Safety training deadline approaches for construction workers

MTA construction workers repair subway track. Photo via MTA/Flickr.

By Jonathan Sperling

The deadline for day laborers in the construction industry to receive mandatory safety training is fast-approaching, prompting outreach from a slew of city agencies.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that Nov. 7 will serve as a day of action to inform day laborers, including immigrant workers, in the construction industry about the Dec. 1 deadline for workers and supervisors to obtain site safety training, which is required under Local Law 196.

On that day, the Mayor’s Office will direct city agencies, in partnership with day laborer organizations and community organizations, to conduct outreach to laborers at pick-up and drop-off locations across all five boroughs.

Starting Dec. 1, workers at major construction sites are required to have at least 30 hours of safety training, while supervisors must have at least 62 hours of training. Locations of the more than 6,700 construction sites are available on the NYC Department of Building’s interactive map at nyc.gov/assets/buildings/html/site-safety-construction-map.

Both workers and supervisors can obtain safety training from any DOB-approved course provider, which can be sorted by location using the course provider map, or by taking OSHA-10 or OSHA-30 classes from an Occupational Safety and Health Administration certified training provider.

The community organizations involved in the outreach include 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.

“This Day of Action will engage day laborers, including immigrant workers, on the new training requirements that will keep New York City worksites safer for all,” said Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Bitta Mostofi.

“Immigrant workers are an integral part of our workforce and economy, and we look forward to working with community organizations to ensure they know how and where they obtain this critical safety training.”

The city encourages construction workers to visit nyc.gov/nycsafety for more information about site safety training.