File #: Int 0821-2022    Version: * Name: Requiring building owners to provide shower hoses and informational materials on Legionnaires’ disease to tenants.
Type: Introduction Status: Filed (End of Session)
Committee: Committee on Health
On agenda: 11/22/2022
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring building owners to provide shower hoses and informational materials on Legionnaires' disease to tenants
Sponsors: Amanda Farías, Althea V. Stevens, Pierina Ana Sanchez, Crystal Hudson, Rita C. Joseph, Eric Dinowitz, Shaun Abreu, Kevin C. Riley, Marjorie Velázquez, Farah N. Louis, Carlina Rivera , Lynn C. Schulman, Erik D. Bottcher, Christopher Marte
Council Member Sponsors: 14
Summary: This bill would require the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (“DOHMH”) to create and post online informational materials on Legionnaires’ disease and to notify owners of residential buildings when a tenant in the building has a confirmed case of Legionnaires’ disease. This bill would also require building owners to provide shower hoses and the DOHMH informational materials to building tenants within 24 hours of notice of a tenant in the building having been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease.
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 821, 2. Int. No. 821, 3. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 11-22-22, 4. November 22, 2022 - Stated Meeting Agenda, 5. Minutes of the Stated Meeting - November 22, 2022

Int. No. 821

 

By Council Members Farías, Stevens, Sanchez, Hudson, Joseph, Dinowitz, Abreu, Riley, Velázquez, Louis, Rivera, Schulman, Bottcher and Marte

 

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring building owners to provide shower hoses and informational materials on Legionnaires’ disease to tenants

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 17 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 17-194.2 to read as follows:

§ 17-194.2 Building owner response to a confirmed case of Legionnaires’ disease. a. Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

Building water system. The term “building water system” means shared water sources that distribute water throughout residential buildings with multiple dwelling units such as cooling towers, water tanks and other plumbing equipment.

Confirmed case of Legionnaires’ disease. The term “confirmed case of Legionnaires’ disease” means a person diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease that is a tenant in a covered building.

Covered building. The term “covered building” means a residential building whose tenants receive water from a building water system.

Dwelling unit. The term “dwelling unit” has the meaning ascribed to such term by subchapter 1 of the housing maintenance code.

Shower hose. The term “shower hose” means a flexible tube that can be attached to most shower fixtures and provides a steady stream of water.

b. Confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease in covered buildings. 1. The department shall immediately notify the owner of a covered building when there is a confirmed case of Legionnaires’ disease in such building.

2. Within 24 hours of being notified of a confirmed case of Legionnaires’ disease, the owner of such covered building, and the owner of any building that shares a building water system with such covered building, shall:

(a) Provide a shower hose to each occupied dwelling unit in such building;

(b) Provide the notice required by subdivision c of this section to each occupied dwelling unit of such building; and

(c) Post the notice required by subdivision c of this section at the entrance of such building and in a conspicuous location on each floor of such building.

3. The shower hose and notices required to be provided by paragraph 2 of this subdivision shall be provided until a test of the building water system does not yield a positive Legionella culture result equal to or more than 50 CFU/ml for at least 30 days after the owner of the covered building was notified of a confirmed case of Legionnaires’ disease in such building.

c. Informational materials. No later than March 1, 2023, the department shall create and post on its website a notice that may be easily printed and distributed containing information on Legionnaires’ disease, including but not limited to how the disease may be contracted, the health risks associated with contracting the disease, increased risk factors for contracting the disease and ways to prevent contracting the disease. Such notice shall include a disclaimer that any shower hose provided by an owner of a covered building has not been proven to prevent contracting Legionnaires’ disease.

§ 2. This local law takes effect 60 days after it becomes law.

 

 

 

 

 

JEF

LS #9598

11/10/2022 3:00pm