New York, NY —

With construction accidents on the rise - including another yesterday that claimed the life of a worker on the Triborough Bridge - the City Council has introduced 12 bills all aimed at making job sites safer.

One bill would give the Department of Buildings the authority to deny permits to developers who have repeatedly broken rules.

During the hearing, DOB commissioner Robert Li Mandri said he would rather focus on contractors, architects and engineers because they are the ones who apply for permits. Plus, he said knowing who the developers are can get complicated.

Li Mandri said the most helpful bill is one that requires troubled job sites to hire independent monitors at their own expense. The construction industry opposes that idea. They say many contractors are already monitoring large projects with site safety managers.

For WNYC, I'm Cindy Rodriguez.