Press Release - Buildings

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For Immediate Release:
September 13, 2019
CONTACT: dobcommunications@buildings.nyc.gov,
(212) 393-2126

DOB "WEEK OF ACTION" AS SAFETY-TRAINING DEADLINE APPROACHES

5-Borough Outreach, Ads About December 1st Deadline for Construction Workers to Receive 30 Hours of Training

New York, NY – Today, Buildings Commissioner Melanie E. La Rocca announced the next phase of the agency’s campaign to inform the construction industry about the upcoming December 1, 2019 deadline for workers and supervisors to obtain site safety training as required under Local Law 196 of 2017. The campaign features direct DOB outreach to workers on construction sites in all five boroughs, multilingual advertisements in 30 community newspapers, and 1,000 subway ads system-wide. Starting in December, 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 8,000+ construction sites where training is required can be seen in DOB's interactive map.

“Safety training for everyone working on these site safety construction sites is a foundational building block in our shared mission to keep these sites safe for workers and the public,” said Commissioner La Rocca. “With this multi-lingual citywide campaign, we are aiming to educate not only workers, but also their employers -- who are responsible for ensuring that their workers are properly trained, and will be held accountable if their workers don’t have this life-saving safety training.”

All this week, staff from DOB’s Community Engagement Unit have been deployed across the city to engage with construction workers in the community boards with the highest concentration of construction sites where LL 196 training is required. DOB representatives were in all five boroughs this week, providing workers with multi-lingual printed materials about the upcoming site safety training deadline and answering any questions workers may have about obtaining this training from an approved course provider. In total, DOB staff visited over 500 construction sites since the beginning of this week, and will continue to hold additional outreach events through the December deadline. In addition, our new subway and print ads will be running through December 1st.

To meet the upcoming training requirements, workers and supervisors can obtain safety training from any DOB-approved course provider, which can be sorted by location using our interactive course provider map, or by taking OSHA-10 or OSHA-30 classes from an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) certified training provider. In an effort to make this training more accessible, applications are also now open for the Construction Site Safety Reimbursement Program, a one-time grant through the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) for small construction firms, with 1-15 employees, to offset the cost of site safety training.

"SBS is committed to equity of opportunity - and that includes helping our small construction businesses to keep their workers safe on the job,” said Gregg Bishop, commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services. "The one-time grants for small construction firms will help to ensure that we are providing necessary training to workers as quickly as possible."

“The DOB’s campaign will reach workers in their communities and in their language,” said Bitta Mostofi, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. “This effort will ensure that more New Yorkers – especially hard to reach immigrant New Yorkers – learn about and access life-saving safety training before the December 1st, deadline.”

"We have an obligation to prioritize safety for the people who build our city. When we passed Local Law 196 two years ago, it was a statement of commitment to the men and women who work on construction sites every day, that they will receive the training they need to stay safe on the job and come home at the end of the day. It's critical that we provide access to, information about, and opportunity to receive this vital training. This campaign is an important part of that outreach," said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams.

"The Department of Buildings' outreach and partnerships in regards to Local Law 196 demonstrates the City's continued commitment to the safety and well-being of construction workers and the public. Increased training and resources assist City officials in efforts to reduce deaths and construction accidents" said Council Member Robert E. Cornegy, Jr., chair of Housing and Buildings Committee (D-36 Brooklyn).

"Conducting outreach to New York City's construction workers, particular doing so with multilingual materials to reach immigrant workers, is essential to ensuring that workers understand this new training requirement and that employers take the steps necessary to get all of their workers trained," said Charlene Obernauer, executive director of New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH).

This is the latest phase of the Department’s ongoing initiative to inform workers, contractors, developers, and property owners of LL 196, which, when fully implemented in September 1, 2020, will require workers on major construction sites in New York City to have 40 hours of site safety training. Previous outreach and education efforts have included numerous information sessions for stakeholders in the construction industry, direct worker outreach at work sites by DOB construction inspectors, a food truck tour of construction sites citywide this summer, a detailed webpage dedicated to information on LL196 site safety training, a television broadcast PSA campaign, and direct mailings to all safety professionals and LL 196 permit holders.

For more information about construction site safety, please visit our website.