N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 8 § 155.5

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 50, December 11, 2024

Section 155.5 - Uniform safety standards for school construction and maintenance projects

(a) Monitoring of construction and maintenance activities. The occupied portion of any school building shall always comply with the minimum requirements necessary to maintain a certificate of occupancy and shall be monitored during construction or maintenance activities for safety violations by school district personnel. It is the responsibility of the board of education or board of cooperative educational services to assure that these standards are continuously maintained when the building or any portion thereof is occupied.

(b) Investigation and disposition of complaints relating to health and safety received as a result of construction and maintenance activities. Boards of education and boards of cooperative educational services shall follow procedures established under section 155.4(d)(7) of this Part.

(c) Pre-construction testing and planning for construction projects.

(1) Boards of education and boards of cooperative educational services shall assure that proper planning is made for safety of building occupants during construction. For all construction projects for which bids are issued on or after September 30, 1999, such boards shall assure that safety is addressed in the bid specifications and contract documents before contract documents are advertised for bid. All school areas to be disturbed during renovation or demolition shall be tested for lead and asbestos. Appropriate procedures to protect the health of building occupants shall be included in the final construction documents for bidding.

(2) Boards of education and boards of cooperative educational services shall establish procedures for involvement of the health and safety committee to monitor safety during school construction projects. The health and safety committees in school districts other than in cities with one million inhabitants or more shall be expanded during construction projects to include the project architect, construction manager, and the contractors. Such committee shall meet periodically to review issues and address complaints related to health and safety resulting from the construction project. In the case of a city school district in a city of one million inhabitants or more, the board of education shall submit procedures for protecting health and safety during construction to the commissioner for approval. Such procedures shall outline methods for compliance with this section.

(3) The district emergency management plan shall be updated to reflect any changes necessary to accommodate the construction process, including an updated emergency exit plan indicating temporary exits required due to construction. Provisions shall be made for the emergency evacuation and relocation or release of students and staff in the event of a construction incident.

(4) Fire drills shall be held to familiarize students and staff with temporary exits and revised emergency procedures whenever such temporary exits and revised emergency procedures are required.

(d) Pre-construction notification of construction projects. The board of education or board of cooperative educational services shall establish procedures for notification of parents, staff and the community in advance of a construction project of $10,000 or more to be conducted in a school building while the building is occupied. Such procedures shall provide notice at least two months prior to the date on which construction is scheduled to begin, provided that in the case of emergency construction projects, such notice shall be provided as far in advance of the start of construction as is practicable. Such notice shall include information on the district's obligations under this section to provide a safe school environment during construction projects. Such notice requirement may be met by publication in district newsletters, direct mailings, or holding a public hearing on the project to inform parents, students, school personnel and community members.

(e) General safety and security standards for construction projects.

(1) All construction materials shall be stored in a safe and secure manner.

(2) Fences around construction supplies or debris shall be maintained.

(3) Gates shall always be locked unless a worker is in attendance to prevent unauthorized entry.

(4) During exterior renovation work, overhead protection shall be provided for any sidewalks or areas immediately beneath the work site or such areas shall be fenced off and provided with warning signs to prevent entry.

(5) Workers shall be required to wear photo identification badges at all times for identification and security purposes while working at occupied sites.

(f) Separation of construction areas from occupied spaces. Construction areas which are under the control of a contractor and therefore not occupied by district staff or students shall be separated from occupied areas. Provisions shall be made to prevent the passage of dust and contaminants into occupied parts of the building. Periodic inspection and repairs of the containment barriers must be made to prevent exposure to dust or contaminants. Gypsum board must be used in exit ways or other areas that require fire rated separation. Heavy duty plastic sheeting may be used only for a vapor, fine dust or air infiltration barrier, and shall not be used to separate occupied spaces from construction areas.

(1) A specific stairwell and/or elevator should be assigned for construction worker use during work hours. In general, workers may not use corridors, stairs or elevators designated for students or school staff.

(2) Large amounts of debris must be removed by using enclosed chutes or a similar sealed system. There shall be no movement of debris through halls of occupied spaces of the building. No material shall be dropped or thrown outside the walls of the building.

(3) All occupied parts of the building affected by renovation activity shall be cleaned at the close of each workday. School buildings occupied during a construction project shall maintain required health, safety and educational capabilities at all times that classes are in session.

(g) Maintaining exiting and ventilation during school construction projects. The following information shall be included in all plans and specifications for school building projects:

(1) A plan detailing how exiting required by the applicable building code will be maintained during construction. The plan shall indicate temporary construction required to isolate construction equipment, materials, people, dust, fumes, odors, and noise during the construction period. Temporary construction details shall meet code-required fire ratings for separation and corridor enclosure. At a minimum, required exits, temporary stairs, ramps, exit signs, and door hardware shall be provided at all times.

