Boston Construction Safety Ordinance Takes Effect on December 2, 2023

In 2021, the construction fatality rate in Boston was 2.5 times greater than the national average. To reduce the number of injuries and fatalities on Boston construction sites, Boston’s Mayor, Michelle Wu, on June 1, 2023, signed a new Construction Safety Ordinance. The new ordinance, which is scheduled to go into effect on December 2, 2023, was developed in collaboration with construction unions, worker advocates, construction companies and OSHA.

New Ordinance Governs Construction and Demolition Operations in Boston

To combat the increase in construction incidents, the new ordinance imposes the following requirements:

• As part of the permit application process, each applicant must submit a Site Safety Plan Affidavit for any building over 50,000 square feet, and for demolition projects in buildings with four or more stories. The applicant must enact and maintain a site safety monitoring program to implement the site safety plan attested to in the affidavit.
• For these projects, during any construction activities, a designated site safety coordinator (who has, at a minimum, 30 hours of OSHA training) must be onsite, and will be responsible for, among other things, daily site inspections, weekly safety meetings, as well as recordkeeping of hazards/unsafe conditions, and any violations, stop work orders or summons issued by the Inspectional Services Department (ISD).
• Each construction worker must receive a site safety orientation, and a refresher after one year, which would include a review of safety procedures and any hazardous In addition, information pertaining to the site safety training must be made available to each worker in a language that they understand.
• Each worker must take part in a pre-shift safety meeting, which must include a review of activities and tasks to be performed during the

Enforcement and Consequences for Non-Compliance

The Commissioner will have the ability to issue fines based on any violations or stop work orders issued by the ISD for non-compliance with the new ordinance. Significantly, a company’s record of violations/fines may be considered when requesting future permits or competing for future construction contracts on city-funded projects.

According to Jodi Sugerman-Brozen, Boston’s deputy chief of worker empowerment, the city is planning orientation sessions for contractors to learn about the ordinance, available resources and how to comply.

For more information on this new ordinance or for assistance with site construction safety, contact Pro Safety Services, a division of Risk Strategies, at pss_office@prosafetyllc.com.

Author Bio

Tim McCarthy is Operations Manager for Pro Safety Services, a Division of Risk Strategies. He has over a decade of experience providing safety services for the construction, manufacturing, service, and healthcare industries, as well as public sector organizations.