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Training Directory

NYC DOB SITE SAFETY TRAINING

1-Hour Stairways and Ladders

A 1-hour SST general elective on stair rules, choosing and setting up a ladder, inspecting it before you climb, and keeping stairs clear as a way out. Online and self-paced.

  • Online, self-paced
  • 1 hour
  • English
  • 1 hour of SST general elective credit
  • SST card included

Training Directory · NYC DOB provider ID SEED-DOB-0004

Course at a glance

Format
Online, self-paced
Length
1 hour of instruction (60 minutes)
Assessment
A knowledge check after each of the 5 modules and a final exam. You need 70% to pass.
Credential
1 hour of NYC DOB SST general elective credit and a certificate of completion. It does not make you a competent person for ladders, stairs or stair towers.

About this stairways and ladders SST course

1-Hour Stairways and Ladders is an NYC DOB Site Safety Training (SST) course. It covers the stairs and ladders you use every day on a construction site: the parts of a stair and the dimensions that matter, when rails are required, how to choose and set up a portable ladder, how to inspect a ladder before you climb it, and what New York City requires for stairs that serve as a way out during construction. This is an awareness-level course. It teaches safe use and hazard recognition. It does not make you a competent person.

Local Law 196 of 2017 requires an SST card for construction and demolition workers and supervisors on sites that require a Site Safety Plan. Falls from ladders and on stairs are among the most common injuries on a site, which is why this topic sits on DOB's elective list. Some SST card pathways include elective hours, and DOB splits the elective list into two groups: general electives and specialized electives.

This course is a general elective. General and specialized hours are counted separately, so this hour can only fill a general elective slot. A new SST Supervisor card (62 hours) needs 2 hours of general electives and 2 hours of specialized electives. A new SST Worker card through Option 2, the 10-Hour OSHA route, needs 4 hours of general electives and 4 hours of specialized electives. If you are getting a Worker card through 30-Hour OSHA or 40-Hour Site Safety, you do not need electives, and none of the current renewal options use elective hours.

The course is online and self-paced. You work through 5 modules of narrated slides with a short knowledge check after each one, then take a final exam. You need 70% to pass. Seat time is tracked, so the course takes at least 60 minutes. You will be asked to verify your identity.

What you'll learn

Drawn from the training objectives in DOB's outline.

  • Recognize the injuries tied to stairs and ladders, and the angle that separates a stair from a ladder.
  • Name the parts of a stair and check that risers and treads are uniform, within a quarter inch.
  • Know when stairrails and handrails are required: four or more risers, or more than 30 inches of rise.
  • Choose the right ladder for the task and set a portable ladder at the correct slope, on firm, level footing.
  • Inspect a ladder before use, take a defective one out of service, and stay within its duty rating.
  • Recognize blocked or unsafe stairs used as a way out during construction in NYC, and know what to do about it.

Course topics

Organized by module, following DOB's outline for this course.

  1. Part 1 · Stairs

    • Rise and run, and the 30 to 50 degree installed angle of a stair
    • The parts of a stair: risers, treads, carriages, handrails and landings
    • Riser and tread uniformity, and the quarter-inch rule
    • When stairrails and handrails are required, and handrail height of 30 to 37 inches
    • Unfilled pan stairs and slippery conditions

  2. Part 2 · Ladders

    • Self-supporting and non-self-supporting ladders, and choosing one for the task
    • Setting slope, footing and extension on a portable ladder
    • Power lines and non-conductive siderails
    • Inspecting a ladder and taking a defective one out of service
    • Climbing: facing the ladder, three points of contact, and duty ratings

  3. Part 3 · Egress and getting help

    • The 19-inch break in elevation that requires a stair or ladder
    • NYC requirements for stairs and means of egress during construction
    • Recognizing obstructed or unsafe egress and reporting it
    • The competent person, and where to get help

Credit & certificate

SST card included

General elective

  • 1 hour toward the 2 hours of general electives required for a new SST Supervisor card (62 hours).
  • 1 hour toward the 4 hours of general electives required for a new SST Worker card under Option 2 (the 10-Hour OSHA route).
  • One of the general elective hours in the 22-Hour SST Supervisor Upgrade, the 32-Hour SST package and the 4-Hour SST Electives package.
  • It does not count as a specialized elective, and it is not part of any SST card renewal option.

1 hour of NYC DOB SST general elective credit and a certificate of completion. It does not make you a competent person for ladders, stairs or stair towers.

Who it's for

  • Workers getting a new SST Worker card through Option 2 (10-Hour OSHA) who need general elective hours
  • Supervisors and competent persons completing the 2 general elective hours for a new SST Supervisor card
  • Anyone taking the 22-Hour SST Supervisor Upgrade or the 32-Hour SST package
  • Workers who climb portable ladders or use temporary stairs on NYC sites

Included in these packages

Take this course on its own, or as part of a package.

Before you buy

Format and schedule
Online and self-paced. Start any time after purchase; no class dates or location.
Certificate and credential
When you finish, Training Directory issues a course certificate.
Identity verification
No identity verification or proctoring is required for this course.

Questions

Is 1-Hour Stairways and Ladders a general or a specialized elective?

It is a general elective. It counts only toward the general elective hours on your SST card. It cannot be used to fill a specialized elective hour.

How many elective hours do I need for my SST card?

For a new SST Supervisor card you need 2 hours of general electives and 2 hours of specialized electives. For a new SST Worker card through Option 2 (10-Hour OSHA) you need 4 hours of each. Workers who qualify through 30-Hour OSHA or 40-Hour Site Safety do not need electives, and renewals do not use them. This course gives you 1 hour of general elective credit.

Does this course make me a competent person for ladders or stair towers?

No. It teaches safe use and hazard recognition at the awareness level. A competent person is a defined role with the authority to correct hazards and stop work, and this hour does not give you that role.

Does the course give a safe distance from power lines?

No. The ladder standard requires non-conductive siderails where a ladder could contact energized equipment, but it does not set a distance. The course teaches you to look up before the ladder goes up, treat every line as live, and leave clearance questions to the competent person.

Is three points of contact an OSHA rule?

The course teaches it as OSHA guidance, not as a requirement in the ladder standard. The standard itself requires you to face the ladder and not carry anything that could make you lose your balance.

Can I take this course online, and can I finish it faster than an hour?

Yes, it is online and self-paced, so you can stop and come back. Seat time is tracked, so you cannot finish in less than 60 minutes. You will be asked to verify your identity.

Is this course part of a package?

Yes. 1-Hour Stairways and Ladders is included in the 22-Hour SST Supervisor Upgrade, the 32-Hour SST package and the 4-Hour SST Electives package. You can also take it on its own.

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Start as soon as your order is confirmed, and work at your own pace.

$50.00