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Training Directory

NYC DOB SCAFFOLD TRAINING

32-Hour Suspended Scaffold Supervisor

The DOB-approved 32-hour course for supervisors of suspended scaffold installation and use, and a required step toward a Special Rigger license. Hands-on work is in person.

  • In person · Hybrid
  • 32 hours
  • English

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Course at a glance

Format
Instructor-led, in person or hybrid (lecture live online, hands-on in person). Taught in English. Not available fully online or self-paced.
Length
32 hours of instruction, not counting breaks, spread over several sessions. No session may run longer than 9.5 hours including breaks.
Assessment
Written multiple choice test and a hands-on performance test on a scaffold.
Credential
Suspended Scaffold Supervisor certification on your DOB Worker Wallet card, and a Special Rigger license training requirement.
Official NYC DOB course outlinePDF · revision 06/26(opens in a new tab)

About the 32-hour suspended scaffold supervisor course

The 32-Hour Suspended Scaffold Supervisor course is an NYC DOB-approved course for people who supervise the installation, adjustment, repair, maintenance, use or removal of a suspended scaffold in New York City. It covers support methods, rigging, rope and knot work, motors, inspections and emergency planning.

NYC Building Code section 3314.4.5.3 requires this 32-hour training for anyone who exercises supervisory responsibility over suspended scaffold work. Four years after the course, and every four years after that, you take an 8-hour refresher. Training alone is not enough to supervise: you must also be designated as a foreman on behalf of the licensed rigger or sign hanger.

When you pass, your training provider issues the Suspended Scaffold Supervisor certification on your DOB Worker Wallet card. Job sites check the card with DOB's Training Connect app. The course is also a step toward a Special Rigger license. Applicants must complete this course and the 16-Hour Special Rigger course within one year before applying and meet DOB's experience criteria. The course is not the license itself.

Classes are instructor-led and taught in English. DOB allows this course in person or as a hybrid, where lectures and demonstrations can be taught live online over video. The hands-on scaffold work is done in person, with the whole class together. You must attend all 32 hours, and you finish with a written multiple choice test and a hands-on performance test on a scaffold.

Hands-on training

Done in person: harness fit test and inspection, tool tethering and hazard work, raising, lowering, maneuvering, drifting and shutting down a suspended scaffold, rope, knot and hitch work, rigging set-ups, and a hands-on performance test on a scaffold.

Before you enroll

You need the following before you can take this course.

  1. Able to read and write English (DOB requires license-related courses to be taught in English)

What you'll learn

Drawn from the training objectives in DOB's outline.

  • Identify suspended scaffold types, major components, manufacturer specifications and limits.
  • Choose and check support methods: C-hooks, outriggers, parapet clamps, davits, monorails and anchors, including pull testing.
  • Tie the knots and hitches used in suspended scaffold rigging and terminate wire and fiber rope correctly.
  • Inspect ropes, rigging, motors and hardware, spot wear and defects, and apply rejection criteria.
  • Raise, lower, maneuver, drift, shut down and secure a suspended scaffold safely.
  • Apply OSHA 1926, NYC Building Code section 3314 and the supervisory duties in 1 RCNY 104-20 to 104-22.

Course topics

Everything in DOB's outline for this course.

  1. Part 1 · Rules, incidents and the DOB

    • Suspended scaffold types, components, manufacturer specifications and limitations
    • Incident causes, statistics and NYC case studies
    • OSHA 1926 Subparts E (PPE), L (Scaffolds), M (Fall Protection) and X (Stairways and Ladders)
    • NYC code review, including 1 RCNY 104-20, 104-21 and 104-22 and BC 3314
    • DOB procedures, DOB NOW permits and notifications, forms, plans, inspection logs and weather advisories

  2. Part 2 · Fall protection and scaffold use

    • Fall clearance, fall distance, fall forces and tool tethering
    • Harness selection, donning and fit test, inspection and care; lifelines, rope and cable grabs, and chafing gear
    • Support methods: C-hook, outriggers with counterweights and shoring, pennant, parapet clamp, slings, monorails, davits and anchors
    • Power line hazards and safe platform loading: spans, guardrails, planking and debris netting
    • Raising, lowering, maneuvering, drifting, shutting down and securing the scaffold

  3. Part 3 · Rigging, rope and equipment

    • Hoist, platform and rigging practices: electrical cables, modular and corner scaffolds, special rigging conditions and motor types
    • Maximum intended loads and capacity reducing factors
    • Rope, fall, knot and hitch configurations, wire rope termination and fist grips
    • Basic rope, fall, hoist and block set-ups
    • Electric motors, controls, cables, service reports and pendant controls

  4. Part 4 · Inspection, special work and emergencies

    • Inspection, maintenance and repair of ropes, rigging and hardware, and who may maintain and repair
    • Rejection criteria for equipment and rigging hardware
    • Chemical building cleaning, welding and industrial rope access
    • Pre-start, operation and shutdown checklists, and emergency procedures
    • Written test and hands-on performance test on a scaffold

Credit & certificate

Suspended Scaffold Supervisor certification on your DOB Worker Wallet card. It is also one of the training requirements for an NYC Special Rigger license.

Renewal: 8-Hour Suspended Scaffold Supervisor Refresher four years after this course, then every 4 years (NYC Building Code 3314.4.5.3).

Who it's for

  • Foremen designated by a licensed rigger or sign hanger to supervise suspended scaffold work
  • Experienced suspended scaffold workers moving into a supervisor role
  • Workers planning to apply for an NYC Special Rigger license
  • Facade, window, sign and building maintenance crews that run suspended scaffolds

Before you buy

Format and schedule
Taught by an instructor in scheduled classes, in person or live online. The dates, times and place of each class are listed under Upcoming classes; registered students in a live online class get the join link.
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

Can I take this course online?

Only part of it. DOB allows this course in person or as a hybrid, where lectures and demonstrations are taught live online over video and the hands-on parts are done in person. For the live online sessions, your training provider must confirm your identity before you get access, you must attest that you are the person taking the class and will finish it without help, and your webcam must stay on for the whole class while the provider monitors attendance. The course cannot be taken fully online or self-paced.

What do I get when I finish?

When you pass both tests, your training provider issues the Suspended Scaffold Supervisor certification on your DOB Worker Wallet card through DOB's Training Connect platform. Providers may charge an administrative fee for the card. The Worker Wallet card does not replace your SST card.

Can I supervise suspended scaffold work once I pass?

Not on training alone. The person supervising the installation or use of a suspended scaffold must also be designated as a foreman on behalf of the licensed rigger or sign hanger.

Is this the Special Rigger license?

No. This course is one of the training requirements for a Special Rigger license. Applicants must complete it and the 16-Hour Special Rigger course within one year before applying, and meet DOB's experience criteria. DOB issues the license separately.

How do I keep my certification current?

Take the 8-Hour Suspended Scaffold Supervisor Refresher four years after this course and every four years after that, as NYC Building Code 3314.4.5.3 requires.

Are there any prerequisites?

DOB's outline lists no course prerequisites. The course is taught in English, and DOB requires license applicants to read and write English.

Who needs this course?

Anyone who supervises the installation, adjustment, repair, maintenance, use or removal of a suspended scaffold in NYC, and anyone applying for a Special Rigger license.

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