New York City Publishes New Construction Industry Site Safety Guidelines

New York City is one of the most active construction cities in the world. This can mean big business for individuals and organizations involved in construction, but it can also mean a lot of confusion given how many rules and regulations the state and city of New York implement to ensure the building process is safe. Recently, the New York City Department of Buildings (NYDOB) published a list of additional course requirements that workers and supervisors in the construction industry in New York will need to satisfy in order to meet site safety standards.

Included in the NYDOB’s recent update are course topics that workers and supervisors may use to satisfy training requirements. The NYDOB also makes a list of these approved course training requirements and topics available online through its website.

Why did this recent update come out? Recently, the City of New York passed a new law, Local Law 196, which amended the city’s administrative code so it now reads:

• 22-509 Construction site safety training courses. The department, or an agency or office designated by the mayor, shall by March 1, 2018 develop a program to provide equal access to construction site safety training required by section 3321 of the New York city building code. Such program shall address the needs of individuals who do not have equal access to such training.

It is important to note that these training requirements have not all immediately kicked in and that instead they are designed to be slowly implemented over the course of the next 28 months. Eventually, they will require construction supervisors to complete 62 hours of training and require workers to complete 40 hours of training. The first stage of implementation kicked in in March 2018, and required workers to complete at least 10 hours of this site safety training. The next deadline is quickly approaching, December 2018, and will require workers to have completed at least 30 hours of training by that deadline and supervisors have completed all of their training by that time. Workers will have until June 2019 to complete the remaining 10 hours of their training.

Since the deadline for supervisors to complete all of their training is quickly approaching, it is helpful to review what training topics supervisors must have completed by December:

• 4-Hour Supported Scaffold User
• 8-Hour Site Safety Manager Refresher Training
• 8-Hour Fall Prevention Training
• 30-Hour OSHA Health and Safety Program

Meanwhile, workers have several options to successfully complete their December training requirements:

• Complete a DOB-approved apprenticeship program (100-hour training course)
• Complete a 30-hour OSHA Construction Health and Safety program
• Complete a 10-Hour OSHA Construction Health and Safety program and 20 additional credits, which can include a 4-Hour Supported Scaffold User Training, an 8-Hour Site Safety Manager Refresher Training, and an 8-Hour Fall Protection Training

At Scaffidi & Associates, we represent many construction clients in New York City. We keep abreast of changes in laws and regulations affecting this dynamic industry and are committed to ensuring our clients receive all the information they need to stay in compliance with industry regulations and requirements. If you have questions about complying with these requirements or any other construction law matter, contact our firm today to discuss your options.

Posted in: Construction Law