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Posted on: February 2, 2023
HAZWOPER 40 vs NYC SST 40-hour: What Does OSHA 40 Mean?
If you got here through an online search for "OSHA 40," "40-hour OSHA," or "OSHA training 40-hour," you could be looking for one of a few things.
If you're a supervisor looking for a DOL card, you probably misremembered the course number you were looking for. If your work involves handling hazardous waste, you might have the "OSHA" part wrong (but it's understandable). If you work in construction in New York City, you might be looking for the city's OSHA training equivalent – the Department of Buildings' Site Safety Training (NYC DOB SST) course.
Confused yet? No worries, we'll clear everything up and help you find exactly what you're looking for.
What is OSHA 40 Training?
There's no official course called OSHA 40 or 40-hour OSHA training.
When people say OSHA 40, they typically mean either HAZWOPER 40 or OSHA 30. But if you're in New York, you may even mean the NYC SST 40 card – it's can be partially fulfilled with an OSHA 30 card, so it is sometimes thought of as "OSHA 40 NYC."
Is OSHA 40 the same as OSHA 30?
No – and if you're talking about OSHA 40 vs. OSHA 30, you're talking about HAZWOPER 40 vs. OSHA 30.
It can be unclear because the HAZWOPER standard is written and enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). As a result, calling HAZWOPER 40 something like the "40-hour OSHA/HAZWOPER" course isn't wrong.
To make matters more complex, an OSHA 30 course does exist and covers an entirely separate curriculum.
The "OSHA [hour-number]" naming formula is used for OSHA Outreach courses, which are sometimes referred to as OSHA cards or DOL cards. These courses provide basic awareness training for occupational safety in a particular industry.
OSHA 10 is the course for regular workers, and OSHA 30 is for anyone with supervisory duties. When you complete one of these courses, you get a durable plastic wallet card – issued by the Department of Labor or DOL – as proof of training.
OSHA doesn't require OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 cards, but some states or local jurisdictions make them mandatory. OSHA sets the curriculum and authorizes certain third-party training providers (like us). If you need your DOL card, we have online OSHA 10/30 courses for Construction and General Industry (in English and Spanish).
What is HAZWOPER 40 Training?
HAZWOPER stands for HAZardous Waste OPerations and Emergency Response. It's an OSHA standard designed for workers who clean up, treat, store, and dispose of hazardous waste.
OSHA requires some level of HAZWOPER training for three specific categories of workers:
- Emergency responders
- Operators at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites
- Workers at Treatment, Storage, and Disposal (TSD) facilities
However, it can benefit workers in any role that face hazardous conditions like:
- High concentrations of toxic substances
- Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) environments
- Conditions that pose a fire or explosion hazard
- Oxygen-deficient atmospheres
There are actually two different levels of initial training – HAZWOPER 24 and HAZWOPER 40 – plus an 8-hour refresher (HAZWOPER 8) that everyone needs to take once a year after they complete their initial training.
Supervisors also need to take the same HAZWOPER training as their workers.
Who Needs HAZWOPER 40 Training?
According to §1910.120(e)(3)(i):
General site workers (such as equipment operators, general laborers and supervisory personnel) engaged in hazardous substance removal or other activities which expose or potentially expose workers to hazardous substances and health hazards shall receive a minimum of 40 hours of instruction off the site, and a minimum of three days actual field experience under the direct supervision of a trained, experienced supervisor.
But really, the question of which initial training you need comes down to the level of risk.
You need HAZWOPER 40 as initial training if your role will involve:
- Working with and cleaning up hazardous materials regularly
- The storage and treatment of hazardous substances
- Exposure at or above Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs)
- Working in environments where you need respirators and other personal protective equipment (PPE) for more than 30 days a year
- Supervise employees who do any of the above
If your level of contact with hazardous materials will fall short of these benchmarks, you need HAZWOPER 24, instead.
We offer all types of HAZWOPER training in English and Spanish.
HAZWOPER 40-hour Course
What is OSHA NYC SST 40-hour Training?
One final training option could be mistakenly called OSHA 40, and that's NYC SST 40-hour training (short for New York City Site Safety Training). NYC SST training is mandatory for construction workers if they want to participate in almost any kind of construction in the city.
"OSHA" is so synonymous with job safety training that SST training is sometimes thought of as "OSHA 40 NYC."
The association between SST and OSHA is even more vital for a few other reasons. SST training was only introduced by a local law passed in 2017, and it took several years to phase in. Before that, NYC construction workers were required to have a DOL card, so the OSHA 10/30 cards were very familiar to everyone. Finally, you can use an OSHA 30 card as a starting point for fulfilling your SST requirements.
Put all that together, and no wonder people think of OSHA when they mean NYC DOB SST training.
NYC SST: 40 Hour Site Safety Training for New Entrants
NYC SST: 40 Hour Site Safety Training for Workers
Who Needs OSHA NYC SST 40-hour Training?
First, let's start with "who needs some kind of SST card in NYC?"
The official answer is "workers on job sites that require a Site Safety Plan" or "workers on job sites that require a Construction Superintendent, a Site Safety Coordinator, or a Site Safety Manager," but those answers aren't much help.
When you dig down into it, the SST requirements apply to most construction jobs in the five boroughs. The only instance when you do not need SST training is if you only perform construction or minor alterations on 1-, 2-, or 3-family homes.
Like DOL cards, there are two levels of SST training. Workers with no supervisory responsibilities need an SST 40 card. Supervisory roles – including Construction Superintendent, Site Safety Coordinator, Site Safety Manager, Concrete Safety Manager, competent persons, forepersons, and team leads – need the 62-hour SST training instead.
As a DOB-approved training provider, we offer online SST packages and courses that can help you earn an SST 40 card, an SST 62 card, or level up from one to the other. Get started by enrolling today!
