Enacts the "natural gas roadway excavation safety act"

5 Co-sponsors

• Joseph P. Addabbo Jr.
• Tony Avella
• Jesse Hamilton
• William J. Larkin Jr.
• Diane J. Savino

BILL NUMBER:S4956

Title of bill

An act to amend the labor law, in relation to enacting the "natural gas roadway excavation safety act"

Purpose

Provide that utility companies use competent workers and shall pay prevailing wage on projects where a permit to use or open a street is issued for the purpose of moving, modifying, reconfiguring, restoring, repairing or replacing pipe used for natural gas distribution and transmission systems.

Summary of provisions

Section 1 amends the labor law by providing a new section entitled, "Workers on Excavations . It provides that utility companies or their contractors, to whom a permit to use or open a street has been issued for the purpose of moving, modifying, reconfiguring, restoring, repairing, or replacing pipe used for natural gas distribution and transmission systems, shall use only competent workers skilled in the required work, and that prevailing wage for similar titles shall be paid.

Existing law

Subdivision 3-a(e) of section 220 of the labor law requires companies and their contractors and subcontractors to agree to use competent, skilled workers and pay prevailing wages where required by local law as a condition for issuance of a permit to use or open a street.

Justification

Currently, utility companies and their contractors are required to use skilled, competent workers and pay prevailing wages in localities that require these conditions to obtain a work permit to use or open a street. Existing regulations by OSHA and the State Department of Labor additionally require utility contractors throughout New York State to provide training in Safe-practice to their workers. Recently, the New York State Public Service Commission has proposed measures to ensure that utilities focus their efforts replacing leak-prone pipe used in natural gas distribution and transmission systems. According to the Public Service Commission, there is more than 12,000 miles of leak-prone pipe statewide. Street excavation is dangerous for both workers and the public when the individuals performing the excavation are unskilled. This danger to the public is even greater when unskilled workers are used to cut open a street for the purpose of replacing or repairing a leak-prone gas pipe. This bill will extend protections to the public and the workers throughout New York whenever state contracts require the use of dangerous excavation work to move, modify, reconfigure, restore, repair or replace pipe used for natural gas distribution and transmission systems.

Legislative history

This is a new bill.

Fiscal implications

To be determined

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become law.