From the sinking of the Titanic almost a century ago to the 2007 deaths of New York City firefighters Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino at 130 Liberty St. (where asbestos abatement) was underway, it's often taken a tragedy to change safety regulations.
The deaths at 130 Liberty, (the Deutsche Bank Building), hit the FDNY particularly hard—the Ground Zero tower had already lived through six troubled years since 9/11, and to many eyes, those deaths could have been prevented.
Immediately following the fire, Mayor Bloomberg assembled a task force of FDNY, Department of Buildings (DOB) and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) officials to share data and upgrade inspections for abatement or related construction projects - it quickly became clear a more comprehensive approach was needed.

Ultimately, the Task Force identified 28 issues and developed 33 recommendations for upgrading and strengthening regulations, training, permitting, interagency coordination and cross-training, inspections, certification requirements and more
With new permitting requirements now in effect, most projects in buildings built before 1986 are affected. As BOMA/NY professional development seminar committee advisor John Leitner points out, "If you're completing the new four-page form, and answer 'yes' to just one question, you'll have to invest time and money to submit additional plans or supporting documents, to rectify the situation or gain compliance." Compliance failure can cost weeks of delay and encompass added professional and contractor fees, weeks of lost rental income as the space awaits demolition, and more.
To help managers avoid such costly pitfalls, BOMA/NY's professional development committee created the May 19 Seminar, DEP's New Asbestos Abatement/Construction Rules. Charles Strucken, DEP; Bharat Gami, RA, AIA, chief plan examiner, DOB and Richard Tobin, assistant chief of Fire Prevention, FDNY will walk attendees through the new ACP-7 four-page permit application and inspection process, with time for Q&A. Register by contacting BOMA/NY director of education Mary Sorgente at [email protected]. Held at Club 101 at 101 Park Avenue, the seminar runs from 8 to 11a.m. and costs $110 for member firms, $165 for non-members. Tags: