Construction task force launched

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer announced yesterday that a new task force, the Manhattan Borough Construction Watch, that will inspect construction sites and buildings that show signs of safety violations. The task force launches just days after the federal government fined contractors working at the former Deutsche Bank headquarters $464,500 for safety violations, following a fire that killed two firefighters last year. The city also says that contractors will now be required to notify the Buildings Department two days before work begins on scaffolds under 40 feet high.