In just a few days – March 1- New York City construction workers will need to have completed 10 hours of additional training in order to obtain a required Site Safety Training (SST) card.
Initially, workers were expected to complete this requirement by Sept. 1, 2020, but the challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic made that difficult to achieve. The City was on lockdown, so workers were unable to attend in-person classes and virtual SST courses were hard to come by.
In addition, online courses required a reliable internet connection and access to a computer or handheld device for a full 10 hours – something not everyone has. Building Skills and other workforce development groups asked the Department of Buildings (DOB) to extend the deadline, which was moved to March 1, 2021 to provide workers more time to complete this requirement.
Building Skills and its partners are committed to helping workers complete their additional hours of training. We recognize that this seems like a big lift, but safety is of the utmost importance and the additional training courses has proven to be effective. Since 2018, when the City first required training courses, there has been a 34 percent decrease in construction-related injuries in the five boroughs – dropping from 761 injuries in 2018 to 502 in 2020. Data also show that construction-related fatalities have decreased by 33 percent since 2018.
Staying safe on the jobsite should be your top priority, of course, but getting an SST card is also a guaranteed way to maintain job security. That’s good for workers and their families, and also is essential to the ongoing economic recovery effort for the City as a whole.
Overall, SST is beneficial for workers and the industry alike. It’s important you make sure you’re on track to meet the March 1st deadline. If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to Building Skills. We’re here to help.