To prevent façade collapse accidents, the NYC DOB gets tougher
To prevent accidents related to façade collapse or falling debris, any New York City buildings of six stories or higher must have its façade inspected every five years as part of what is known as the “Façade Inspection Safety Program”. This program was started in 1980 after Grace Gold, a Columbia University student, was killed by falling debris on a Broadway sidewalk. It was originally called Local Law 10 which then morphed into Local Law 11 as the DOB tried to improve the inspection process.
Despite the regular inspections, falling debris from defective façades continue to kill and injure pedestrians. Last year multiple cases of façade collapses including a dramatic accident during which architect Erica Tishman was killed by falling masonry, lead the Department of Buildings to issue a new amended rule for façade inspections in New York City just before the start of the 9th Cycle Façade Inspection Safety Program (FISP) starting on February 20.