SST Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Local Law 196 of 2017 requires Workers and Supervisors at job sites required to designate a Site Safety Professional (Construction Superintendent, Site Safety Coordinator or Site Safety Manager) to possess a Site Safety Card demonstrating they have received a minimum number of hours of Site Safety Training. Supervisors must have 62 hours and Workers must have 40 hours of training. This includes construction and demolition workers on job sites with a Construction Superintendent, Site Safety Coordinator, or Site Safety Manager.

Safety Training Required

• Construction Workers
• Demolition Workers
• Construction Superintendents (CS)
• Site Safety Coordinators (SSC)
• Site Safety Managers (SSM)
• Concrete Safety Managers (CSM)
• Competent Persons
• Journeypersons
• Forepersons
• Employees of DOB Licensees or Registrants

Yes. Workers and supervisors at job sites that are required to designate a Construction Superintendent, Site Safety Coordinator or Site Safety Manager must be trained, regardless of company size.

Yes. Workers and supervisors at job sites that are required to designate a Construction Superintendent, Site Safety Coordinator or Site Safety Manager must be trained, regardless of whether they are the general contractor or a subcontractor.

Generally, DCA-licensed Home Improvement Contractors and workers at job sites that only involve minor alterations or the construction of a new 1-, 2-, or 3-family home are not required to be trained.
Local Law 196 applies to workers and supervisors at job sites that are required to designate a Construction Superintendent, Site Safety Coordinator or Site Safety Manager.

Delivery persons, flag persons, design professionals (professional engineers/registered architects), Department-licensees and Department-registrants (excluding safety professionals) are not required to be trained.

If you fall into one of these categories but serve as a Site Safety Manager, Site Safety Coordinator, Concrete Safety Manager, Construction Superintendent or competent person, you are required to receive training. While licensees themselves do not need to be trained, employees working under their direct and continuing supervision do need to be trained.

Safety Training Not Required

• Building Site Owners
• Project Managers
• Professional Engineer (PE)
• Registered Architect (RA)
• Developers
• Delivery Persons
• Construction Managers
• Flag Persons
• General Contractors
• DOB Licensees and Registrants that are not CS, SSC, SSM, or CSM
• Concrete Testing Laboratories/Concrete Inspectors
• Filing Representatives
• Security Officers
• Special Inspectors
• Service Technicians
• Consultants

You are only considered a supervisor for the purposes of Local Law 196 if you are serving on a construction site as a Construction Superintendent, Site Safety Coordinator, Site Safety Manager, Concrete Safety Manager, or competent person.

OSHA never expires. For the purposes of SST, if an OSHA card is more than five years old, the worker may refresh their OSHA by taking either the SST Refresher Option 1 or Option 2. 

Option 1

• 4-Hour Fall Prevention and  
• 4-Hour Supported Scaffold User and Refresher  

OR   

Option 2 

• 4-Hour Fall Prevention and  
• 2-Hour ‘Tool Box Talks’ and
• 2-Hour Pre-Task Safety Meeting

You may take in-person OSHA training with an OSHA-authorized trainer or online, as long as the online training is actively proctored. Visit OSHA for a list of OSHA-authorized trainers. View the list of DOB-Approved Course Providers.

Training may be conducted in-person or in an actively proctored online format. If training is offered in an actively proctored online format, such training must comply with the following requirements:

• If conducted in-person in a classroom setting, the course provider must confirm the identification of the individual taking such training and must ensure that the site of such training is actively observed for the duration of the training.
• If the online training is not performed in person, the course provider must confirm the identification of the individual prior to providing secure access to the online training. The individual must attest that they are the individual who received the online access and that they will complete the training without assistance. The online program must have secure access and monitor participation during the course of training to ensure that the individual receiving the training is present for the entirety of the training..

DOB-approved course providers are responsible for issuing Site Safety Training Cards upon the completion of training. View a list of DOB-approved course providers.

Site Safety Training (SST) cards expire after five years. Card holders will be required to take refresher courses 12 months before the card’s expiration date to renew their SST card.

Expired Site Safety Training (SST) cards are NOT renewable. Students with expired cards MUST apply for a new card and complete ALL the required NEW SST card training.

If you have an OSHA 30-Hour Card, you need the following training:

If you have an OSHA 10-Hour Card, you need the following training:

DOB will not be issuing violations to workers. Permit holders are responsible for ensuring that workers at their sites are trained. If the Department discovers that workers at a construction site are untrained, the Department will issue a violation with civil penalties that go as high as $5,000 per untrained worker to the owner of the site, the permit holder and the employer of the untrained worker.