The City Buildings Department has reduced its workforce by a quarter since 2022, leading to a decrease in the number of inspectors responsible for identifying issues with structures. This revelation was discussed during a City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings meeting, where Chairwoman Pierina Ana Sanchez highlighted that the department is falling behind in identifying problematic buildings as the number of inspectors decreases. In the first four months of 2023, the DOB issued 2,225 stop-work orders, which was a 36 percent decrease from the same period in 2022. This decline in inspections has resulted in longer wait times for construction, plumbing, and electrical inspections.
During the hearing, a construction company owner was convicted of criminally negligent homicide after a faulty wall collapsed and killed a 5-year-old child. DOB Commissioner Jimmy Oddo explained that the department has struggled to fill all its open inspector positions due to difficulties competing with private sector salaries. However, he stated that despite having 525 inspectors when they need 540 to be fully staffed, the department is still performing well historically, having completed 370,000 inspections last year. Oddo emphasized the need for more efficient use of existing inspectors and highlighted a new bill that would use predictive analytics to identify problematic buildings before they collapse.
City council members expressed their concern over the staffing decisions made by the DOB, especially following recent tragedies like the partial collapse of an apartment building in the Bronx and the collapse of a parking garage in the Financial District. They criticized the department’s staffing choices as the city prepares for a new rezoning plan called “City of Yes,” which is expected to result in increased construction. Councilman Lincoln Wrestler pointed out that without more inspectors, the department will struggle to keep up with the anticipated development pace, highlighting a recent incident where scaffolding fell on a woman and her baby in Greenpoint.
Despite the staffing challenges, Oddo maintained that the DOB does not need to hire more inspectors but rather needs to use existing staff more efficiently. He highlighted the importance of the new bill that would leverage predictive analytics to identify problematic buildings. The DOB is currently investigating the causes of the recent building collapses, but the reduced workforce has raised concerns among city council members about the department’s ability to ensure the safety of construction projects. With the City of Yes rezoning plan set to increase construction activities, the need for sufficient inspectors to identify and address building issues is critical to prevent future tragedies from occurring.
