The de Blasio Administration is holding a Day of Action today, Nov. 7, to inform day laborers in the construction industry about the upcoming deadline for workers and supervisors to obtain site safety training by Dec. 1 as required under Local Law 196.
Local Law 196 of 2017 requires workers at job sites that must designate a Construction Superintendent, Site Safety Coordinator or Site Safety Manager to receive 30 hours of site safety training by December 1, 2019 and an additional 10 hours of training by September 1, 2020.
All five boroughs participated in the Day of Action. The city partnered with day laborer organizations Workers Justice Project, the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of New York, New Immigrant Community Empowerment, and La Colmena, to conduct outreach to day laborers. Many day laborers are immigrants or have newly immigrated to the city. In an effort to engage with workers, outreach was conducted at worker pick-up and drop-off locations in all five boroughs at various locations.
“Every construction worker in our city wants to return home safely at the end of each day,” said Mayor de Blasio.” My Administration is committed to ensuring that each job site is safe, and I encourage every worker to take this training that has been proven to protect both workers and the New Yorkers that live nearby.”
Starting Dec. 1, workers at major construction sites will be required to have at least 30 hours of site-safety training, and supervisors must have at least 62 hours of training. The exact locations of the 6,700+ construction sites where training is required can be seen in the NYC Department of Building’s (DOB) interactive map.
To meet the upcoming training requirements, workers and supervisors can receive safety training from any DOB-approved course provider, which can be sorted by location using the interactive course provider map, or by taking OSHA-10 or OSHA-30 classes from an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) certified training provider.
“We have an obligation to prioritize safety for the people who build our city, regardless of their affiliation. That’s why I was proud to pass Local Law 196, mandating a minimum of 40 hours of site safety training,” said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. “I’m working to pass additional legislation that, when enacted, will further expand access to that training. These efforts and days of action like this will help ensure workers are aware of and receive the training they need, and help rebuild an eroding culture of safety that starts at the top.”
In an effort to make this training more accessible to small businesses, applications are still open for the Construction Site Safety Reimbursement Program, a one-time grant through the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) to offset the cost of site safety training for small construction companies with less than 15 employees.
“Day laborers, including immigrant workers, are vital to our New York City economy,” said U.S. Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-Brooklyn, Queens, Lower Manhattan). “No working family should be kept up at night worrying about whether they will return home safely the next day.”
Previous outreach and education efforts have included information sessions for stakeholders in the construction industry, direct worker outreach at worksites by DOB construction inspectors, and direct mailings to all safety professionals and LL 196 permit holders.
“Site safety inspections are critical to keep our construction workers safe. The city’s effort to provide information to our workers, and especially those who are immigrants, will help inform about the need to be aware of construction safety issues and how to deal with them. With our large immigrant population in Sunset Park, I welcome city canvassers to our community to get the word out,” said Assistant Speaker Felix W. Ortiz (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook).
“In light of recent construction-related fatalities in New York City, it is more important than ever that we implement measures to protect all employees working in this field,” said Senator James Sanders Jr. (D-Queens). “The City’s call for a Day of Action to remind workers to get the proper training and mandate a specific amount of training are good steps in trying to curb future worker accidents.”