A plan detailing how adequate ventilation will be maintained during construction. The plan shall indicate ductwork which must be rerouted, disconnected, or capped in order to prevent contaminants from the construction area from entering the occupied areas of the building. The plan shall also indicate how required ventilation to occupied spaces affected by construction will be maintained during the project.

(h) Fire and hazard prevention. Areas of buildings under construction that are to remain occupied shall maintain a certificate of occupancy. In addition, the following shall be strictly enforced:

(1) No smoking is allowed on public school property, including construction areas.

(2) During construction daily inspections of district occupied areas shall be conducted by school district personnel to assure that construction materials, equipment or debris not block fire exits or emergency egress windows.

(3) Proper operation of fire extinguishers, fire alarm, and smoke/fire detection systems shall be maintained throughout the project.

(i) Noise abatement during construction and maintenance activities. Construction and maintenance operations shall not produce noise in excess of 60 dba in occupied spaces or shall be scheduled for times when the building or affected building spaces are not occupied or acoustical abatement measures shall be taken. Noise level measurements (dba) shall be taken with a type 2 sound level meter in the occupied space in a location closest to the source of the noise. Complaints regarding excessive noise shall be addressed through the health and safety committee. The district should anticipate those times when construction noise is unacceptable and incorporate "no work" periods into the bid specifications.

(j) Control of chemical fumes, gases, and other contaminants during construction and maintenance projects. The bid specifications and construction contracts for each construction project shall indicate how and where welding, gasoline engine, roofing, paving, painting or other fumes will be exhausted. Care must be taken to assure fresh air intakes do not draw in such fumes.

(1) The bid specifications shall require schedules of work on construction and maintenance projects which include time for off-gassing of volatile organic compounds introduced during construction before occupancy is allowed. Specific attention is warranted for activities including glues, paint, furniture, carpeting, wall coverings, and drapery. Manufacturers shall be contacted to obtain information regarding appropriate temperatures and times needed to cure or ventilate the product during use and before safe occupancy of a space can be assured. Building materials or furnishings which off-gas chemical fumes, gases, or other contaminants shall be aired out in a well ventilated heated warehouse before it is brought to the project for installation or the manufacturer's recommended off-gassing periods must be scheduled between installation and use of the space. If the work will generate toxic gases that cannot be contained in an isolated area, the work must be done when school classes and programs are not in session. The building must be properly ventilated and the material must be given proper time to cure or off-gas before re-occupancy.

(2) Manufacturer's material safety data sheets (MSD) shall be maintained at the site for all products used in the project. MSDS must be provided to anyone who requests them. MSDS indicate chemicals used in the product, product toxicity, typical side effects of exposure to the product and safe procedures for use of the product.

(k) Asbestos abatement protocols. All asbestos abatement projects shall comply with all applicable Federal and State laws including but not limited to the New York State Department of Labor industrial code rule 56 (12 NYCRR 56), and the Federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), 40 CFR part 763 (Code of Federal Regulations, 1998 Edition, Superintendent of Public Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402; 1998; available at the Office of Facilities Planning, Education Building Annex, Room 1060, State Education Department, Albany, NY 12234). Large and small asbestos projects as defined by 12 NYCRR 56 shall not be performed while the building is occupied. Minor asbestos projects defined by 12 NYCRR 56 as an asbestos project involving the removal, disturbance, repair, encapsulation, enclosure or handling of 10 square feet or less of asbestos or asbestos material, or 25 linear feet or less of asbestos or asbestos material may be performed in unoccupied areas of an occupied building in accordance with the above referenced regulations.

(l) Lead paint. Any construction or maintenance operations which will disturb lead based paint will require abatement of those areas pursuant to protocols detailed in the "Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Housing" (June 1995; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, D.C. 20410; available at the Office of Facilities Planning, Education Building Annex, Room 1060, State Education Department, Albany, NY 12234). All areas scheduled for construction as well as areas of flaking and peeling paint shall be tested for the presence of lead and abated or encapsulated in accordance with the above noted guidelines.

(m) Radon. Districts shall take responsibility to be aware of the geological potential for high levels of radon and to test and mitigate as appropriate. This information is available from the New York State Department of Health Radon Measurement Database.

(n) Post construction inspection. The school district or board of cooperative educational services shall provide the opportunity for a walk-through inspection by the health and safety committee members to confirm that the area is ready to be reopened for use.

N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 8 § 155.5