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Photo by Steve Adams | Banker & Tradesman Staff
Construction and demolition projects in Boston will be required to include more safety training under a new ordinance signed Thursday by Mayor Michelle Wu that gives city inspectors additional enforcement powers.
The new requirements were prompted by partial building collapses during demolition work, and data that shows Boston has a disproportionately high death rate for construction workers.
In May 2022, three construction workers were injured by a walkway collapse during demolition work at the former Boston Edison plant in South Boston.
Equipment operator Peter Mosini died in March 2022 when a section of the Government Center garage collapsed during demolition work for the Bulfinch Crossing project, and the excavator he was operating dropped 80 feet to the ground. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Brockton-based contractor JDC Demolition for eight “egregious-willful” violations after the incident.
“Today’s announcement is for people like Peter, their families and friends and neighbors,” Wu said at the ceremony, held at the Brazilian Worker Center in Allston. “Every worker deserves to go home.”
Boston’s death rate for construction workers is more than double the national average, at 4.9 per 15,000 workers, according to data submitted to the City Council in April.
The new regulations were developed with input from the Greater Boston Labor Council and Greater Boston Building Trades Union. They require safety orientation for workers and pre-shift safety meetings on all projects.
Larger projects – construction larger than 50,000 square feet and demolition of buildings that are at least four stories – are required to appoint a site safety coordinator present during work hours.
Contractors that violate the ordinance are subject to fines of up to $300 per violation and a potential ban on work on city-funded projects.
The city’s worker empowerment cabinet, which was created in September 2022, will provide free multilingual training and technical assistance to contractors.
