NYC Site Safety Training (SST) FAQs

Site Safety Training is a safety training program that is required for New York City construction workers under NYC Local Law 196. Construction and demolition workers must earn an SST Worker card or SST Supervisor card to work on any NYC jobsite with a Site Safety Plan.

Local Law 196 was signed into law in October 2017. The law requires workers and supervisors at most NYC construction sites to complete DOB-approved SST courses and ultimately earn an SST card.

Workers must complete 40 hours of training to earn an SST Worker card, and supervisors must finish 62 hours of training to earn an SST Supervisor card.

Local Law 196 training requirements apply to most construction and demolition workers at any NYC jobsite with a Site Safety Plan. Any job with a designated Construction Superintendent, Site Safety Coordinator or Site Safety Manager has a Site Safety Plan.

Workers who need Site Safety Training include:

While the majority of workers and supervisors need an SST card to enter jobsites that require Site Safety Training, there are some exceptions.

The following workers are exempt from SST:

Yes. OSHA Education Center is an OSHA-authorized training provider, and our 10- and 30-hour OSHA courses are approved by the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB).

Our online OSHA classes meet the DOB's active proctoring requirement, which states that online training must require students to attest that they are the individual who received the training and that they completed the training without assistance.

Active proctoring also monitors course participation at random times to ensure that the student is present for the entirety of the training.

No. If your worksite has a Site Safety Plan, you must meet Local Law 196 training requirements, regardless of your company size.

Yes. OSHA Education Center is operated by American Safety Council, a DOB-approved Site Safety Training course provider.

Yes. You can meet your full SST training requirements 100% online. You can log into your courses anywhere with an internet connection and work at your own pace. You can also apply for your SST card online.

Yes. Certain OSHA courses and DOB safety training courses can be applied toward your SST requirements. The DOB will only provide SST credit for approved courses that you completed in the last five years.

For a full list of courses you can receive credit for, refer to the DOB-Approved Site Safety Training Course Equivalent PDF.

Employers will not allow you to enter the jobsite without valid proof of your Site Safety Training.

A 40-hour SST Worker card is required for all construction and demolition workers who report to jobsites with a Site Safety plan. This includes workers at any job with a designated Construction Superintendent, Site Safety Coordinator or Site Safety Manager.

No. Workers must complete either the OSHA 10-hour course or the OSHA 30-hour course and then round out their remaining hours with DOB-approved SST courses. Whether you have an OSHA 10 card or OSHA 30 card, you will need 40 total hours of Site Safety Training.

If you joined the construction industry after December 1, 2019, the DOB considers you a new entrant. New entrants are required to earn an OSHA 10 card before starting work and complete another 30 hours of SST within six months.

Current workers are those who were employed in the NYC construction industry before December 1, 2019.

The following workers are considered supervisors:

• Site Safety Managers
• Site Safety Coordinators
• Concrete Safety Managers
• Construction Superintendents
• Competent Persons

If you are currently an OSHA 10 cardholder, you will need to complete the following courses to earn your SST card:

• SST 8-Hour Fall Prevention
• SST 8-Hour Site Safety
• SST 4-Hour Supported Scaffold User and Refresher
• SST 2-Hour Drug and Alcohol Awareness
• 4 hours of SST General Electives
• 4 hours of SST Special Electives

If you are currently an OSHA 30 cardholder, you will need to complete the following courses to earn your SST card:

• SST 8-Hour Fall Prevention
• SST 2-Hour Drug and Alcohol Awareness

New York City construction workers had until March 1, 2021, to earn an SST Worker card. It is now mandatory to have an SST card to work at any jobsite with a Site Safety Plan.

According to Local Law 196, you are considered a supervisor if you serve as a Construction Superintendent, Site Safety Coordinator, Site Safety Manager, Concrete Safety Manager or Competent Person.

The deadline to earn an SST Supervisor card was December 1, 2019. The DOB now requires all supervisors at NYC jobsites with a Site Safety Plan to hold an SST Supervisor card.

If you are a supervisor with an OSHA 30 card or Limited SST card, you will need to complete the following courses to earn your 62-hour SST Supervisor card:

• SST 8-Hour Fall Prevention
• SST 8-Hour Site Safety
• SST 4-Hour Supported Scaffold User and Refresher
• SST 2-Hour Drug and Alcohol Awareness
• SST 2-Hour Toolbox Talks
• SST 2-Hour Site Safety Plan
• SST 2-Hour Pre-Task Safety Meeting
• 2 hours of SST General Electives
• 2 hours of SST Special Electives

General Elective options include:

• SST 1-Hour Electrocution Prevention
• SST 1-Hour Fire Protection and Prevention
• SST 1-Hour Stairways and Ladders
• SST 1-Hour Tools — Hand and Power

Special Elective options include:

• SST 1-Hour Welding and Cutting
• SST 1-Hour Excavations
• SST 1-Hour Scaffolds — Suspended
• SST 1-Hour Concrete and Masonry

After you complete 62 hours of Site Safety Training, you can apply for your SST Supervisor card. OSHA Education Center accepts course certificates from any DOB-approved course provider. You do not need to submit certificates for any courses you completed with OSHA Education Center.

After we confirm that you completed all your required training and validate any course certificates, you will receive your SST card by mail.

Local Law 196 requires construction and demolition workers at NYC jobsites with a Site Safety Plan to complete SST training. This includes workers and supervisors at any job with a designated Construction Superintendent, Site Safety Coordinator or Site Safety Manager.

If your jobsite has a Site Safety Plan, then you will need an SST card. You can visit the DOB Site Safety Construction map to find out if your job requires an SST card. If your jobsite is listed on the map, you must meet all Local Law 196 training requirements to work there.

Yes. Certain DOB-approved courses that you completed in the last five years are eligible for SST credit hours. The DOB provides a PDF of all Approved SST Course Equivalents that lists the number of credit hours you will receive for a variety of Department-approved courses.

After you complete your required hours of SST training, you can apply for your SST card online. OSHA Education Center will review your training history and validate course certificates you completed with other training providers.

You will receive your SST Worker card or SST Supervisor card in the mail.

Yes. We can validate training certificates from any DOB-approved course provider and apply the credit toward your SST card requirements.

After you meet the DOB's training requirements for SST, you will need to provide some additional documents before you can receive your SST card.

If you completed any courses with a course provider other than OSHA Education Center, you need to provide certificates of completion for those courses. No validation is required for SST courses you completed with OSHA Education Center.

You must provide a photograph that will be printed on your SST card. You can upload a photo or take a new one during the application process.

Your photo must meet the following requirements:

• In color
• Clear and in focus
• No more than two years old
• Unaltered by computer software
• Taken in front of a plain cream or light gray background

The image must:

• Show a close-up of your head and shoulders with no other objects or people visible
• Be in clear contrast to the background
• Display no red eye or shadows
• Be between 29 and 34 millimeters high from the crown to the chin

For the photo you need to:

• Face forward and look directly into the camera
• Have a neutral/closed facial expression
• Have nothing covering your face
• Have nothing covering your head (unless it is worn for religious or medical reasons)
• Have your eyes open, visible and free from reflection or glare from glasses
• Make sure your eyes aren't covered by sunglasses, tinted glasses, glasses frames or hair

You must also provide proof of your identity, address and appearance in order to be issued an SST card.

• Option 1: Provide documents that display your address and photo, such as your New York driver license or other official photo ID card.
• Option 2: Provide one document that satisfies the photo requirement and one that satisfies the address requirement. Proof of address documents can include bills, letters or property documents.

SST cards expire after five years. You can renew your card by completing DOB-approved refresher training.