AFTER-HOURS CONSTRUCTION THROUGH THE ROOF IN CITY

By BRUCE GOLDING, SUSANNAH CAHALAN and SUSAN EDELMAN, NY Post

The city Buildings Department issued nearly 29,000 permits for nighttime and weekend work between January and April - twice the number given out over the same period in 2007.

More than 21,000 after-hours permits were issued in Manhattan for nearly 1,000 job sites during the first four months of this year.

That compares to fewer than 9,000 permits for about 400 projects in the borough during the same time period last year.

DOB figures show that after-hours work accounted for more than one-fifth of all construction mishaps last year, killing three people and injuring 23 more.

Data for this year through mid-May put after-hours construction deaths at nine - including seven in the crane collapse on March 15, a Saturday - and injuries at 26.

City law limits construction work to between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays, unless contractors get a special "variance" from the DOB. Those variances are only supposed to be issued under certain circumstances, including emergency conditions and concerns for public safety.