December 1st marked the deadline for certain construction workers – namely those who work at jobsites that require a construction superintendent, site safety coordinator, or site safety manager—to have completed 30 hours of mandatory OSHA site-safety training (OSHA-30). With that deadline successfully behind us, it’s time to focus on Local Law 196’s next looming deadline: September 2020.
By that date, according to the law, those workers must complete an additional 10 hours of training. Workers without the required number of site safety training hours will not be permitted to work at these sites. Most people are meeting the requirements by getting their OSHA-30 and are now focusing on getting eight hours of fall prevention training and two hours of drug and alcohol awareness training.
With this in mind, it’s important for contractors to inform and remind workers of these requirements—and now is the time to begin doing so. Efforts have been made by nonprofits like Building Skills NY to ensure that workers are getting the training they need well ahead of the deadline. We have worked closely with our partners, elected officials, and contractors and subcontractors to provide opportunities to workers throughout New York by hosting information sessions, job fairs, and training sessions.
This past year we were excited to partner with Public Housing Communities Inc. to host OSHA-30 training sessions, which helped more than 220 employees and potential employees. Many of the workers we help don’t have access to training because of the costs. Thankfully, we have been able to help several of our workers receive training free of charge. I urge other nonprofits and contractors to do the same, so we can get as many workers trained as possible.
The 10 hours of training workers must complete by September 1st, 2020 includes eight hours of fall-prevention training and two hours of drug and alcohol awareness training. The previous courses focused on OSHA standards and workplace knowledge. Waiting to check in with them until August may lead to workers not being able to enroll in courses or not having the time to finish the courses they had already started.
As you know, it is a requirement for employers to display the OSHA poster in a clear, visible place on the jobsite, so workers are aware of their rights and what is required of them as an employee. It would be in an employer’s best interest to display deadline reminders in the same area, so workers are able to see.
Over the next nine months, ensuring your employees get the additional 10 hours of training should be one of your top priorities. An employer should consider helping their employees find training opportunities and pay for them to be trained as many workers struggle to pay for it themselves. The cost will be worth it in the end as it will benefit both the employer and the employee.
We understand there is a lot to do during the work day but, employers should consider giving employees time during the day to complete the courses. We have seen one of the main reasons for workers not getting trained is not having time outside of work. Employers should do their research and find courses for their employees to enroll in. More information on available courses can be found by visiting the OSHA website.
Our priority is to ensure locally based workers have the safety training they need to gain and maintain good construction jobs. We need to come together to continue the great work we did last year to achieve the same if not better results. The plan is to continue offering opportunities for workers to get trained for free and we hope to see other organizations do the same. There is no excuse for workers not to get their additional 10 hours ahead of the deadline.
David Meade is the executive director at Building Skills New York, New York, N.Y.
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