The city Buildings Department is turning a blind eye to safety by allowing unlicensed or unqualified laborers to perform gas piping work in new or reconstructed developments, an explosive lawsuit filed by the plumbers union claims.
The Manhattan Supreme Court suit accuses the DOB of failing to comply with a city law that tightened up licensing requirements for gas piping installation following deadly explosions in East Harlem and the East Village in 2014 and 2015.
“DOB’s complete dereliction of its duty to enforce gas and welder qualification requirements has facilitated wholesale non-compliance with these safety rules throughout the City and created a public safety time bomb,” claims the suit, filed by Plumbers Union Local 1.
The 2020 law imposed restrictions on who can perform such hazardous “gas work,” making it illegal to do so without a DOB-issued Gas Qualification permit.
But the 45-page complaint cites examples alleging DOB approved of illegal gas work on taxpayer funded public projects, unlicensed workers performing piping installations and cases of “unverified inspections” by contractors.
Licensed union plumbers provided affidavits as part of the legal action, claiming they witnessed shoddy workmanship being performed in buildings and other workers without a “gas qualification” license.
The union claims the DOB is turning a blind eye while granting hundreds of gas approvals in large residential towers, schools, luxury hotels and other buildings, according to the suit.
12 comments:
Regulating workers is a burden on the job creators and anti business.
Regulation is for communists!
Was he a member of the Norwegian street gang the Leif Eriksons ?
Between the DOB malfeasance and the E-bike fires (140 in the first ten months of 2022!), we're going back to the Bronx is burning days, only it will be the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn, mostly.
Well, the MAGA types can't be bothered with details like balancing the electrical, ventilation and plumbing loads using matrix equation, just as they can't be bothered with masks and vaccines. For they eat corona virus and fire itself for breakfast every morning and never die of anything but their own stupidity.
Well, if the unions weren’t such notorious featherbedders and scalpers, more would avail themselves of their skill.
Let’s face it, landlords don’t give a shit about the tenants, till they get caught doing stuff that literally blows up.. These parasites always feel entitled.
Rob in Manhattan.
Realtors rule. You no longer need four years of college plus four years experience as a professional engineer to do home inspections - realtors can do it. You no longer have to get a masters in Appraising plus three years of experience to value a house - realtors can do it. These mask-denying, vaccine denying passive aggressive Al Bundies run rampant. No wonder their leader Trumplestilskin tried to do the same with elections on January Sixth.
That's what happens when you want cheap labor to do the work. Cut too many corners.
Paying for labor causes inflation. So say the job creators.
"if the unions weren’t such notorious" Like the UFT ?
We’re all being gaslighted, so to speak
Re: “ Realtors rule.”
Regulation is anti business. Take your communist ideals elsewhere.
If you hang out at a check cashing establishment during payday, all the illegals utilize the facilities so they don't have to pay taxes.
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