Report faulted city on construction site scaffolding - By Justin Rocket Silverman, Newsday.com
Jonathan Bennett, a spokes-man for the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, a construction industry watchdog, said the city's inspections are important, but don't include checks of safety harnesses.
'The Department of Buildings only inspects the scaffold stability, to see if it is designed and built correctly. Obviously that has huge safety implications, but it's not exactly a safety inspection.'
Bennett said that the multiple lives saved this week by wearing safety harnesses prove how indispensable they are. 'If you walk around city looking at guys working on scaffolds, you can bet at least half don't have harnesses on,' he said.
'The workers may be perfectly aware that they should wear one, but the employer doesn't give them one. Sometimes telling your employer you want a harness is a very quick why to get fired.'