Articles

    Cut Corners, Get Fined

    Score one for the DOB’s safety initiative.

    Yesterday, the DOB announced a yearlong suspension and $100,000 fine for licensed master electrician Robert Spallino.

    According to the DOB’s findings, the electrician “cut corners” by using wooden collars to rig wires together rather than the metal, insulated collars required by the building code.

    The wooden collars were found at four locations – The Garden Chelsea Hotel, the Holiday Inn NYC, the Four Points by Sheraton Midtown Hotel, and the Fairfield Inn.

    The work was uncovered by the DOB’s Special Enforcement Team, a group composed of attorneys, examiners and inspectors, acting with the mandate of uncovering disregard for the law.

    The size of the fine and the publicity surrounding the case indicates that the DOB may be sending a message to the trade. Quite simply, they are watching every move.