Purpose

To determine the extent of implementation of the four recommendations included in our initial audit report, Outstanding Violations (Report 2010-N-5).

Background

Our initial report, issued on December 1, 2011 found that New York City Department of Buildings (Department) managers did not have effective systems in place to ensure hazardous violations were resolved quickly. As a result, some Class 1 violations remained open for as long as six months before the Department followed up to determine if the problems had been corrected. We concluded that these delays placed the public at risk. We further found that when inspections did take place, almost half of the time (47 percent) inspectors found the conditions had not been corrected and continued to pose an immediate threat to life and safety. The objective of our follow-up was to assess the extent of implementation, as of September 9, 2014, of the four recommendations included in our initial report.

Key Finding

The Department has made progress in addressing the issues identified in our initial report. Of the four prior recommendations, two have been implemented and two have been partially implemented.

Key Recommendation

Officials are given 30 days after the issuance of the follow-up review to provide information on any actions that are planned to address the unresolved issues discussed in this review.

Other Related Audit/Report of Interest

New York City Department of Buildings: Outstanding Violations (2010-N-5)