New York City is taking construction safety and wellbeing to a new level thanks to “landmark legislation” that intends to address suicide risk and preventative training for the construction industry in the state.
The legislation proposes that construction workers and supervisors carrying Site Safety Training (SST) cards on sites that require building permits complete additional training dedicated to mental health and wellness, including suicide risk and prevention as well as substance misuse education, to help tradespeople recognize warning signs of mental health problems.
Elizabeth Crowley, president and CEO of the Building Trades Employers Association (BTEA), asserts that mental health training is “incredibly important,” as the construction industry is a microcosm of a society facing a mental health epidemic. “We have to become more comfortable talking with one another about mental health,” she said.
The BTEA is the umbrella organization for union-affiliated construction contractors in New York City and represents more than two dozen contractor associations working with unionized labourers.
If passed—which is likely—the legislation will require union and non-union projects alike to receive at least two hours of dedicated instruction on mental health and the related risks. This follows up Local Law 196, which was passed in 2017 and changed safety training requirements for construction and demolition workers by mandating the completion of 40 hours of training to obtain an SST card. The current legislation would add mental health training.
Another piece of legislation has also been introduced to require all construction sites be equipped with Naloxone, which the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will train safety professionals on.
