New York OSHA Training

In most cases, your employer will explain whether you need an OSHA 10-hour card or an OSHA 30-hour card. Workers in the construction industry should complete construction training, and workers in most other industries should take the general industry version of the course.

OSHA's 10-hour safety course for entry-level workers gives a general overview of workplace safety and health hazards. Supervisors should complete the 30-hour course, which covers a wider range of topics that are important for anyone with safety responsibilities.

10- or 30-hour OSHA training is required for a wide range of workers in New York. While OSHA considers its Outreach training program to be voluntary, many employers in the state have made this training a mandatory job requirement.

Construction workers and supervisors in New York City, for example, need an OSHA 10 or 30 card and additional Site Safety Training to work at most major jobsites.

OSHA 10-hour training is also required for all employees, laborers and mechanics who work on New York state public works projects with contracts greater than $250,000. These workers, as well as subcontractors, must complete the 10-hour construction course before performing any work on the contract.

In addition to federal OSHA requirements, New York operates an OSHA-approved state plan that applies to state and local government employees.

The New York Public Employee Safety and Health (PESH) Act includes all OSHA standards for government employees, and it authorizes the PESH Bureau to modify or add state-specific standards for government employees.

New York PESH standards and regulations include:

• Workplace Violence Prevention (12 NYCRR Part 800.6)
• Emergency Escape and Self-Rescue Ropes and System Components for Firefighters (12 NYCRR Part 800.7)
• Permissible Exposure Limits (12 NYCRR Part 800.5)
• Right-to-Know (12 NYCRR Part 820)
• Recording and reporting of occupational injuries and illnesses (12 NYCRR Part 801)

PESH does not apply to federal government workers or private sector employees, including U.S. Postal Service employees and civilians working on military bases. These workers are covered by federal OSHA regulations.

As of March 1, 2021, Local Law 196 requires construction workers at major New York City jobsites to have an SST Worker card. This card, which requires 40 hours of training in courses approved by the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB), is needed to enter any jobsite with a Site Safety Plan.

Need to purchase Site Safety Training courses or redeem course certificates to get your SST card? Visit our partner site OSHA Education Center, a DOB-approved SST provider.

In 2017, the New York City Council passed Local Law 196, increasing safety training requirements for construction workers at most worksites in New York City. Construction and demolition workers at any NYC jobsite with a Site Safety Plan are currently required to have 40 hours of training and an SST Worker card.

To earn an SST Worker card, workers who already have an OSHA 10 card must complete 30 additional hours of SST courses. Those with an OSHA 30 card will need 10 more hours of DOB-approved training. If you completed an OSHA 10 or 30 course in the past five years, you can apply those training hours toward your 40-hour SST requirement.

Workers who are new to the NYC construction industry will need to earn an OSHA 10-hour construction card before they can start work. Then, they will need to complete 30 hours of SST courses within the next six months.