What is New York City Local Law 196?
2017 was a tragic year in the construction industry for New York City and all over the United States. Ten people died in falling-related accidents on construction sites in 2017, according to reports filed with New York City’s Department of Buildings.
New York City Council proposed Local Law 196 in 2017 to prevent additional worksite fatalities. In October 2017, the measure was signed into law, gradually phasing in more robust workplace safety rules.
Who Needs to Comply?
All construction and demolition workers on site-safety jobs in New York City.
Safety & Health Training Required
- As of December 1st, 2018, for all new workers needed to have either the OSHA 30 Hour or the OSHA 10 Hour plus 20 additional hours worth of training.
- 10 hours of construction safety training for all workers at construction and demolition jobsites in NYC in order to receive a temporary SST card.
- Next, employees will have 6 months to get an additional 20 hours of training.
- All supervisors needed 62 hour of training by December 1st, 2018.
- Site Safety Training Cards to be issued to workers, and for workers and supervisors to take specialized courses approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
- To view all deadlines, visit New York City’s website by clicking here for more information on the Site Safety Training Curriculum.
*Update: Training deadline for NYC Local Law 196 extended.
What are the penalties if I don’t follow NYC Local Law 196?
If inspectors with the Department of Building find untrained workers where they shouldn’t be, they will not only issue a violation to the General Contractor who holds the permit, with an associated civil penalty of up to $5,000 for each untrained worker, they will issue similar violations to the owners of the property as well as the employer of the untrained worker.
That could mean as much as $15,000 in associated penalties for each untrained worker found at the site.
