City Weighs Extent of Concrete Retesting Amid Evidence of False Reports - By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM, NYTimes.com
“We have put together a plan to retest,” said Tony Sclafani, the Buildings Department spokesman. “It’s going to be a sampling of sites under construction. This will involve both reviewing paperwork as well as actual retesting.”
Mr. Sclafani, who would not speak about the criminal investigation, said that the department, as part of a broader citywide review of construction practices, is also examining procedures associated with concrete construction “to better insure the integrity of these operations.” It will include a review of the design and placement of concrete, as well as concrete testing and the companies that perform such work.
Mr. Sclafani would not provide any details of the plan and could provide no estimate of its cost or say how the department, which has been plagued by a shortage of inspectors, would carry it out.
Construction and inspection practices in the city are already under scrutiny as a result of a series of fatal accidents and arrests on corruption charges.