New York City's Site Safety Training law is the reason "sst card nyc" is a search term. If your crew works on larger NYC jobs, everyone needs an SST card, and unlike a federal OSHA card, it expires.
Who needs an SST card
Under Local Law 196 of 2017, workers on any site that requires a Site Safety Plan and a designated construction superintendent, site safety coordinator or site safety manager must hold a valid SST card:
- Workers: an SST card showing at least 40 hours of DOB-defined safety training.
- Supervisors (site safety managers and coordinators, construction superintendents, competent persons): a Supervisor SST card with at least 62 hours.
Cards are issued only through DOB-registered course providers.
Getting to 40 hours with OSHA 30
The DOB's FAQ lays out the most common path: a 30-hour OSHA card less than five years old, plus 8 hours of Fall Prevention and a 2-hour course gives 40 hours. Under Local Law 10 of 2026, that 2-hour course is Mental Health Awareness, which replaced Drug and Alcohol Awareness for new cards after August 1, 2026. Holders of active SST cards don't need to take it. Since May 3, 2026, the 40-Hour Site Safety course also counts as an equivalent to OSHA 30, with the same five-year look-back.
If the OSHA 30 is older than five years, it no longer counts toward a new SST card, and the worker needs OSHA refresher courses or a new OSHA 30.
Expiry and renewal
- An SST card is valid for five years from issue.
- Renewal requires the SST refresher training within the 12 months before renewal: 8 hours for workers and 16 hours for supervisors, from a DOB-registered provider.
- Grace period: for cards expiring on or after May 3, 2026, NYC allows renewal up to one year after expiry. During the grace period the expired card cannot be used on a job site. After the grace period ends, the worker must apply for a new card.
How contractors stay ahead
- Record each SST card's expiry date (it is printed on the card and shown in the DOB's Training Connect app).
- Start refreshers at least 60 days before expiry. Classes fill up, and the renewed card has to be issued before the old one expires if the worker is to stay on site.
- Track the OSHA 30 date separately for anyone planning to get a new card, because of the five-year look-back.
The OSHA card tracker has an "NYC SST card" type, so you can enter the expiry once and get reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days.
Which sites trigger the SST requirement
The SST requirement follows the site, not the worker's trade. Under Local Law 196, a site is covered when the Building Code requires a Site Safety Plan and a designated construction superintendent, site safety coordinator or site safety manager. In practice that includes:
- Most new buildings and major alterations of larger buildings, where a Site Safety Plan is required.
- Jobs where the DOB requires a construction superintendent to be designated.
- Major demolition and many façade and structural projects on larger buildings.
Small interior jobs, minor alterations and many one- and two-family home projects often fall outside the requirement, but do not guess. The permit documents and the Site Safety Plan tell you whether the site is covered. When in doubt, ask the construction superintendent or site safety manager.
Who counts as a supervisor for SST
The 62-hour Supervisor SST card is required for:
- Site safety managers and site safety coordinators.
- Construction superintendents.
- Competent persons, as defined in the Building Code, such as those overseeing scaffolds, excavation or other regulated work.
A foreman who is not designated in one of those roles generally needs the 40-hour worker card, though many contractors give foremen the supervisor card anyway so they can step into a competent-person role when needed.
Planning the hours
The cheapest path depends on what training the worker already has. The OSHA 30 path is the most common because many workers have the card already.
| Worker's starting point | Typical path to a 40-hour SST card |
|---|---|
| OSHA 30 Construction, under five years old | OSHA 30 + 8-hour Fall Prevention + 2-hour Mental Health Awareness |
| 40-hour Site Safety course (since May 3, 2026) | Counts as an equivalent to OSHA 30, with the same five-year look-back |
| OSHA 30 older than five years | OSHA refresher courses or a new OSHA 30, then the remaining courses |
| OSHA 10 only | Additional DOB-approved courses to reach 40 hours; ask a DOB-registered provider for the current breakdown |
| No prior training | A full 40-hour SST worker program from a DOB-registered provider |
The DOB's course requirements change from time to time, and Local Law 10 of 2026 is a recent example. Always confirm the current list with a DOB-registered course provider before enrolling a crew.
How workers prove they have a card
Workers must carry their SST card on site. The DOB's Training Connect app shows each worker's SST credential, and site safety staff check cards at entry on many jobs. For a contractor, that means two things:
- The worker must have the physical card or digital credential on them.
- Your office should have its own record of each card's number and expiry date, so you know when renewals are coming.
Renewal timing, worked out
Renewal needs the refresher training within the 12 months before renewal, then a new card from the provider. If you start too late, a worker can be off site between expiry and the new card.
| Card expiry | Refresher window opens | Book refresher by | Risk if late |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 15, 2027 | March 15, 2026 | January 2027 | Worker cannot be on site after March 15 until renewed |
| September 1, 2027 | September 1, 2026 | July 2027 | Same; grace period allows renewal, not site work |
The grace period, for cards expiring on or after May 3, 2026, lets a worker renew up to a year after expiry instead of starting from scratch. It does not let them work on site with the expired card.
Costs to plan for
SST course prices vary by provider. Plan for:
- The 8-hour Fall Prevention course and the 2-hour Mental Health Awareness course for workers with OSHA 30.
- A full 40-hour or 62-hour program for workers with little prior training.
- The 8-hour (worker) or 16-hour (supervisor) refresher every five years.
- Paid time, which is usually the bigger cost.
Ask providers whether classes are offered in Spanish and other languages. Many DOB-registered providers teach SST in Spanish, which helps crews understand the material and pass the assessments.
Common SST mistakes
- Assuming OSHA 30 is enough. It counts for 30 of the 40 hours only if it is under five years old.
- Waiting for the expiry date. The grace period does not allow site work.
- Not tracking the OSHA 30 date. A worker planning a new SST card needs an OSHA 30 under five years old.
- Mixing up state and city rules. New York State's OSHA 10 rule for public work has no renewal. The city's SST card does. See the New York OSHA 10 guide.
- Assuming new courses don't apply. Local Law 10 of 2026 replaced Drug and Alcohol Awareness with Mental Health Awareness for new cards after August 1, 2026.
An SST checklist for NYC contractors
- Check whether each site requires a Site Safety Plan and designated superintendent, coordinator or manager.
- For every worker, record SST card type (worker or supervisor), card number and expiry.
- For anyone without SST, record the OSHA 30 completion date to see if it still counts.
- Book refreshers at least 60 days before expiry.
- Confirm current course requirements with a DOB-registered provider.
- Keep cards and records ready for site safety staff and DOB inspectors.
The state requirements checker shows NYC alongside other jurisdictions, and do OSHA cards expire? explains why the SST card is different from a federal OSHA card.
What to record for every SST card holder
Keep these fields together for each worker on NYC jobs, so renewals and site checks never depend on someone's memory:
- Worker name and role: worker, or supervisor such as site safety manager, coordinator, superintendent or competent person.
- SST card type: 40-hour worker or 62-hour supervisor.
- SST card number and expiry date, which is five years after issue.
- The DOB-registered provider that issued the card.
- OSHA 30 completion date, if the worker used it toward the card, because of the five-year look-back.
- Refresher completion date and hours: 8 for workers, 16 for supervisors.
- Which sites they are assigned to, and whether those sites require SST.
With these in one list, the office can see 60 days ahead who needs a refresher, and the foreman can answer a site safety manager's question at the gate in seconds. The crew card tracker guide shows how to set this up, and the tracker has an "NYC SST card" type that sends reminders automatically.