NYC Construction Safety | Chapter 33 | Unenclosed Perimeter Protection
We’ve all seen it on NYC construction sites. Orange safety netting running along the open floors of a building as the structure rises.
But as construction progresses, a question eventually comes up:
When can the vertical safety netting actually be removed?
Is it when the façade installation begins? When windows are installed? Or when the floor is no longer being used for active construction?
Under NYC Building Code Section 3308, the answer depends on several factors.
And there’s an important distinction between situations where vertical safety netting is not required, situations where it can be temporarily removed, and conditions that allow permanent removal.
Let’s break it down.
1. First, What Does Chapter 33 Require?
Under NYC BC 3308.5, vertical safety netting must generally be installed and maintained along unenclosed building perimeters, unless one of the code’s exceptions applies.
The purpose is to help contain construction debris and materials at exposed building edges.
However, vertical netting is only one component of perimeter protection.
Guardrails, toeboards, horizontal safety netting, and other protective systems have their own requirements.
A guardrail does not automatically replace vertical safety netting, and vertical netting does not automatically eliminate the need for guardrails.
Both systems need to be evaluated according to their applicable code provisions.
2. Are There Floors Where Vertical Safety Netting Isn’t Required?
Yes. BC 3308.5 identifies several exceptions.
For example, vertical safety netting is not required at:
The working deck
The working deck is specifically identified as an exception to the vertical safety netting requirement.
That does not mean the working deck can be left without the other applicable fall and perimeter protection.
Certain concrete construction floors
Where the formwork has not been stripped, vertical safety netting is not required if that floor is no more than four stories or 40 feet below the working deck, whichever is less.
Once formwork is removed or the floor falls outside those conditions, the applicable protection requirements need to be reassessed.
Certain steel construction floors
An exception applies where the concrete slab has not been placed and no work other than steel erection or metal deck placement is occurring.
The story at grade
An exception applies where the story at grade is less than 6 feet above the adjoining ground or structure.
Other exceptions include certain smaller buildings, minor alterations or ordinary repairs, qualifying supported scaffolds, qualifying window openings, and accepted equivalent alternative systems.
The important point is that these are specific code exceptions, not a general authorization to omit netting wherever the contractor considers it unnecessary.
3. Can Vertical Netting Be Temporarily Removed for Construction Operations?
Yes, under specific conditions.
NYC BC 3308.10 permits temporary removal of required unenclosed perimeter protection in the immediate area of active loading or unloading, or to the extent necessary for active work at the perimeter.
This may be relevant during activities such as:
- Material loading and unloading.
- Certain façade installation operations.
- Inspections requiring access at the perimeter.
- Relocation of perimeter protection to a higher level.
However, the permission to temporarily remove protection comes with strict conditions.
Among the requirements:
- A controlled access zone must prevent unauthorized personnel from entering the affected area.
- Materials, equipment, and debris must be secured against accidental displacement.
- Before removal, the affected floor area must be cleared and cleaned in accordance with the code’s 10-foot requirements and applicable exceptions.
- A competent person must supervise the operation.
- Removal of vertical netting or guardrails must be limited to the column bays where the active work or loading operation is occurring.
These requirements are particularly important because temporarily removing perimeter protection can create exposure to both falling objects and unprotected edges.
Temporary removal is not permission to leave an entire elevation open while construction continues.
4. When Must Temporarily Removed Netting Be Reinstalled?
This is one of the most important details.
Under BC 3308.10.1, temporarily removed perimeter protection generally must be restored immediately after the active operation ends, or at the end of the shift, whichever happens first.
For example:
A construction crew temporarily removes vertical safety netting at a designated bay to facilitate material loading.
Once the active loading operation is complete, the required protection must be restored.
The fact that additional deliveries are expected the following day does not automatically justify leaving the opening unprotected overnight.
Before restoration, the code also requires cleaning of the affected perimeter and surrounding floor area.
This is why temporary netting removal should be planned as part of the actual work sequence, rather than treated as an informal field adjustment.
5. When Can Vertical Safety Netting Be Permanently Removed?
Now we get to the question that usually comes up as façade installation progresses.
Under NYC BC 3308.5.7, vertical safety netting may be permanently removed from floors where the façade has been installed and all façade openings, including window openings, have been permanently enclosed to a height of at least 60 inches above the floor.
That 60-inch requirement matters.
Simply installing some façade panels does not necessarily mean the netting can come down.
For example, consider a floor where the exterior wall panels have been installed, but the window openings remain exposed.
Unless those openings satisfy the applicable permanent-enclosure requirements or another specific exception applies, the condition for permanent netting removal has not been met.
At the roof, vertical safety netting may be removed once the final parapet or guardrail has been installed.
The determining factor is the condition of the enclosure, not simply how far along the project is.
6. What About Supported Scaffolds, Cocoons, and Enclosure Panels?
Not every project relies on conventional vertical safety netting along every exposed floor.
BC 3308.5 recognizes alternative arrangements under specific conditions.
For example, vertical netting is not required at a location with a supported scaffold when:
- The scaffold deck is even with the building level at the unenclosed perimeter.
- The gap between the scaffold deck and building deck does not exceed 3 inches.
- The scaffold has the required netting and guardrails under BC 3314.8.
The code also recognizes equivalent alternative systems acceptable to the commissioner, including cocoon systems, climbing formwork, and enclosure panels.
However, these systems are not automatically interchangeable.
Their design, coverage, installation sequence, and applicable acceptance requirements must be considered.
And where a conventional vertical netting system is replaced by another protective arrangement, the transition needs to be coordinated so required protection is maintained.
7. Don’t Forget the Site Safety Plan
Perimeter protection changes as construction progresses.
During superstructure operations, vertical netting may be installed at successive floors while work advances.
Later, façade installation may require temporary access through selected bays.
Eventually, portions of the building may satisfy the conditions for permanent netting removal.
For projects requiring an SSP, these operations should be coordinated with the applicable site safety documentation.
Important considerations include:
- Which floors require vertical safety netting.
- Locations where code exceptions apply.
- Temporary openings for loading and façade operations.
- Alternative perimeter protection systems.
- Changes associated with construction sequencing.
- Conditions under which netting may be permanently removed.
The approved documents should remain consistent with the actual protection strategy, and revisions should be evaluated when proposed changes affect the approved SSP.
Final Thoughts
Vertical safety netting is an important part of perimeter protection during NYC construction.
But the requirements aren’t as simple as installing it when the structure goes up and removing it when the façade looks complete.
Chapter 33 establishes specific exceptions, temporary removal procedures, and permanent removal conditions.
Understanding those differences helps project teams plan construction activities without creating unnecessary protection gaps.
Because knowing when protection can come down is just as important as knowing when it needs to go up.
NYC Code References
- BC 3308.1 — Scope of unenclosed perimeter protection.
- BC 3308.5 — Vertical safety netting systems and exceptions.
- BC 3308.5.1–3308.5.5 — Vertical netting specifications and installation requirements.
- BC 3308.5.6 — Temporary removal.
- BC 3308.5.7 — Permanent removal.
- BC 3308.7 — Guardrail systems.
- BC 3308.9 — Installation, maintenance, and inspections.
- BC 3308.10 — Temporary removal of unenclosed perimeter protection.
- BC 3308.10.1 — Restoring unenclosed perimeter protection.
- BC 3314.8 — Supported scaffold protection requirements.
This article provides general educational information. Specific protection measures should be evaluated based on site conditions, applicable code provisions, approved construction documents, and the requirements of the responsible construction professionals.
Canonvex | NYC Construction Safety & Site Safety Planning
www.canonvex.com
0 comments