Results tagged “safety”

      

Because kids respond to safety pitches only when there is an MC Skat Kat-esque mascot involved, the Department of Buildings is using "Safe-T Rider," the elevator safety cat (courtesy the Alabama-based Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation) to emphasize elevator—and escalator and moving walkway—safety to young New Yorkers during Elevator Safety Week!

A 44-year-old mother of two died and three others were critically injured by a fire that tore through a Flushing apartment early Sunday morning. The deceased, Bianca Wisniewski, was due in federal court today for a hearing in her $20 million sexual-harassment lawsuit against Total Safety Consulting and JPMorgan Chase. Four of the 110 firefighters at the scene suffered minor injuries, and the fire was ultimately contained to the single apartment, because the cement and steel walls stopped it from spreading.

There have been too many headlines penned about crimes against women in the city's clubs. Inside Edition has now gone undercover, placing hidden cameras inside what they dub the "trendiest clubs" here. Their investigation lasted a month, during which time they also surveyed women on their safety. They report back that "42% of women surveyed have felt threatened by men inside or outside a bar or nightclub." The show obtained the below footage taken from Marquee's surveillance camera about five months ago, showing a female's limp body being dragged out of the club by a man, who kidnapped and raped her.

Less than three weeks after David Wright took a 93mph beaning to the helmet, he returned to the Mets' lineup last night looking just a clunkier and a lot more adorable (if that's even possible). No, the third baseman didn't get the Beetlejuice treatment during his first-ever trip to the DL, he simply went ahead with his promise that he would wear the slightly awkward-looking Rawlings S100, a new model designed to protect against pitches up to 100mph.

It's good to know the NYPD is totally on top what is surely the most important situation to hit this city in quite some time: Rob Pattinson mania. The Twilight star has caused the biggest stir since Beatlemania, and according to IrishCentral, the police here have declared, "Enough is enough. His security people aren't up to the task of keeping him safe, and they have no idea how to deal with the crowds this guy attracts." The unnamed cop goes on to say that dealing with Pattinson is like "amateur hour" for them (that's called a burn, vampire)—they say they "have celebrities a lot bigger than this guy who can come and go in perfect safety because we know how to take the right precautions. We have presidents and kings come and go. This poor kid can't get in or out of a car without things getting dangerous." But kings don't have what the cops call "Twiheads" following them around, who allegedly have confronted the actor and cut themselves so they can bleed for him. [via Gawker]

The NYCLU, the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, and Make the Road New York have released a report arguing that schools can create a safer environment without metal detectors and harsh discipline. The study, called "Safety with Dignity: Alternatives to Over-Policing Schools," is based on a year-long examination of six NYC schools with "at-risk" student populations that do not use metal detectors. According to the report, these schools have improved attendance, better student retention and graduation rates, and "dramatically fewer" criminal and non-criminal incidents and school suspensions than schools equipped with permanent metal detectors.

Not even a week after the pedicab crash in Williamsburg , officials and pedicab owners have reportedly "agreed on licensing and safety requirements that will resolve a years-long tussle over regulating the pedal-powered cabs." Mayor Bloomberg noted that the pact would ensure passenger safety in what Councilman Dan Garodnick recently called a "Wild West" type situation. The new regulations will add requirements for licenses, insurance and inspections. To get a license, owners must not only have insurance, but pass inspections confirming they have working seat belts, brakes, turn signals, and other safety features. Still, you might want to avoid steep slopes like the ramp on the Williamsburg Bridge!

A recently-released study [pdf] conducted by Hunter College students posits that—are you sitting down?—"a large number of cyclists routinely disobey many traffic laws." But wait, didn't these Hunter kids already alert the public to the scourge of cyclist scofflaws back in November? Indeed, they did, but according to City Room this new report is "a rigorous and scientific version" of the previous observational study, which monitored 3,000 cyclists chosen at random at 69 locations. The new version used a wider sampling compiled of 5,275 observations of riders at 45 randomly generated intersections across Midtown from First to 10th Avenues and 14th to 59th Streets. According to the study:

It's been more than seven years since the attacks of September 11th inspired the MTA to beef up security in the transit system, but a massive effort to improve surveillance underground is still incomplete. Back in 2005, the authority sealed a $212 million deal with Lockheed Martin to install 1,000 video cameras and 3,000 motion sensors, as well as enable cellphone service in 277 underground stations. Today the Times reports that large parts of the project are not "scheduled" to be completed until September, and that estimate doesn't even include parts of the under-river tunnels used by the subway and the Long Island Rail Road. The project was supposed to be done last August.

