local or federal agen-

cies.

5. Any additional tasks identified by your supervisor

Qualifications:

NYC Site Safety Managers License

Must be a team player and have the ability to effectively multi-task

Detail-oriented and ability to work independently with moderate supervision and

guidance

Good written and verbal communication skills

Architecture and/or construction experience a plus

Must be internet savvy & have experience with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel,

Word, etc.)

General knowledge of NYC building codes and/or filing process a plus.

Safety Management, Analyzing Information, Informing Others, Written Communication, Legal Compliance,

Judgment, Integrity, NYC DOB Chapter 33, OSHA, FDNY & DOT Compliance, Presentation Skills. Microsoft

Word & Excel.

SITE SAFETY MANAGERS

CONSTRUCTION FIELD INSPECTOR

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

1. The following will be some of your tasks, but will not be limited to:

2. Performing field inspections at construction sites per Department of Buildings requirements.

3. Prepare written reports on multi-discipline inspections per Management.

4. Coordination of drawings and field conditions during onsite inspections.

5. Other miscellaneous tasks requested by your supervisor.

Company will support obtaining necessary ICC certifications to perform various special inspections.

Qualifications

Construction, Architecture, and /or Engineering experience desired

General knowledge of NYC construction codes and/or filing process a

plus

Request 5 years minimum experience in related fields.

Must be internet savvy & have experience with Microsoft Office

(Outlook, Excel, Word, etc.)

Good written and verbal communication skills

Ability to interpret engineering/architectural plans and specifications

Must be a team player and have the ability to effectively multi-task

Detail-oriented and ability to work independently with moderate super-

vision and guidance

Ability to prioritize and meet deadlines

09

DOB INFO

The Department will host information sessions throughout the months

of July and August to demonstrate our new online portal DOB NOW:

Build. Advance registration is mandatory.

6/11:PWC– Golf Outing @ Wykagyl Country Club New

Rochelle, NY

6/12: REBNY– Residential Ethics Course for New

Members @ Mendik Edu. Center

6/14: REBNY– RLS Technology and Vendor Committee

Meeting @ REBNY Boardroom

6/21: BOMA– Asset Managers Roundtable @ BOMA HQ

6/21: REBNY– RLS Technology and Vendor Committee

Meeting @ REBNY Boardroom

For More Events, please visit

www.crs-group.com

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11

PWC– Golf

Outing

12

REBNY– Residential

Ethics Course for New

Members

13 14

REBNY– RLS

Technology and

Vendor Committee

Meeting

15 16

17 18 19 20 21

BOMA– Asset

Managers

Roundtable

22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31

JULY 2016

10