What Does OSHA 40 Mean in NYC Construction?

If you work in construction in New York City, someone has probably told you that you need your OSHA 40. Maybe it was a site manager, a coworker, or a job posting that led you to search for a course that does not seem to exist under that exact name.

That is because OSHA 40 is not an official course. Federal OSHA only authorizes two training programs, the 10-hour and the 30-hour. There is no Department of Labor card called OSHA 40 and no federal program by that name. So the simple answer is that there is no official OSHA 40-hour course.

What people are referring to is the NYC 40-Hour Site Safety Training, and understanding this helps avoid confusion, wasted time, and unnecessary costs.

What People Mean When They Say OSHA 40

People use the term OSHA 40 because 10-hour and the 30-hour are already familiar in the industry. So when New York City introduced a 40-hour requirement, it naturally started being called OSHA 40.

This requirement comes from Local Law 196 of 2017 and is managed by the NYC Department of Buildings, not federal OSHA. It applies to construction and demolition workers on job sites that require a Site Safety Plan.

In reality, what is needed is a valid Site Safety Training Worker card for these job sites.

The correct name is the NYC 40-Hour Site Safety Training. The card is tracked in the city’s Training Connect system, is valid for five years, and must be carried on NYC job sites.

What the NYC 40-Hour Site Safety Training Includes

The 40-Hour SST is not a single course. It is made up of two parts that together complete the requirement.

The first is OSHA 30 Construction, which covers 30 hours of training. It includes job site hazards, fall protection, safety responsibilities, and compliance. It results in a federal OSHA DOL card recognized nationwide and counts toward NYC DOB requirements.

If you are wondering whether OSHA 30 counts toward the requirement, it does and covers 30 hours.

The second part is the NYC 10-hour SST, which covers the remaining 10 hours. This includes 8 hours of Fall Prevention and 2 hours of Drug and Alcohol Awareness, both approved by the NYC Department of Buildings.

Together, these make up the full 40-hour requirement needed for the SST Worker card.

OSHA 30 Card and SST Card Are Not the Same Thing

This is where confusion usually happens. The OSHA 30 card is a federal credential accepted across the United States. The SST Worker card is a New York City requirement for specific job sites.

OSHA 30 refers to the federal safety training that leads to the OSHA 30 card, while “OSHA 40” is an informal term used to describe the full NYC SST requirement that leads to the SST Worker card.

Both OSHA 30 and the 10-hour SST are required for major construction projects in NYC. If you already have a valid OSHA 30 card issued within the past five years, you only need the 10-hour SST courses. If not, you need the full 40-hour SST to receive the Worker Connect Site Safety card.

The SST Worker card is valid for five years, and a refresher is required before it expires.

Get NYC 40-Hour SST Through OSHA Training School

OSHA Training School offers NYC SST 40-Hour training online, approved by the NYC Department of Buildings and available in English and Spanish. Whether you need the full training or just the 10-hour SST portion, everything is available in one place.

This training is fully online and self-paced, allowing students to complete it within six months at their own convenience.

You may be asking if online Site Safety Training is legitimate and whether it will be accepted for the SST Worker card. The answer is yes. When completed through an authorized provider like OSHA Training School, the training is fully valid and results in both your OSHA card and your SST Worker card.

Get the right training the first time and avoid unnecessary delays on NYC job sites. Start your NYC 40-Hour SST training today with us and get your OSHA 30 and SST Worker cards.