Total Safety Blog

A City Under Construction Needs Safe Sidewalk Sheds and TSC Can Help

New York City of late is construction central.

With so many areas under construction throughout the five boroughs, it’s no wonder that the city is filled with scaffolding and what are called sidewalk sheds. From areas of redevelopment, to old buildings being refurbished or demolished and new buildings soaring into the sky, it’s not unusual to either walk by a sidewalk shed, under it or around it on any given day. A city under construction needs safe sidewalk sheds to protect the public.

So what’s a sidewalk shed?

According to Code Notes, from NYC.gov,

“Sidewalk sheds are erected over sidewalks and pedestrian walkways to protect pedestrians from debris that could fall from construction work above the sidewalk. They are temporary structures that keep sidewalks open for foot traffic and allow businesses to operate during construction.”

Sidewalk shed plans must start with a permit from the city, must adhere to particular guidelines and be site specific. Inferior sheds that lack requirements for structural support along with bad design cannot only lead to violations but can cause injuries to pedestrians and construction workers.

Cutting corners is not an option for safe sidewalk sheds.

A sidewalk shed can lead to catastrophe as it did in the fall of 2017 with a shed collapse in the Soho district of Manhattan. Five people were injured and had to be pulled out from under the debris, according to the NY Daily News. The Department of Buildings later found numerous violations.

As with any construction job, ensuring safety is priority No. 1. Sidewalk sheds must

  1. First have a permit
  2. Be designed properly
  3. Be constructed and engineered correctly
  4. Have proper structural support
  5. Be inspected

Safety is first when it comes to sidewalk sheds.

Total Safety Consulting (TSC) can assist with keeping your sidewalk sheds compliant! With more than 20 years of experience in the construction safety industry, TSC Safety Professionals know the business and can:

  • Provide required daily sidewalk shed inspections
  • Provide required 6-month inspections
  • Provide an assessment/periodic audit services to inspect ANY sidewalk shed that is already installed or that was recently repaired
  • Verify availability of sidewalk shed design drawings and that the registered design professional or sidewalk shed installer documented that the shed was installed as per design drawings
  • Ensure that your sidewalk sheds are regularly scheduled for continuing safety audits or on 6-month rotation so that your inspections are up-to-date and that your sheds are safe and compliant

Click here for a map of all sidewalk sheds in NYC. You can check your jobsites and also check details and safety ratings of sheds.

TSC Client Services can help put together a proposal or provide more information.

Contact:

Diana Striffolina | dstriffolina@totalsafety.org

Vin Campisi | vcampisi@totalsafety.org

 

All Posts