NYC SST Card: What is it and How do You Get One?
What Is an SST Card in NYC?
An SST card (sometimes called SST certification) is proof that someone has completed the safety training required for construction and demolition workers on certain job sites by the New York City Department of Buildings (NYC DOB).
What Does SST Stand For?
SST stands for Site Safety Training.
Are There Different Types of SST Cards?
Yes, but most of them are no longer relevant. Site Safety Training cards were put into place by Local Law 196, passed in 2017. The law provided for a phase-in period that included Temporary and Limited SST cards by certain deadlines.
The transition period ended on March 1, 2021, however, so now everyone needs a full SST card. Workers with certain supervisory responsibilities need a 62-hour SST Supervisor card. Everyone else needs a 40-hour SST Worker card.
Are OSHA & SST Cards the Same?
SST cards are different from OSHA 10/30 cards (also called Department of Labor or DOL cards). The biggest difference is that an SST card requires more training hours.
However, completing OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 training is an integral part of your SST card's training hours.
Who Needs a Site Safety Training Card?
SST certification is required to work in construction or demolition at most major worksites in all five boroughs of New York City.
Specifically, construction and demolition workers on any job site that requires a Site Safety Plan (SSP) must have an SST card appropriate for their role. If a job site has a Construction Superintendent (CS), Site Safety Coordinator (SSC), or Site Safety Manager (SSM), it's an SSP job site.
Who Needs an SST Supervisor Card?
You need the 62-hour Supervisor card if you're a Site Safety Manager, Site Safety Coordinator, Concrete Safety Manager, Construction Superintendent, or a Competent Person designated by the Construction Superintendent.
Everyone else just needs the 40-hour SST Worker card, including foremen or team leads who don't hold a qualifying title.
Do Small Companies and Independent Subcontractors Need SST Training?
If a worker is going to be performing construction or demolition on a site that requires SST certification, then it doesn't matter who they technically work for or how big their company is.
Every single construction or demolition worker on a qualifying job site must hold an NYC SST card.
Is Anyone Exempt from the OSHA/SST Card Requirement?
It's always best to check whether you're truly exempt from your employer or the NYC DOB.
However, there are two groups that generally don't require SST certification.
Certain individuals who work on an affected site but aren't construction or demolition workers may be exempt from SST training. Example job titles include flag persons, delivery persons, security officers, inspectors, service technicians, project managers, professional engineers, registered architects, and site owners.
Additionally, if you're a construction or demolition worker who only works on sites that don't require an SSP, you won't require an SST card. However, this limits you to the construction or minor alteration of 1-, 2-, and 3-family homes. Most DCA-licensed Home Improvement Contractors fall under this exemption.
How Do You Get an NYC SST Card?
To earn an SST card, you need to complete the appropriate level of training for your role with a DOB-approved training provider (like us!).
After you've completed all the coursework with a passing grade, your training provider will issue your Site Safety Training card.
What Courses Do I Need To Earn My SST Certification?
Construction workers who were seeking an SST card during the transition period actually had a few options, but if you didn't earn an SST card by March 1, 2021, you probably qualify as a "new entrant."
Any new non-supervisory construction worker needs to take:
- OSHA 10 course (OSHA-authorized and actively proctored)
- Plus DOB-approved:
- 8-Hour Fall Prevention
- 8-Hour Site Safety Manager Refresher / Chapter 33
- 4-Hour Supported Scaffold
- 2-Hour Drug and Alcohol Awareness
- 4 hours of General Electives
- 4 hours of Special Electives
For the easiest experience and lowest price, you can get online training packages that include everything a new entrant needs. This new entrant package includes useful electives on topics like power tools, sun exposure, electrocution, proper lifting techniques, confined space entry, and more.
Anyone who needs an SST Supervisor card needs to take:
- OSHA 30 course (OSHA-authorized and actively proctored)
- Plus DOB-approved:
- 8-Hour Fall Prevention
- 4-Hour Supported Scaffold
- 2-Hour Drug and Alcohol Awareness
- 2 hours of General Electives
- 2 hours of Special Electives
As with the worker cards, you can get all-inclusive 62-hour supervisor packages with helpful DOB-approved electives.
Do You Need to Complete All Training Before You Begin Work?
If you're a new entrant earning an SST Worker card, you need to complete the OSHA 10 course before you begin working on a relevant job site. The remaining 30 hours of training need to be completed within six months.
What are the Renewal Requirements for Site Safety Training Certification?
SST cards will have to be refreshed every 5 years.
Workers will need an 8-hour refresher, while supervisors need a 16-hour refresher.
How Much Does an SST Card Cost?
An NYC SST card's price will depend on the vendor, what kind of package you need, and whether the training is delivered online or in the classroom.
Online training is self-paced, convenient, and typically the least expensive option. On average online training costs $500.
If you have an OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 card that you've earned within the last 5 years, it can count toward your SST hours and allow you to opt for a cheaper package.
Finally, vendors often bundle courses together for a lower cost, but if you want to choose the perfect combination of electives for you, some vendors allow you to buy courses "a la carte."
As an OSHA-authorized and DOB-approved online training provider, we offer a variety of packages and a la carte options for SST certification.