After the Thursday incident where an unoccupied van—left in reverse—barreled into a group of pre-schoolers on a Chinatown sidewalk, killing two children and injuring many others, lawmakers demanded that the city better enforce traffic in the neighborhood's busy streets. The NYPD deemed it an "accident," because the driver thought he put the vehicle in park when he jumped out to make a delivery, but State Senator Daniel Squadron and Manhattan Borough President outlined a nine-point plan to prevent further tragedy and demanded the city take action immediately.

An observational study by Hunter College students has concluded that when it comes to traffic regulations, cyclists are incorrigible scofflaws. Students spent October observing 3,000 cyclists chosen at random at 69 locations throughout the five boroughs; they found that only 43 percent of all cyclists stopped at red lights, and roughly 14 percent did not use designated bike lanes, which is not required by law. City law does require children under age 14 to wear helmets, but the study determined that less than half do so. Also:
• Commercial cyclists such as messengers and delivery workers are required to wear helmets, but only 27 percent were observed wearing helmets.
• A gender disparity in helmet use was also evident, with roughly half of female cyclist observed using helmets, compared to just a third of the males.
• About 13 percent of cyclists were observed riding against traffic, and almost 13 percent were observed riding on sidewalks.

"To our eyes, this isn't just about personal behavior, this is about streets that are dangerous and not serving all the people who use them. Well-designed streets give us behavior we want. A good example is 9th Avenue in Chelsea, where there is now a protected bike lane.

Continue reading "Surprising No One, Study Says Cyclists Ignore Traffic Laws"

The NYCLU says the NYPD’s “Operation Sentinel,” which would install permanent license plate scanners at each of the 20 crossings into Manhattan, is an unnecessary invasion of privacy. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly wants to form a security ring around the World Trade Center that would make London’s famed “Ring of Steel” look like a velvet rope guarded by Don Knotts. And besides installing radiation detectors that could spot a dirty bomb, the Daily News reports the NYPD wants an additional 100 license plate scanners below Canal Street.

The NYPD is serious about security in this post-9/11 world, and, amongst many elements in a proposal called "Operation Sentinel,"is the plan to photograph every single car coming into NYC. The NY Times reports that the goal is to "strengthen the city’s guard against a potential terror attack." Vehicles would be photographed, license plates scanned, and checked for radioactivity.

The FAA made immediate changes to the take off and landing procedures at JFK Airport, after two jets came within 600 feet of crashing into each other yesterday afternoon. The incident was the second near collision at the airport in a week, and personnel from the National Transportation Safety Board were at JFK investigating the circumstances of the first incident when the second occurred.

An amusement park ride inspector warns that some of the rides at Coney Island are so dangerous they should not be open for business. Last summer a man died after surgery to heal vertebrae fractured on the Cyclone, but the rides now targeted by “amusement-safety consultant” Walt Reiss don’t include the famous wooden roller coaster.

In a startling coincidence with the unofficial beginning of summer and the official opening of NYC beaches on Memorial Day weekend, the FDNY says that it can no longer afford to have special patrols by emergency medical technicians to come to the aid of the ailing and injured at the beach. Budget cuts apparently necessitated the curtailment. The EMT union told WCBS news that the FDNY is cutting patrols on city beaches on the days when they're most likely needed and that the department's special sand-roving beach vehicles will be a rare, if not nonexistent, sight this summer.

A 7-year-old Manhattan boy is hospitalized today with burns over 70% of his body after an attempt to make S'mores in a Murray Hill basement went horribly wrong. As opposed to the usual case of youthful misadventure, responsibility for the boys injuries appears to lie with a supervising parent, who allegedly threw a volatile flammable liquid on an open flame, which exploded in the boy's face.

Tomorrow marks the start of Construction Safety Week in New York City, less than a week after Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster resigned her position at the Dept. of Buildings. Lancaster admitted to the City Council that the plans for a 43 story tower in Turtle Bay, Manhattan did not meet zoning regulations but were approved anyway.

