New York City proposes requiring construction workers to complete mental health and wellness training as part of Site Safety Training, addressing suicide prevention and substance misuse awareness on jobsites.
A separate bill would require construction sites to carry free Naloxone kits and train workers to respond to opioid overdoses under the city’s health department guidance.
The Building Trades Employers Association says excessive regulation and high insurance costs hinder affordable housing construction, calling for reforms to accelerate development and control litigation expenses.
Landmark legislation introduced in New York City would require construction workers and supervisors holding Site Safety Training (SST) cards, which are mandatory for worksites requiring building permits, to complete supplemental training focused on mental health and wellness.
The additional instruction would cover suicide prevention, alcohol and substance misuse, and recognizing warning signs among colleagues who may be struggling or in crisis. The goal, says Elizabeth Crowley, president and CEO of the Building Trades Employers Association (BTEA), is to help tradespeople support one another in an industry facing widespread mental health challenges.
“Mental health training is incredibly important,” Crowley says. “We have to become more comfortable talking with one another about mental health.”
The BTEA represents more than two dozen contractor associations across union-affiliated construction firms in New York City. If approved, the new law would mandate at least two hours of dedicated instruction on mental health for both union and non-union projects.
Addressing alcohol and substance misuse, preventing suicide, and understanding how to intervene are essential, Crowley adds. She is optimistic the bill will pass this fall, citing strong support from both the city council and the mayor’s office.
The measure builds on Local Law 196, enacted in 2017, which redefined safety training standards for construction and demolition workers. That law requires workers on jobsites with a Site Safety Plan to complete 40 hours of training to earn an SST Worker Card. The new legislation would add mental health training to those requirements.
“Tens of thousands of workers complete safety training each year to receive SST cards from the Department of Buildings,” Crowley notes.
Another newly introduced bill would require all construction sites to stock Naloxone, a medication that quickly reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) would train site safety professionals and construction workers in its use.
“We’ve had an epidemic of substance abuse, especially opioids, for the past several years,” Crowley says. The DOHMH would provide five opioid antagonist kits at no cost to every major building construction site for use in overdose emergencies.
Crowley also pointed to another urgent challenge: New York City’s affordable housing shortage. She said recent reports showing fewer affordable housing units built in blue states compared to red states reflect, in part, excessive local regulation.
“We want to cut the red tape and make sure thought leaders in this city are coming together to build our way into the future,” she says.
Despite regulatory obstacles, she noted strong progress in other areas. At John F. Kennedy International Airport, for example, $24 billion has been committed to redevelopment, including $9.5 billion for a new Terminal One.
Still, Crowley says high construction insurance costs continue to burden projects citywide. Settlements in New York can be up to six times higher than elsewhere in the country. “We need the legislature to address that this is a litigation state and how it trickles down to every household paying the equivalent of $7,000 annually in insurance settlement claims,” she says.
Those findings are detailed in a report titled Excessive Litigation is Driving New York’s Affordability Crisis, published by the Partnership for New York City.
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