New Safety Measures After New York City Rock-Blasting Mishap

Transit officials have come up with new safety measures as the result of a controlled blast last month that sent rocks flying into Manhattan streets.

Construction workers were blasting on Aug. 21 to create an escalator for the planned Second Avenue subway line. The debris rained when two 1,800-pound steel plates were lifted.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says a superintendent will now have to sign off on a pre-blast checklist.

A second licensed blaster will verify that proper preparations have been made.

A double layer of protective mats will be used when blasting in shafts.

Blasting will resume this week at the ancillary shaft where the incident occurred.