What You Need to Know About Local Law 196

The construction industry is renowned for being laborious and dangerous. Research shows that one out of four workplace deaths in New York occurs on a construction site. NYC construction sites remain the deadliest place for workers nationwide, with a fatality rate of 11.1 per 100,000 workers.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these reported figures are accurate because their data shows that construction-related workplace deaths accounted for approximately 24 percent of fatalities on the job in New YoThis figure was also higher than the nationwide average of 21 percent.

New York passed Local Law 196 in response to rising construction-related injuries and fatalities in 2017. The DOB wanted to ensure worker safety on construction and demolition sites, prompting increased safety regulations.

What is Local Law 196 of 2017?

Local Law 196 of 2017 was designed to reduce construction-related injuries and fatalities in the city. As a result, the law requires work sites to have a site safety plan. In addition, it also states the necessity of having a site safety manager, coordinator, or construction superintendent on worksites. Moreover, the local law explicitly states that workers at specific job sites must have forty hours of safety training. Similarly, supervisors overseeing worksite safety and ensuring compliance with DOB’s Chapter 33 must also receive safety training.

It’s important to understand that workers on job sites with minor alterations don’t need site safety training. Similarly, they don’t need it if working on one, two, or three-family homes job sites. However, workers on major building construction sites must get site safety training. The NYC Department of Buildings defines construction sites as having the following characteristics:

• It is ten stories or higher
• The building has a height of 125 feet or more
• Its lot coverage exceeds 100,000 square feet
• The commissioner designates a building as a major building because of the challenges associated with its construction or demolition

What Kind of Training Do Workers Require?

Local Law 196 of 2017 requires workers to undergo an OSHA 10-hour class, 30-hour class, or a 100-hour training program by the department. These OSHA safety training programs must include an eight-hour fall prevention course and a two-hour drug and alcohol awareness program. Workers must obtain a site safety training card to work on construction sites in NYC.

Local Law 196 also allows workers to complete the training online. However, these training sessions must be actively proctored.

Penalties for Untrained Workers

Local Law 196 also introduced hefty penalties for permit holders with untrained workers on their job sites. The law states that unannounced site inspections can be randomly performed to assess compliance with the DOB’s regulations. The DOB will give civil penalties in the following instances:

• The DOB gives a $5000 penalty per untrained worker if workers don’t have the necessary site safety training.
• The DOB gives a $2500 fine for recorded violations if the permit holder doesn’t have a detailed log that shows all workers received the necessary training.