Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday signed into law Intro 1447-C, a landmark construction safety bill, which will institute mandatory construction worker safety training standards.
City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood), Deputy Leader and Chair of Council’s Housing and Buildings Committee, was the prime sponsor of the bill, and Councilmember Carlos Menchaca (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook), Chair of the Immigration Committee, was one of the measure’s main co-sponsors.
Now law, the bill mandates that workers have a cumulative total of 40-55 hours of training, phased in over time. The first 10 hours must be completed by March of 2018, 30 hours by December 1 of that year, and 40-55 within five months of that date. Extensions can be granted to the second and third milestone if necessary. A task force has been created to help facilitate the training and determine its content, in conjunction with the Department of Buildings.
“New York City is built on the ideals that every single person deserves a City whose hard-working construction workers will get the safety training they need. For the hard-hats in one of our city’s most dangerous jobs, this bill will help get them home to their families at night and keep the general public safe around construction sites,” said de Blasio.
The measure passed the City Council unanimously on Sept 27 in the wake of a continuing uptick of deaths on construction sites, including two fatal incidents in September. On Sept. 22, two men, on two separate construction sites plunged to their deaths with an additional man being taken to the hospital in critical condition. According to City reports, job construction deaths are up from 17 in the city in 2011 to 25 in 2015.
“For too long an eroded culture of safety in the industry has led to unsafe conditions, injury, and death, with developers insulated from responsibility for these tragedies. Requiring a uniform baseline amount of safety training is a long overdue and critically important measure toward having a tangible impact on worker’s well-being and beginning to correct the culture of the industry, restoring the safety of those who build this city as the top priority,” said Williams.
The Mayor signed the third iteration of the bill yesterday, which in it’s original form would have required workers to complete 59 hours of training, but opponents argued it was skewered towards the unions as it exempted members from the new training requirements, whereas day workers and independent contractors, many of whom are immigrants or minorities, often lacked the money and language skills to get training.
“Construction work is as dangerous as it is important to the city. I take very seriously the safety of workers and the public, and it is clear that big changes have to be made. The most simple and effective way we can protect our construction workers and the people around them is by providing them with quality safety training. Putting people in our community in danger for the sake of profit is completely irresponsible. I have a special responsibility to speak out on behalf of our immigrant population, in particular for immigrant workers who lack access to safety training and protections. It is our obligation to take action to end this full-blown safety crisis,” said Menchaca.
Additionally, the bill comes with a $5 million dollar city council commitment to help ensure access to the training for all workers, regardless of affiliation. The measure also escalates employers, owners and developers responsibility for construction worker safety by imposing a fine of up to $5,000 per untrained worker.
Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, representing trade unions, called the bill’s passage a historic moment in the fight for a safer workplace.
“Today’s historic bill signing represents the next chapter in the progressive fight for safer workplaces and their surrounding areas. This law is a significant step in the right direction for improving worker and public safety alike and standardizing rigorous training in New York City,” said LaBarbera.
