New York City Now Requires Construction Safety Training to Include Mental Health and Substance Abuse Awareness

Quick Hits

• Covered construction industry supervisors and workers in New York City must now complete at least two site safety training (SST) training credits focused on mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention as part of their existing minimum training requirements (at least forty hours for workers, and sixty-two hours for supervisors).
• The legislation applies to all individuals holding SST cards, which includes construction and demolition workers, site supervisors, site safety managers, and coordinators.
• The law takes effect 120 days after enactment.

The legislation expands the scope of required safety training for most major construction projects in New York City by integrating mental health and wellness topics into the SST training framework. Covered workers and supervisors must now complete at least two SST credits addressing mental health awareness, alcohol and substance misuse, and suicide risk and prevention as part of their required training. Completion of this training is a condition of obtaining or renewing their SST cards.

Employers with workers or supervisors subject to SST requirements may want to consider preparing for compliance by:

• staying up to date on the latest DOB rules, bulletins, and guidance;
• ensuring that all covered workers and supervisors are on track to complete the new training credits through DOB-approved SST training providers;
• reviewing employee onboarding materials, training policies, and contract documents to reflect the new requirements; and 
• integrating the new training requirements and compliance policies with current programs relating to mental health, substance abuse, and suicide risk.

For more information on suicide prevention in the construction industry, and practical tips and resources, please listen to our podcast, “Dirty Steel-Toe Boots, Episode 11: Death by Suicide in the Construction Industry.”

Ogletree Deakins’ New York City office, Drug Testing Practice Group, Workplace Safety and Health Practice Group, and Workplace Violence Prevention Practice Group will continue to monitor developments and will post updates on the Construction, Drug Testing, New York, Workplace Safety and Health, and Workplace Violence Prevention blogs as additional information becomes available.

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