NYC construction safety training requirements extended 6 months
They’re dragging their feet again. The New York City Council recently extended a deadline for construction workers to complete new safety training. The new deadline is December 1st, but the bill also gives the Department of Buildings the authority to extend the deadline yet another six months.
The lack of legislative momentum goes back to at least 2017, when the council approved a law requiring safety instruction by either the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or a 100-hour program approved by DOB.
The DOB extended the first deadline to June 1st in November because of “insufficient resources” among training providers. Thanks to the latest delay, the deadline to meet the full requirements of the law has been pushed back to Sept. 1st, 2020.
The Sense of Urgency Is Real
In the meantime, construction workers are dying. 2018 saw at least a dozen construction workers killed on the job in New York City – yet only one death was reported to DOB, even though landlords are legally required to do so. Falling debris crushed Over Paredes to death at a construction site at 859 Myrtle Ave. in Brooklyn. The family of the 44-year-old father of four claimed the site was not safe.
More recently, three construction workers died during the same week in April. Their deaths led Councilor Robert Cornegy Jr. to vow that the delayed safety training law would be implemented and enforced. That promise comes too late for the families of the latest victims, who ranged in age, from 23 to 51.
As an Injured Worker, You Have Rights
If you’ve been injured in a New York City construction site accident – or tragically, your family has suffered the loss of a loved one – who can you turn to? As already noted, the government moves too slowly and employers don’t move at all unless they are forced to. And they will probably blame you for the accident. You’ve been seriously injured or suffered a tremendous loss. Bills are piling up. You need answers about workers’ compensation, your rights as a union member, Social Security disability and other legal assistance.
For more than 80 years, the workers’ compensation and personal injury attorneys at Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano, LLP have been fighting for the rights of injured New York workers. With a dozen offices, the firm has the resources to challenge government bureaucracy, cut through red tape and take on the employers and their insurance companies, whose only interest is paying you as little as possible.
Too much is at stake – a stable future for you and your family. Contact us today for a free consultation.