The New York City’s Department of Buildings has increased its safety training requirements for many of the city’s construction workers.
According to the department, it will now require construction workers at certain job sites to complete 40 hours of safety training. Meanwhile, the safety-training requirements have been increased for supervisors to 62 hours of training. The new requirements will apply to workers at sites for which DOB requires construction superintendents, site-safety coordinators, or site-safety managers.
The new requirements will take effect in stages over the next 12 to 28 months.
In March 2018, workers were required to have at least 10 hours of safety training. By December 1, 2018, workers will be required to have 30 hours of training and supervisors will need to be trained for 62 hours. However, the deadline can be extended to June 1, 2019, says DOB. By May 1, 2019, workers will be required to have 40 hours of safety training. The deadline can be extended to September 1, 2020, if necessary, according to the state agency.
Workers can satisfy the 40-hour training requirement in a variety of ways, including taking a 30-hour safety course approved by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) plus 8 hours of training on fall prevention and two hours of training on drug and alcohol awareness, or by participating in a DOB-approved 100-hour training program of the kind typically completed by union apprentices. Details on the types of training required can be found in a recent DOB bulletin to industry stakeholders.
Safety-training course providers must be approved by DOB. Information on becoming a DOB-approved course provider can be found on the department’s website. In the coming weeks, the department will be issuing guidelines that DOB-approved course providers can use to build their curriculum for approval.
“Most construction accidents are preventable, which is why increased safety training is so important. Every worker who leaves for the job site in the morning deserves to come home safely at night. I thank Mayor de Blasio, our partners in the City Council, and the members of the Site Safety Training Task Force for their work to improve safety for workers and the public,” Buildings Commissioner Rick Chandler said in a statement.
