Senator Adams Holds Press Conference Calling on NYC Department of Buildings to Conduct its Own Tests in the Wake of Allegations Against Private Testers

PRESS RELEASE

NYS SENATOR ERIC ADAMS CALLS ON THE NYC DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS TO CONDUCT ITS OWN CONCRETE TESTING IN THE WAKE OF ALLEGATIONS AGAINST AND INDICTMENTS OF PRIVATE TESTERS.  THE INTEGRITY OF NEW YORK CITY STRUCTURES MUST BE ASSURED AND THE SAFETY OF MILLIONS OF NEW YORKERS MUST BE GUARANTEED.

NYS Senator Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn) calls on the NYC Department of Buildings to establish a special unit to assume full responsibility for concrete testing.  Investigations of major private testers and subsequent indictments for falsification of test reports about the strength of concrete at many of New York’s largest construction projects suggest that the safety of millions of New Yorkers has been compromised. 

Senator Adams’ statement:  “Recent allegations against and indictments of private concrete-testing companies call into question the practice of contracting out the testing of concrete for NYC construction projects.  The safety of our infrastructure, including our most ambitious developments, is far too important to entrust to private companies that seem to have put private profit above public safety. 

“NYC has exacting standards for construction safety, but these criteria lose their meaning when private testers subvert them.  The city must assume responsibility for the concrete we use to build our schools, subway stations, buildings, and bridges by establishing a special unit within the Department of Buildings to conduct the testing.

“NYC’s major newspaper yesterday editorialized that ‘if reports of corruption continue to emerge, the city could eventually find itself forced to start its own testing operation.’  This is foolish temporizing! The allegations levied against so many private testers should serve as a wake-up call to the City of NY, and its Department of Buildings should immediately begin steps to implement its own rigorous testing.”

Date:   Sunday, August 2, 2009

Time:  12 noon

Location:  NYC Department of Buildings
        280 Broadway (betw. Chambers & Reade Sts.), New York, NY 10007
 
Presiding:  NYS Senator Eric Adams
  Norman Siegel (candidate, Public Advocate)
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