by: Adam Roberts
Over the last few years, construction sites in New York City have seen an increasing number of injuries and deaths. In response, the City Council passed Local Law 196 of 2017, which requires that workers at job sites receive 40 hours of training and supervisors receive 62 hours. This training, which includes a mixture of OSHA and NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) courses, is intended to increase knowledge of safe practices at job sites. You can check out this presentation from DOB for more information.
Anyone serving as a supervisor on a job site, including architects, must complete the training by December 1, 2019. DOB defines supervisors as Site Safety Managers, Site Safety Coordinators, Concrete Safety Managers, Construction Superintendents, and Competent Persons designated by Construction Superintendents. Those who complete the training will be given a site safety card, which must be provided to DOB inspectors during job site inspections.
AIANY strongly recommends that members seeking to serve as supervisors on job sites complete the training. Towards the end of November, AIANY will be offering site safety training and providing site safety cards. There may be future offerings of the courses after December 1, 2019, but for those currently serving as supervisors on sites, it is imperative they receive their training before the deadline. Any member who wishes to be a supervisor in the future should consider signing up as well for the site safety training courses. A registration link for AIANY-provided site safety training will be opening soon, so please be on the lookout in the coming days.
Pulse Points:
- Last week, the MTA board voted to approve a $51 billion capital plan. This is the most ambitious plan in the agency’s history, and includes the Fast Forward Plan to fix the subway, Phase II of the Second Avenue Subway, and the third track of the Long Island Railroad. While the MTA has approved spending for these purposes, it will now need to secure federal, state, and local dollars to make these projects a reality. AIANY is a strong proponent of funding the Fast Forward Plan.