Almost all of the injuries suffered by tenants in Thursday night's high rise fire on the Lower East Side were preventable and the result of panic and poor decision making by residents. In addition to the 30 firefighters who reported injuries fighting the blaze on Grand St., 16 tenants of the 26 story building were injured--two seriously. FDNY officials say that all of the injuries to the tenants could have been avoided.

You may recall that the original Freedom Tower design had to be scrapped (because the NYPD thought it was too susceptible to attack) and redesigned with a concrete base. Now the Daily News' I-Team takes up concerns law enforcement officials have with "security weaknesses" in the new towers at World Trade Center.

The League of American Bicyclists has awarded New York City a bronze medal for bicycle friendliness. League representatives met with Mayor Bloomberg and DOT commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, who sometimes cycles to work, at City Hall yesterday to present the award. Though bronze is the lowest rung on the friendliness ladder, New York City is the only community in the region to be designated a Bike Friendly Community (BFC).

A West Harlem co-op fire eventually required the efforts of 170 firefighters to extinguish as it spread through the West 113th St. building 's second, third, and fourth floors. Despite the fast-moving flames, three sisters and their 34-year-old father were rescued from the fifth floor of the building before they were overcome by smoke.

Overall major felony crime is also down 26% since 2001. Mayor Bloomberg said, "When I came into office, many believed it was impossible to drive crime, particularly murders, down any further. Yet, beginning in 2002, crime declined steadily and murders fell below 600 annually for the first time in 40 years. That happened again in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Now, in 2007, we have reached another milestone, murders could potentially fall below 500 - and that includes a decrease in random murders where victims don't know the perpetrators." In other words, take that, Rudy!

Responding firemen managed to get the five occupants out using ladders leading to bedroom windows and by pulling others out through the smoke-filled living room.

"We could hear people yelling for help and screaming," said Lt. Gregory Prial.

Continue reading "Firefighters Rescue Five From Christmas Fire"

The 9 year-old boy who perished in a house fire on Staten Island late Sunday apparently died while trying to save his pets. Tommy Monahan apparently had been with his mother as they tried to escape the fire, but he raced back to his room for his dog, lizard and fish. A 12-year-old neighbor told the Daily News, "Everybody thought he was outside but he wasn't.

The architect who was in the construction site trailer crushed by 14,000 pounds of steel that fell 25 stories from a crane may never walk again. Doctors believe Robert Woo was likely paralyzed; his mother said, "He might not walk again...I've been telling him he's lucky to be alive." It is amazing Woo is alive - seeing photographs of the site, it's incredible he survived - but given the amount of construction and development ongoing in the city, we're alarmed as well.

The scaffolding around an East 66th Street building that collapsed and left one brother dead and another critically injured had a number of previous violations. The Daily News reports that the scaffolding had been cited 10 times in June, and the "violations included orders to repair a safety railing and the main roof, provide padding for workers and adjust an overload detection device." Brothers Edgar and Alcides Moreno were moonlighting for City Wide Window Cleaning...

The Taxi and Limousine Commission has made it official: Cabs purchased after October 1, 2008 must get at least 25 miles per gallon. Then, after fall of 2009, newly purchased cabs must get at least 30 miles per gallon. As the AP puts it, this means "taxi fleet owners, who must replace their cabs every three to five years, will probably be forced to buy fuel-efficient hybrids, which run partly on electricity." The Taxicab Board...

When a deal is too good to be true, remember, it might not be true - that it might be a nightmare. On Long Island, there have been two incidents where people are enticed by a Craigslist ad selling a Porsche, only for "sellers" to beat up and attempt to rob the potential buyers. Newsday reports that two Suffolk County residents were interested in buying a 2002 Porsche, which was listed on Craigslist for $44,000....

'Tis the season to be aware of fire safety during the holidays. Christmas lights caused a fire that left 26 people injured last night. The fire started around 6:20PM in an 8th floor apartment of a Bronxdale building. A woman who lived in the apartment told the Daily News, "My daughter said there's a fire in her room from the Christmas decorations. I called 911, grabbed the kids and ran out." Twenty-five irefighters and civilians...