NYC DOB CRANES AND DERRICKS TRAINING
8-Hour Special Rigger Renewal
The NYC DOB-approved continuing education course licensed Special Riggers take within the year before renewing their license.
- In person · Live online · Hybrid
- 8 hours
- English
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Contact usCourse at a glance
- Format
- Instructor-led, in English. In person, live online, or hybrid. Not available self-paced.
- Length
- 8 hours of instruction, not counting breaks and meals.
- Assessment
- Written multiple-choice test at the end of the course.
- Credential
- Course completion certificate for your Special Rigger license renewal. Does not renew the license by itself.
About the special rigger license renewal course in NYC
The 8-Hour Special Rigger Renewal is NYC DOB-approved continuing education for people who hold a Special Rigger license. It reviews the same areas as the 16-hour licensing course, focused on what has changed since your last renewal: code and rule updates, recent rigging incidents, rigging math, suspension methods, hoisting equipment, and safety on suspended scaffolds. Case studies favor NYC incidents since the prior renewal period.
Under 1 RCNY 104-06(b)(9), a Special Rigger must complete two DOB-approved courses during the year before each license renewal: an 8-hour course on hoisting equipment used in the special rigger industry other than suspended scaffolds, and an 8-hour suspended scaffold supervisor course. This course meets the first requirement. Plan to take the 8-Hour Suspended Scaffold Supervisor Refresher as well.
Finishing this course does not renew your license. You still file your renewal with DOB through DOB NOW, with your course certificate, forms, and fee. DOB asks licensees to submit 30 to 90 days before the expiration date on the license card to avoid a late fee.
The course is instructor-led and taught in English. It has no hands-on component, so DOB allows it in person, live online, or as a hybrid, but never self-paced. You must attend all 8 hours of instruction. It ends with a written multiple-choice test, and your training provider gives you a certificate of completion to upload with your renewal.
Before you enroll
You need the following before you can take this course.
- Hold a NYC Special Rigger license (this is a renewal requirement for license holders)
- Able to read and write English (DOB requires license courses to be taught in English)
What you'll learn
Drawn from the training objectives in DOB's outline.
- Catch up on Building Code 3307, 3314, and 3316 and DOB rule changes since your last renewal.
- Review recent rigging incidents, including a suspended scaffold case, and how they could have been prevented.
- Refresh rigging calculations: loads, sling loads, center of gravity, drifting loads, and tipping points.
- Review suspension methods, anchors, pull testing, and off-the-shelf and site-built hardware.
- Recheck how building structure and facade deterioration affect rigging supports.
- Update your safety practices: operational aids, fall arrest, exclusion zones, electrical safety, and scaffold emergency procedures.
Course topics
Everything in DOB's outline for this course.
Part 1 · Special rigging, incidents, and rules
- What rigging is and its uses, including industrial rope access, small hoisting equipment, and related tools
- Rigging incident causes, 24-month statistics, and two case studies (one suspended scaffold, one other rigging)
- OSHA 1926 overview of Subparts E, L, M, and X, and review of Subparts H, K, and N
- 2022 NYC Building Code 3307, 3314, and 3316; 1 RCNY 104-20 and 3316-01; DOB policies, bulletins, and memos
- DOB procedures, permits, notifications, filing and site documents, inspection logs, and wind advisories
Part 2 · Plans, structure, and design
- Basic plan reading and symbols, with emphasis on rigging
- Design criteria for rigging and factors of safety
- Building structure, material strength and weight, and structures used to support rigging
- Weathering of facade elements: masonry, curtain wall panels, stone and tile, railings, and embedded anchors
Part 3 · Math, equipment, and suspension
- Rigging math: measurement, geometry, leverage, friction, loading, wind on netting, and center of gravity
- Hoisting and rigging equipment: stirrups, blocks, sheaves, drums, slings, chains, hoist motors, and capacity
- Suspension methods: C-hooks, outrigger beams, clamps, counterweights, shoring, and anchors
- Pull testing of anchorage devices, off-the-shelf and site-built hardware, and ground conditions
- Lifting and lowering loads, critical picks, and material handling for hoisting, scaffolds, and facade repair
Part 4 · Safety, emergencies, and records
- Communication by radio, hand signals, and flags
- Operational aids, personal fall arrest, PPE, exclusion zones, and electrical safety on suspended decks
- Protecting rigging from damaging materials and welding or burning, and emergency procedures for scaffold failure or power loss
- Logs and record keeping, and evaluating rigging and specialty crews
- General site hazards, 311 reporting, review, and a written multiple-choice test
Credit & certificate
A course completion certificate that meets the hoisting equipment course requirement for renewing a NYC Special Rigger license. It does not renew the license by itself.
Renewal: Take it within the year before each Special Rigger license renewal, together with an 8-hour Suspended Scaffold Supervisor course.
Who it's for
- Licensed NYC Special Riggers approaching their license renewal
- Special Riggers who need the 8-hour hoisting equipment course within the year before renewal
- License holders who want a current review of code changes and recent incidents in special rigging
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 live online?
Yes. It has no hands-on part, so DOB allows it in person, live online, or as a hybrid, but not self-paced. For live online classes, your identity is confirmed before you get access, you attest that you will complete the training without help, your participation is monitored, and your webcam stays on for the whole class.
Does this course renew my Special Rigger license?
No. It meets one course requirement. You still submit your renewal to DOB through DOB NOW with your certificate, the required forms, and the renewal fee.
Is this the only course I need to renew?
No. DOB's rule requires two 8-hour courses in the year before renewal: this hoisting equipment course and an 8-hour suspended scaffold supervisor course. The 8-Hour Suspended Scaffold Supervisor Refresher covers the second one.
When should I take it?
Within the 1 year before your license renewal. DOB asks you to file your renewal 30 to 90 days before the expiration date on your license card to avoid a late fee, so finish the course before then.
What do I get when I finish?
A certificate of completion from your training provider that you upload with your renewal. Special Rigger is a DOB license, not a Worker Wallet certification.
Who needs this course?
Anyone holding a NYC Special Rigger license who plans to renew it.
Are there prerequisites?
You should hold a Special Rigger license, since this is a renewal course for license holders. It is taught in English.
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