Nearly two years after a baby died from burns caused by a malfunctioning steam radiator, the New York City Council has overwhelmingly passed a bill introduced in his memory.

Ben Z’s Law requires radiator inspections every two years in apartments and common areas where children under 6 years old live. It exempts owner-occupied units, such as co-ops and condos.

“Another child doesn’t have to die for the laws to change”

The bill’s passage with a supermajority in the City Council marks a key victory for Binyomin Zachariah Kuravsky’s parents, who have been advocating for the change since their son’s death in January 2024.

“Another child doesn’t have to die for the laws to change,” Alex Kuravsky, Binyomin’s father, said.

Councilmember Farah Louis, who sponsored Ben Z’s Law, said the process involved intense negotiations to garner support from a wide coalition of members, unions and special interest groups.

“The hardest part of this process has been working with the administration, helping them to understand that this has to be a priority,” Louis said.

Supporters gathered on the steps of City Hall before Thursday’s vote to push for change.

“Living in a rent-stabilized apartment like we do, does not mean that its maintenance and safety are ever again overlooked,” Bessie Kuravsky, Binyomin’s mother, said.

Other New Yorkers have suffered steam injuries and deaths

The issue is deeply personal for other New Yorkers, too. Alexander Pacheco recalled a radiator steam injury that left him with a prosthetic leg and burns over most of his body.

“He spent almost a year between rehab and the hospital,” Pacheco’s translator said.

Binyomin’s death in 2024 echoed an earlier tragedy.

In 2016, the Ambrose sisters died the same way in the Bronx. Then-Mayor Bill de Blasio called it “a freak accident, a series of painful coincidences.”

But a review of newspaper archives at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Center for Brooklyn History spanning more than a century revealed a long pattern of similar radiator steam deaths, including two children killed in Brooklyn in 1949, a string of child injuries and deaths in the 30’s and 20’s, and a radiator explosion dating back to 1897.

“There’s clearly a record and it’s time to change that record,” Bessie Kuravsky said.

Adams administration has reservations about signing bill, supporters say

Supporters of the bill said Mayor Eric Adams’ administration had reservations over its cost and feasibility.

A City Hall spokesperson said the Department for Housing Preservation and Development improved emergency and non-emergency inspection response times in Fiscal Year 2025. The mayor’s office suggested alternative measures that he hopes the council would consider.

A statement released by the mayor’s office reads, in part: “We look forward to working with the City Council to advance a plan that prioritizes the safety of children, their families, and all New York City renters.”

As temperatures drop, the Kuravsky family is urging parents to be alert.

“Binyomin didn’t walk into a radiator. He didn’t bump into one. He didn’t fall into one. His room steamed up to almost 300 degrees. So tell me how that’s an accident,” Alex Kuravsky said.

The bill passed with 49 votes in favor, much more than the 34 needed for a supermajority. It now heads to Adams’ desk. If he takes no action within 30 days, it will automatically be adopted. If he vetoes it, the Council can override the veto with another two-thirds vote.

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